Centripetal Democracy

Democratic Legitimacy and Political Identity in Belgium, Switzerland, and the European Union

Joseph Lacey

Provides an original normative democratic theory with a comparative analysis
Provides an interdisciplinary approach

Centripetal Democracy

Democratic Legitimacy and Political Identity in Belgium, Switzerland, and the European Union

Joseph Lacey

Description

Centripetal democracy is the idea that legitimate democratic institutions set in motion forms of citizen practice and representative behaviour that serve as powerful drivers of political identity formation. Partisan modes of political representation in the context of multifaceted electoral and direct democratic voting opportunities are emphasised on this model. There is, however, a strain of thought predominant in political theory that doubts the democratic capacities of political systems constituted by multiple public spheres. This view is referred to as the lingua franca thesis on sustainable democratic systems (LFT). Inadequate democratic institutions and acute demands to divide the political system (through devolution or secession), are predicted by this thesis.

By combining an original normative democratic theory with a comparative analysis of how Belgium and Switzerland have variously managed to sustain themselves as multilingual democracies, this book identifies the main institutional features of a democratically legitimate European Union and the conditions required to bring it about. Part One presents a novel theory of democratic legitimacy and political identity formation on which subsequent analyses are based. Part Two defines the EU as a demoi-cracy and provides a thorough democratic assessment of this political system. Part Three explains why Belgium has largely succumbed to the centrifugal logic predicted by the LFT, while Switzerland apparently defies this logic. Part Four presents a model of centripetal democracy for the EU, one that would greatly reduce its democratic deficit and ensure that this political system does not succumb to the centrifugal forces expected by the LFT.

Centripetal Democracy

Democratic Legitimacy and Political Identity in Belgium, Switzerland, and the European Union

Joseph Lacey

Introduction
Part One: Democratic Legitimacy and Political Identity
1. Democratic Process and Democratic Purpose
2. The Democratic Enactment of Representation
Part Two: Democratic Legitimacy and Political Identity in the EU
3. A Conceptual Map of the EU
4. A Democratic Assessment of European Demoi-cracy
Part Three: Testing the Lingua Franca Thesis - Belgium and Switzerland Compared
5. Belgium Versus the Lingua Franca Thesis
6. Switzerland Versus the Lingua Franca Thesis
Part Four: Implications for Democratic Legitimacy and Political Identity in the EU
7. Modelling Centripetal Democracy for the EU
The Argument in Summary

Centripetal Democracy

Democratic Legitimacy and Political Identity in Belgium, Switzerland, and the European Union

Joseph Lacey

Author Information

Joseph Lacey, Junior Research Fellow in Politics, University College, University of Oxford

Joseph Lacey is the Junior Research Fellow in Politics at University College, and affiliated with the Department of Politics and International Relations, University of Oxford. He holds a PhD from the European University Institute's Department of Political and Social Sciences.

Centripetal Democracy

Democratic Legitimacy and Political Identity in Belgium, Switzerland, and the European Union

Joseph Lacey

Reviews and Awards

"an informative analysis with a remarkable traversal of several research strands... [the book] constitutes an enriching, stimulating analysis with normative thrust that is tremendously relevant for the EU and beyond." -- Jared Sonnicksen, JMCS

"The book covers a lot of conceptual and empirical ground. It offers a rich analysis of the democratic challenges facing the European Union and a tightly argued case for why democratic legitimacy is important and how it could be achieved. ... this is a stimulating book that deserves to be read by all those interested in the future of the European Union." -- Dr Paolo Dardanelli, The Journal of Federalism

"I highly recommend Centripetal Democracy, an ambitious book that informs democratic thought and practice within the EU, but also, I believe, well-beyond." -- Alice el-Wakil, Acta Politica

"EL[Centripetal Democracy] offers not only an informative analysis with a remarkable traversal of several research strands, it also constitutes an enriching, stimulating analysis with normative thrust that is tremendously relevant for the EU and beyond." -- Jared Sonnicksen, Journal of Common Market Studies

Centripetal Democracy

Democratic Legitimacy and Political Identity in Belgium, Switzerland, and the European Union

Joseph Lacey

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