Civil society and international governance: the role of non-state actors in the EU, Africa, Asia and Middle East

Structures and processes occurring within and between states are no longer the only – or even the most important - determinants of those political, economic and social developments and dynamics that shape the modern world. Many issues, including the environment, health, crime, drugs, migration and terrorism, can no longer be contained within national boundaries. As a result, it is not always possible to identify the loci for authority and legitimacy, and the role of governments has been called into question. \ud \ud Civil Society anf International Governance critically analyses the increasing impact of nongovernmental organisations and civil society on global and regional governance. Written from the standpoint of advocates of civil society and addressing the role of civil society in relation to the UN, the IMF, the G8 and the WTO, this volume assess the role of various non-state actors from three perspectives: theoretical aspects, civil society interaction with the European Union and civil society and regional governance outside Europe, specifically Africa, East Asia and the Middle East. It demonstrates that civil society’s role has been more complex than one defined in terms, essentially, of resistance and includes actual participation in governance as well as multi-facetted contributions to legitimising and democratising global and regional governance

Subnational parliaments in EU policy control : explaining the variations across Europe

The inclusion of subnational parliaments into the Early Warning System for subsidiarity control has generated transforming dynamics in the parliamentary modus operandi in EU decentralized systems. The empirical findings reveal considerable variations in the pace and scope of subnational parliamentary activity in ex-ante EU policy control challenging the existing theories of subnational mobilization. This article sheds light on these variations drawing from a comparative institutional analysis. It offers a theoretical framework which permits to account for the differences in the patterns of subnational parliamentary mobilization in the framework of the EWS, and beyond. This paper claims that the two most important variables behind the scope and effectiveness of regional parliamentary activity are the meso-level factors of the relationship between executive and legislature at subnational level and the position of regional executives in domestic governance arrangements

Legitimacy through subsidiarity?

This article explains the relationship between subsidiarity and legitimacy of policies designed at EU level. Through means of theoretically informed analysis this paper claims that if the principle of subsidiarity is respected and implemented throughout the policy process, EU policy-making can aspire to satisfy the condition of both input and output legitimacy. The empirical part of the paper shows how, through a subsidiarity control mechanism known as the Early Warning System, national parliaments can collectively fulfill representative and deliberative functions in EU policy-making. Conclusions about the changing dynamics in parliamentary modus operandi in the field of EU affairs lead to forming a set of recommendations for further research

The unfolding of Juncker's Commission : challenges for better EU governance

Over the next five years, the new European Commission will have to address several issues of an existential nature such as boosting the sluggish EU economy, preventing a British exit from the bloc, restoring European citizens’ faith in the EU project, and delivering a strategic vision of Europe in the world. These objectives cannot be achieved without improving the overall quality of EU governance. This can be done without reforming the existing treaties. In fact, only within the remit of the Commission’s competence is there still significant room for manoeuvre. A stronger Commission also should be in the interest of Poland as a country that supports the Community method

The role of regional and local authorities in EU development policies in the perspective of the Committee of Regions : multi-level governance revisited in the times of crisis

Regional and local authorities today face a twofold challenge of delivering locally responsive policies in accordance with EU development goals. For this reason they need to align their development strategies with European guidelines. This paper determines the drivers and hindering factors behind the effective involvement of local and regional authorities in drafting and implementing EU policies with territorial impact. It evaluates several examples of multi-level governance operating in the institutional context of the EU and identifies its most important weaknesses such as lack of regional administrative capacities; insufficient Europeanization of subnational elites and inadequate communication between EU, national and regional levels