Maximilian Conrad Books

Three years after the introduction of the European Citizens‘ Initiative, the present volume offers a critical, but nonetheless cautiously optimistic perspective on the opportunities and constraints of this novel tool of transnational participatory democracy. Bringing together a wide range of ECI researchers, the volume combines theoretical discussions on the nature and contribution of the ECI with empirical perspectives on the experiences of the first initiatives launched since April 2012. The contributions show that the ECI is difficult to place as an instrument of participatory democracy, owing to considerable ambiguity as regards its merely indirect agenda-setting function. More importantly, the ECI has so far only in part been able to fulfill the high expectations held by academics, activists and ECI organizers alike. The conclusions of the volume are, therefore, somewhat ambivalent: while the ECI clearly has significant democratizing potential, the experience of the first three years also points to a considerable need for reform. With contributions by: Jeannette Behringer, Carsten Berg, Katrin Böttger, Maximilian Conrad, Marie Dufrasne, Louis Bouza Garcia, Pawel Glogowski, Justin Greenwood, Annette Knaut, Julian Plottka, Yannick Polchow und Freyja Steingrímsdóttir.

What kind of public sphere is possible in the European Union, given its diversity of national identities, languages, and media systems? This exploration delves into the role of a European public sphere in bridging gaps between citizens and their representatives in EU institutions and fostering transnational communicative spaces that politicize EU politics. Drawing on Deweyan pragmatism, social constructivism, and Habermasian constitutional patriotism, the work challenges the notion that a European public sphere requires a sense of European "identity light." It posits that a political sense of community can only emerge from the democratic process itself. The author examines the role of daily newspapers as not only framers of public debate but also as actors with distinct normative views on the future of EU integration, addressing the nature of the EU as a polity and the essence of democratic rule within it. A key empirical question is whether newspapers advocating for greater democracy beyond the nation-state actively provide forums for transnational debate. This inquiry sheds light on how media can influence the development of a cohesive European public sphere amidst diverse national contexts.