Understanding the Mechanisms of EU Politicization: Lessons from the Euro-zone crisis

TY - JOUR

T1 - Understanding the Mechanisms of EU Politicization: Lessons from the Euro-zone crisis

AU - Statham, Paul

AU - Trenz, Hans-Jörg

PY - 2015/5/20

Y1 - 2015/5/20

N2 - The article critically evaluates existing theories and approaches on European Union (EU) politicization to understand how the EU's democratic politics can potentially work in an era of 'mediated politics'. Moving beyond questions of why politicization has occurred, and what kind of EU will it lead to, we outline a theoretical perspective on the mechanisms of how the EU's politicization is taking place. Against the backdrop of a post-functionalist theory of integration, the contours of which have been recently discussed within political science, we think that the dynamics of EU politicization can be better grasped from a public sphere perspective within the framework of what we will call a 'democratic functionalism' approach. The Eurozone debt crisis case is used as an example of deep and broad EU politicization to explicate the mechanisms at work.

AB - The article critically evaluates existing theories and approaches on European Union (EU) politicization to understand how the EU's democratic politics can potentially work in an era of 'mediated politics'. Moving beyond questions of why politicization has occurred, and what kind of EU will it lead to, we outline a theoretical perspective on the mechanisms of how the EU's politicization is taking place. Against the backdrop of a post-functionalist theory of integration, the contours of which have been recently discussed within political science, we think that the dynamics of EU politicization can be better grasped from a public sphere perspective within the framework of what we will call a 'democratic functionalism' approach. The Eurozone debt crisis case is used as an example of deep and broad EU politicization to explicate the mechanisms at work.

U2 - 10.1057/cep.2013.30

DO - 10.1057/cep.2013.30

M3 - Journal article

SN - 1472-4790

VL - 13

SP - 287

EP - 306

JO - Comparative European Politics

JF - Comparative European Politics

IS - 3

ER -