Project Details
Projekt
Building the EU`s social constituency: exploring the dynamics of public claims-making and collective representation in Europe
Applicant
Professor Dr. Klaus Eder
Subject Area
Empirical Social Research
Term
from 2005 to 2009
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 5446632
The recently drafted constitution of the European Union raises the question of the relationship of the emerging European polity to its social constituency. In essence the underlying concern of a European social constituency ( the people or the public of the polity) lies in the plausibility and requisiteness of Europe as a demos . The normative expectation is that a constituted European polity requires such a demos, which is seen as the basis for the legitimacy of European governance. The empirical question is whether such a normative idea of Europe as a demos channels and guides collective action and public communication within and beyond the national boundaries of the EU-member states. The European constitution has set the Standards for democratic and legitimate governance within the multi-level institutional framework of the EU. How do these constitutional arrangements co-evolve with the voice of potential European citizens? The aim of the project is to empirically assess the EU¿s social constituency and explain its role in the evolution of a legitimate political order in Europe.
DFG Programme
Research Grants
International Connection
Denmark, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, United Kingdom
