Democracy, the Rule of Law and Transnational Pressures: Comparing RECONNECT Findings in Global and European Trends

Abstract

This report is aimed at comparing some of the key findings that have been highlighted in the research carried out thus far regarding the global context of democracy and the rule of law, with the research which is primarily focused on unravelling trends within the European Union (EU or Union) and its Member States. In doing so, it will seek to compare developments observed within the EU, with global trajectories of democracy and rule of law, as part of the aims of Work Package 3 in the RECONNECT project, which is specifically devoted to analysing and explaining the interactions between the crisis of European governance and the broader regional and global context. It will also bring into focus the challenges of measuring and comparing such trends through the aggregation of relevant indexes, showing how conceptual, historical and qualitative forms of research bring a level of nuance to this bird’s eye view, which is essential. It shall focus in a first instance, on the area of democracy, which includes the more formal dimension of institutional and procedural features, as well as the more substantive dimension of fundamental rights. It will reconsider the evidence presented in the analysis conducted by Asif Efrat, Sivan Hirsch-Hoefler and Amichai Magen on ‘Global Democracy & Rule of Law Conditions and Trajectories’ (Deliverable 3.1) which brings together and compares indices on democracy and the rule of law, both globally and in the EU. It will compare findings at a conceptual level, as well as look at empirical findings from RECONNECT research, also exploring avenues for deeper research into comparing trends at an EU and global level. A similar exercise will be carried out for research relating specifically to the rule of law. Secondly, it will re-examine the impact of global pressures on the EU, from deliberate disruptors to transnational crises, relating them for instance to shifts in voter expectations or changing conceptions of legitimacy. In doing so, it will reassess the RECONNECT research conducted by Asif Efrat, Sivan Hirsch, Amichai Magen and Moran Stav in their working paper on ‘Structural Factors, Actors, and Dynamics Strengthening or Undermining intra-EU Commitment to Democratic Governance’ (Deliverable 3.2). In that context, some reflections will be devoted to the COVID-19 pandemic, which was still unfolding at the time of writing.status: Published onlin