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Is the Governance of Europe's Transnational Party System Contributing to EU Democracy?

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  • Ludvig Norman
  • Wouter Wolfs

Abstract

Does Europe's transnational party system contribute to EU democracy? Existing debates on this issue have conventionally revolved around conflicting assumptions on the feasibility of supranational democracy in general, rather than examining the party system's structure as it is set up and regulated. In this paper we evaluate to what extent the transnational party system contributes to the democratic qualities of the EU by studying the regulatory framework for European political parties. We establish an analytical framework based on studies of party system governance, and focus on two specific characteristics: the contestability of the Europarty system and the extent to which it promotes citizen participation in European political parties. Our analysis demonstrates that the governance structure impedes rather than bolsters the democratic potential of Europarties, since the rules work to prevent new parties from entering the party system, and fail to provide incentives for a more active political participation of European citizens.

Suggested Citation

  • Ludvig Norman & Wouter Wolfs, 2022. "Is the Governance of Europe's Transnational Party System Contributing to EU Democracy?," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 60(2), pages 463-479, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:jcmkts:v:60:y:2022:i:2:p:463-479
    DOI: 10.1111/jcms.13250
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Klüver, Heike & Rodon, Toni, 2013. "Explaining Policy Position Choice of Europarties: The Effect of Legislative Resources," British Journal of Political Science, Cambridge University Press, vol. 43(3), pages 629-650, July.
    2. Christian Breuer & Matthias Müller, 2010. "Government Debt in Europe," CESifo Forum, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, vol. 11(02), pages 111-112, July.
    3. Saitto, Francesco, 2017. "European political parties and European public space from the Maastricht Treaty to the Reg. No. 1141/2014," Discussion Papers 2/17, Europa-Kolleg Hamburg, Institute for European Integration.
    4. Van Biezen, Ingrid, 2008. "State Intervention in Party Politics: The Public Funding and Regulation of Political Parties," European Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 16(3), pages 337-353, July.
    5. Ludvig Norman, 2021. "To Democratize or to Protect? How the Response to Anti‐System Parties Reshapes the EU's Transnational Party System," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 59(3), pages 721-737, May.
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