The Substance of EU Democracy Promotion - (Governance and Limited Statehood) by A Wetzel & J Orbie (Hardcover)

About the Book

"This book provides a comprehensive overview and explanation of the substance of the European Union's (EU) democracy promotion policy. With the promotion of democracy becoming an increasingly important element of European Union foreign policy, the contributors argue that the question of what is actually being promoted by the EU in third countries must come to the fore of academic and practical discussions. Dealing with the democratic agenda promoted by the EU, this collection focuses on elections, civil and political rights, horizontal accountability, effective power to govern, stateness, state administrative capacity, civil society, and socio-economic development as components of embedded liberal democracy. The conceptual part of the book includes an analytical framework and critical discussions from law, political economy, critical social theory and governance perspectives. The empirical part contains 11 chapters where the common analytical framework is applied to 22 country cases"--

Book Synopsis

The book investigates the substance of the European Union's (EU) democracy promotion policy. It focuses on elections, civil and political rights, horizontal accountability, effective power to govern, stateness, state administrative capacity, civil society, and socio-economic context as components of embedded liberal democracy.

Review Quotes

"It addresses a very important and challenging topic by offering extremely rich and well-organised material. ... book is balanced both in terms of depth of analysis and breadth of empirical evidence. The use of a solid theoretical framework, the smart selection of cases, and a wide range of primary and secondary resources make the book a reliable source of information and insights for researchers and students ... . an engaging and substantial addition to the democratisation and democracy promotion literature." (Aijan Sharshenova, Europe-Asia Studies, Vol. 68 (2), 2016)

"The editors have gathered a good group of contributors predominantly with area expertise which guarantees the empirical research. ... In any case, the book is a highly valuable addition to the literature on democracy promotion." (Carlos Closa Montero, JCMS Journal of Common Market Studies, Vol.54 (6), 2016)

About the Author

Müge Aknur, Dokuz Eylül University, Turkey. Canan Balk?r, Dokuz Eylül University, Turkey. Federica Bicchi, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK. Fabienne Bossuyt, Ghent University, Belgium. Maurizio Carbone, University of Glasgow, UK. Bekim Çollaku, Prime Minister's Cabinet, Kosovo. Karen Del Biondo, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany. Eline De Ridder, Flemish Department of Education and Training, Belgium. Labinot Greiçevci, Research Institute of Development and European Affairs (RIDEA), Kosovo. Dimitry Kochenov, University of Groningen, the Netherlands. Hrant Kostanyan, Ghent University, Belgium. Paul Kubicek, Oakland University, USA. Milja Kurki, Aberystwyth University, UK. Vicky Reynaert, independent scholar. Andrea Ribeiro Hoffmann, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany. Jessica Schmidt, Centre for Global Cooperation Research, Duisburg, Germany. Susan Stewart, German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), Germany. Benedetta Voltolini, Maastricht University, the Netherlands.