Post-National Democracy: A Challenge to Political Science? Paper Delivered as the Introductory Presentation, Convegno Nazionale Della Societa Italiana di Scienza Politica (SISP) Universita degli Studi di Trento 15 September 2003

Abstract

[From the Introduction]. I am fairly certain that everyone here will agree with me if I say that post-national democracy does indeed pose a challenge to the discipline of political science. We may disagree about what post-national democracy might be and what political science itself is, but I think we can agree that the conceptualization and institutionalization of post-national democracy presents difficult challenges for political scientists.... I would like, however tentatively, to link my discussion of post-national democracy to the realities of governance by focusing on the European Union as well as on operating democracies. The EU is I think an ideal focal point for this discussion, for it is in Europe that the debate about post-national democracy is the most developed. It is also the only place in the world where the debate resonates with policy makers and very practical politicians. Only in Europe are the debates among political theorists paralleled by debates among politicians