Claudia Wiesner is Professor for Political science at Fulda University of Applied Sciences and adjunct Professor in Political Science at JyväskyläUniversity, Finland. Her main research interests lie in the comparative study of democracy, political culture and political sociology in the EU multilevel system. Wiesner¿s second field of research is Public Policy, its evaluation, reform and theory.

Preface

Introduction: Inventing the EU as a democratic polity

Part I: The theoretical and methodological toolkit

1. Conceptualising representative democracy in the EU

2. Towards a reflexive perspective on political concepts

3. Studying Conceptual Change via European integration: A Research Agenda

4. Studying conceptual controversies in this book

Part II: Inventing the EU as a democratic polity

5. Inventing the EU-but as a democratic polity or as a balance of powers?

6. Towards the bases of representative democracy-parliament, citizenry, and government

7. Who did it, when, and how? Treaty changes, law implementation, and interinstitutonal micropolitics

8. A dynamic perspective on the EP¿s power gains: studying interinstitutional micropolitics

9. Inventing and shaping EU citizens

Part III: The EU as a supranational democratic polity?

10. A defective supranational democracy? Government, Parliament, Head of State in the EU system

11. Parliamentarism and the European Parliament: potentials and limits

12. European Council - Government, Parliament, President or intergovernmental assembly?

13. Citizenship, Democracy and demos-building in the EU

Part IV: The inner market, multi-level governance and democracy

14. Capitalism, Democracy and the European Union

15. Citizenship, Social rights and democracy

16. Parliaments versus Executives in the financial crisis

Conclusion: The EU as a democratic polity?