The Politics of Legitimation in the European Union

Christopher Lord is Professor at ARENA Centre for European Studies, University of Oslo, Norway, and Scientific Co-ordinator of the PLATO network. Peter Bursens is Jean Monnet Chair and Professor of Political Science at the Department of Political Science of the University of Antwerp, Belgium. Dirk De Bièvre is Professor of International Politics at the University of Antwerp, Belgium. Jarle Trondal is a Professor at University of Agder, Department of Political Science and Management, and a Professor at the University of Oslo, ARENA Centre for European Studies, Norway. Ramses A. Wessel is Professor of European Law and Head of the Department of European and Economic Law at the University of Groningen, Netherlands.

Part 1: Theoretical framework: The politics of legitimation 1. Introduction 2. Conflating policy, democracy and legitimacy: The case of stakeholder involvement Part 2: Legitimation by individual citizens and officials 3. Winning minds not hearts? Citizens emotions and European integration 4. Trust lost, trust regained? Trust, legitimacy and multi-level governance 5. Beyond support: Public opinion and EU legitimacy 6. Dublin is dead: A study in delegitimation Part 3: Legitimation by media and parliaments 7. Whose voice is louder? Politicisation and legitimation in state aid policy 8. Legitimation strategies and national parliaments: The case of anti-corruption 9. Toothless observers or comprehensive players? National parliaments and the European Semester Part 4: Legitimation by governments, courts and external actors 10. A Two-Way Street: Flexible and Rigid Legitimation across Actors and Policies in the EU 11. Post-Crisis Legitimacy in the EU’s Economic and Monetary Union: The Cases of European Fiscal Policy Coordination and Banking Supervision 12. Normative power Europe? Lessons in legitimacy, conditionality and compliance Part 5: Theoretical conclusions on legitimation and legitimacy 13. Polycrisis and Resilience in the EU: Covid-19 and avenues for future studies 14. The many actors of direct and indirect legitimacy 15. Concluding Implications for EU Policy, Law and Institutions