Synopses & Reviews
Argues that a strong party system in the European Parliament is promoting democratic accountability.
Synopsis
The European Parliament is the only directly-elected European institution and has gained significant legislative powers over the last twenty years. Understanding how this diverse institution works is thus crucial to the debate concerning the democratic accountability of the European Union. By studying votes in the European Parliament the authors find that its politics are surprisingly similar to other democratic parliaments: transnational parties are highly cohesive, and the classic 'left-right' dimension dominates voting behaviour. The authors suggest that this is a positive development for the future of the EU's democratic accountability.
Table of Contents
Introduction; 1. Development of the European Parliament; 2. Democracy, transaction costs and political parties; 3. Ideological not territorial politics; 4. Participation; 5. Trends in party cohesion; 6. Agenda setting and cohesion; 7. Who controls the MEPs?; 8. Competition and coalition formation; 9. Dimensions of politics; 10. Investiture and censure of the Santer Commission; 11. The takeover directive; Conclusion.