Discourse and Order in the EU. A Deliberative Approach to European Governance

governance; integration theory; joint decision making; multilevel governance; participation; political representation; supranationalism

Why do we have an interbank money market?

The interbank money market plays a key role in the execution of monetary policy. Hence, it is important to know the functioning of this market and the determinants of the interbank money market rate. In this paper, we develop an interbank money market model with a heterogeneous banking sector. We show that besides for balancing daily liquidity fluctuations banks participate in the interbank market because they have different marginal costs of obtaining funds from the central bank. In the euro area, which we refer to, these cost differences occur because banks have different marginal cost of collateral which they need to hold to obtain funds from the central bank. Banks with relatively low marginal costs act as intermediaries between the central bank and banks with relatively high marginal costs. The necessary positive spread between the interbank market rate and the central bank rate is determined by transaction costs and credit risk in the interbank market, total liquidity needs of the banking sector, costs of obtaining funds from the central bank, and the distribution of the latter across banks.interbank money market, European Central Bank, monetary policy instruments

Compliance in Comparative Perspective : The EU and Other International Institutions

Although there are different notions of what legal norms sets apart from social norms, all concepts of law adhere to the principle of legal equality, according to which like cases are treated alike. Law thus requires that like cases are treated in a like manner. This, in turn, requires a high compliance rate with any given regulation. Without sufficient compliance rates, it is hardly possible to speak of law. But can a high degree of compliance be realized beyond the coercive capacities of the nation-state? The sceptical formulation of Herbert Kelsen (1966: 4) is famous: "The antagonism of freedom and coercion fundamental to social life supplies the decisive criterion. It is the criterion of law, for law is a coercive order." This point of view is also reflected in Realism as a theory of international relations (Morgenthau 1964, Waltz 1979). For Realism, legal constraints beyond the nation-state are non-existent or, at best, very weak (e.g. Krasner 1999 on human rights). Furthermore, communitarianists point out that questions of law and justice can meaningfully be dealt with only in communities that share common values and ideas (Goodin 1988, Miller 1995) and are equally doubtful about the possibility for law beyond the nation-state. In this sense, it seems fair to describe the question of compliance as the Achilles" heel of international regulations (see Werksmann 1996: xvi, Young 1999a: Chap. 4). This paper aims to shed doubt on the scepticism of Realism and Communitarianism. As opposed to the propositions of both theoretical strands we show that law beyond the nation-state is indeed possible and that compliance can even in a horizontal setting without centralized coercive capacities and without a single underlying social identity work sufficiently well. We furthermore show some of the building blocks of a successful elicitation of compliance beyond the nation-state and discuss if and in how far the EU is different from other international institutions in realising them. For developing this argument we start by introducing our research design and case selection (section 2). Section 3 introduces our empirical results, discusses their relevance for the analysis of compliance and draws some theoretical implications. This section is followed by a discussion of the relevance of the results for the study of European integration (section 4)

Europa im Unfrieden: Soziale Konflikte und politische Umwälzungen in der europäischen Geschichte und Gegenwart

Die größte Herausforderung politischer Systeme liegt in ihrer Fähigkeit, den inneren sozialen Frieden zu bewahren. Anhand historischer Beispiele zeigt der Autor, dass es in der europäischen Geschichte ein wiederkehrendes Muster sozialer Konflikte, übermäßiger Machtkonzentrationen und politischen Verfalls gibt - und dass die Europäische Union auf dem besten Weg ist, dieses Muster zu wiederholen. Mit einer Mischung aus theoretischen Reflexionen, historischen Darlegungen und aktuellen politischen Analysen weisen seine Rekonstruktionen einen Weg zu einem europäischen Neustart

Europäische Solidarität: die Flüchtlingskrise als Realitätstest

Europas aktuelle Misere reicht weit über die Flüchtlings- und auch über die Finanzkrise hinaus. Nun erkennen die Mitgliedstaaten der EU, dass sie keine Solidargemeinschaft bilden und keine tragfähige Vorstellung davon haben, wie die Union zu einer solchen Gemeinschaft entwickelt werden könnte. Deshalb gilt es, Wege zu weisen, wie diese Selbsterkenntnis konstruktiv gewendet werden kann, um dem Anspruch auf Solidarität untereinander Taten folgen zu lassen. (Autorenreferat

Das institutionelle Design der EU nach der Finanzkrise (The institutional design of the EU after the financial crisis)

In the midst of the EU's current "polycrisis ", several serious dangers threaten the future of Europe's unity. The looming Brexit vote as well as the refugee crisis and – above all – the rise of nationalistic, right-wing extremist parties demonstrate the fragility of the EU. One of the EU's fundamental problems is its institutional design in general. In particular the role of the European Central Bank is not fit for the challenges of the time. Moreover, the EU is facing disintegrative pressures while simultaneously pursuing moves towards deepening the Union as a reaction to the multiple crises. Against this background, it is highly likely that differentiation within the EU will increase. Deeper cooperation among small groups of member states will likely increase efficiency but may also reduce transparency, accountability and cohesion within the EU. If handled well, differentiation may also open new pathways for cooperation with the EU's neighbours and accession countries. The foundation for a fresh start in Europe is the Franco-German relationship, as only these two Member States together can prevent Euroscepticism from spreading even further and the new radical right from taking control of Europe. JEL Classification: E61, F02, F45, H12

Электропривод регулирующей трубопроводной арматуры на базе синхронного двигателя с постоянными магнитами

Цель работы – создание нового поколения регулирующих взрывозащищенных электроприводов с минимальными габаритными размерами, массой и себестоимостью, не уступающих по точности регулирования и функциональным характеристикам регулирующим электроприводам производства других фирм. В процессе работы был произведен расчет и выбор электропривода. Проведено моделирование и анализ работы привода в разных режимах.The purpose of the work is to create a new generation of regulating explosion-proof electric drives with minimum overall dimensions, weight and cost, which are not inferior in regulation accuracy and functional characteristics to regulating electric drives produced by other companies. During operation electric drive was calculated and selected. Simulation and analysis of the drive operation in different modes were carried out

Micromechanical Properties of Injection-Molded Starch–Wood Particle Composites

The micromechanical properties of injection molded starch–wood particle composites were investigated as a function of particle content and humidity conditions. The composite materials were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction methods. The microhardness of the composites was shown to increase notably with the concentration of the wood particles. In addition,creep behavior under the indenter and temperature dependence were evaluated in terms of the independent contribution of the starch matrix and the wood microparticles to the hardness value. The influence of drying time on the density and weight uptake of the injection-molded composites was highlighted. The results revealed the role of the mechanism of water evaporation, showing that the dependence of water uptake and temperature was greater for the starch–wood composites than for the pure starch sample. Experiments performed during the drying process at 70°C indicated that the wood in the starch composites did not prevent water loss from the samples.Peer reviewe