Quantifying European Legislative Research: using CELEX and PreLex in EU legislative studies

Research on European legislative decision-making has entered a stage of quantitative analysis. The quantitative approach promises to advance the current dialogue by allowing for the evaluation of competing approaches across multiple policy domains and over time. At the same time, the quantitative study of EU decision-making introduces a number of drawbacks: it is difficult to identify one definitive source for legislative information, and case-level data are not directly accessible in a machine-readable format. In order to identify the most crucial pitfalls and provide a reliable data source, we evaluate the most frequently cited, publicly available EU legislative database, CELEX, and compare it with a less publicized legislative database referred to as PreLex. We find that CELEX documents legislative events, whereas PreLex records inter-institutional activities in the legislative process. Unsurprisingly, each of these databases has particular advantages, and we discuss which of the two might be better suited for the analysis of specific research questions

The European Union's alternative models for maximizing its integration strategy for candidates and neighbouring states: a process of external differentiation

This paper investigates the patterns of integration between the European Union (EU) and the current candidates (Turkey and Serbia in the Western Balkans are used as case studies), and neighbourhood countries, specifically Ukraine. It inquires whether the priorities negotiated between the EU and current candidates and neighbourhood countries in terms of harmonizing and implementing EU legislation provide a form of differentiated integration. The aim is to uncover the EU’s integration strategies for its enlargement and neighbourhood policy. While the paper assesses the patterns of differentiated integration for Turkey, Serbia and Ukraine, it identifies a path of integration with the non-members of the EU, enabling the EU to expand its functional rules prior to or in lieu of accession, maximizing the EU’s integration capacity. The paper compares the differentiated integration pattern between the EU and Turkey on the one hand, and between the EU and Serbia (as an example from the Western Balkans) and Ukraine (as a European Neighbourhood country) on the other

Quantifying European Legislative Research : Using CELEX and PRELEX in EU Legislative Studies

International audienceResearch on European legislative decision-making has entered a stage of quantitative analysis. The quantitative approach promises to advance the current dialogue by allowing for the evaluation of competing approaches across multiple policy domains and over time. At the same time, the quantitative study of EU decision-making introduces a number of drawbacks: it is difficult to identify one definitive source for legislative information, and case-level data are not directly accessible in a machine-readable format. In order to identify the most crucial pitfalls and provide a reliable data source, we evaluate the most frequently cited, publicly available EU legislative database, CELEX, and compare it with a less publicized legislative database referred to as PreLex. We find that CELEX documents legislative events, whereas PreLex records inter-institutional activities in the legislative process. Unsurprisingly, each of these databases has particular advantages, and we discuss which of the two might be better suited for the analysis of specific research questions

Türk siyasi partileri, seçim bildirgeleri ve Ortadoğu

Bu çalışma, Türkiye’de son üç seçimdir en fazla oy alan üç siyasi partinin Ortadoğu’yu ve Türkiye’nin bu coğrafyadaki rolünü seçim bildirgelerinde nasıl betimlediği konusunda sistematik bir çözümleme sunmaktadır. Çalışma, bu çözümlemeyi AKP, CHP ve MHP’nin 2002, 2007 ve 2011 seçim bildirgeleri üzerinden yapmakta ve bu siyasi partilerin Ortadoğu konusunda duruşlarını belirlerken ne ölçüde iç siyasetteki gelişmelerinden ve küresel ölçekteki olaylardan etkilendikleri sorusuna da cevap aramaktadır. Aynı zamanda, daha güncel bir konu olarak, “Arap baharı”nın Türk siyasi partilerinin duruşunu nasıl etkilediğini de seçim bildirgeleri üzerinden incelemekteyiz. Bulgular, iktidar ve muhalefet partisinin Ortadoğu ve Irak’a dış politika portföylerinde önemli bir yer verdiklerine işaret etmektedir. AKP, Ortadoğu ve Irak’a ilişkin seçim vaatlerini şekillendirirken, seçmenlerinin hassasiyetlerini ve daha önce izlediği politikaların sonuçlarını dikkate almaktadır. 2011 yılında CHP’nin bölgeye dair söyleminin odağı, eleştirel bir tondan yapıcı ve gündemi belirleyen bir tona kaymıştır. Araştırmamız, MHP’nin ise son on yıldır Ortadoğu ve Irak konusunda görece siyasetten uzak, güvenlik eksenli ve butik bir duruşu koruduğunu önermektedir

EU legislative activities and domestic politics

Much of the Europeanization debate revolves around the impact of Brussels on the domestic legislatures of the member states, in particular the domination of their legislatures by the binding and enforceable activities of the EU. Because this impact is a direct result of the amount of legislative activities at the EU level, this chapter documents EU legislative decision-making and explores the consequences of treaty revisions and enlargements, which have changed the goals and conditions for EU legislative decision-making over time

Foreign policy and the EU in Turkish politics: exploring trends in electoral manifestos

Is Turkish foreign policy becoming increasingly complex and salient in domestic electoral party politics? Has the past decade of Justice and Development Party (AKP) leadership led to a dramatic shift in the dimensionality of the foreign policy debate or to the strategic positioning of opposition party platforms? Our contribution analyses the promises made by the incumbent AKP to voters in their electoral manifesto on foreign policy and the EU against the realities of these claims and the responses of the two largest political party contenders. Our data are unique considering that coded manifesto data are not publically available for this period or in this detail for the foreign policy party platforms in Turkey. Our analysis suggests that Turkish parties position themselves strategically on salient foreign policy issues and try to produce alternative policies while revealing the weaknesses of their rivals to the constituents. In addition, the salience of these issues changes over time as a result of external shocks, and this also affects parties’ relative positions on specific issue dimensions