Legitimacy and Social Affiliation: A case study of engineers in Europe

TY - UNPB

T1 - Legitimacy and Social Affiliation

T2 - A case study of engineers in Europe

AU - Gunnarsson, Jan Sture Gunnar

N1 - JEL classification: H70, L50

PY - 2008

Y1 - 2008

N2 - Analyses of European governance usually put the member states in the foreground, placing the citizens in the background. This article brings explanations of EU legitimacy down to the level of individuals. A method is suggested that combines explanations based on individual interests and a sociological approach to identity. The paper investigates how work organisations become levers for a European outlook that may release legitimising from its national context. The individual level analysis is carried out for one particular occupational group (engineers) and the research questions are elucidated by case studies.

AB - Analyses of European governance usually put the member states in the foreground, placing the citizens in the background. This article brings explanations of EU legitimacy down to the level of individuals. A method is suggested that combines explanations based on individual interests and a sociological approach to identity. The paper investigates how work organisations become levers for a European outlook that may release legitimising from its national context. The individual level analysis is carried out for one particular occupational group (engineers) and the research questions are elucidated by case studies.

KW - Faculty of Social Sciences

KW - social capital

KW - social identity

KW - civil society

KW - open methods of coordination

M3 - Working paper

BT - Legitimacy and Social Affiliation

PB - Department of Economics, University of Copenhagen

ER -