NEWGOV: New modes of governance

• Research unit: EU RFP
• Project number: 03.0594-3

Key words (English)

New modes of governance; public administration

Alternative project number (English)

EU project number: 506392

Research programs (English)

EU-programme: 6. Frame Research Programme - 1.7 Citizens and governance in a knowledge-based society

Short description (English)

See abstract

Further information (English)

Full name of research-institution/enterprise:
Universität Basel
Ordinariat für Völker- und Staatsrecht
Juristische Fakultät Basel

Abstract (English)

A key condition for the success of a multilevel polity such as the EU is not only that its governance is efficient, but that it is democratic. The primary objective of our contribution will be the further development of democratic theory against the background of new modes of governance in a developed multilevel polity. In a first step we will concentrate on democratic theory with the aim of developing it further in the light of the new modes of governance and reflecting concrete examples. This effort will take into account the innovations in governance that operate within the traditional Community Methods as well as the true departures from traditional governance methods. In a second step, existing modes of decision-making in the European Union are analysed. Principal research questions are: Would the creation of a 'fully-fledged' parliament make legislation on the EU-level sufficiently democratic? Would increased parliamentarisation of the EU probably enhance the pressure to europeanise the political substructure (political parties, interest associations, etc.)? What could be the role of such a parliament facing the 'new' actors in European governance? How can public administration be rendered more accountable and more responsive to EU-citizens? How can the key principles accountability and responsibility be adapted to the non- hierarchical governance-system at the level of the EU? The trend of delegating important policy-making powers to non- majoritarian institutions or to private actors shall be discussed. Can these institutions and private actors be made accountable to the voters or the elected representatives, and how? Can expertise possibly replace democratic ideals? Can comitology be an alternative to the establishment of agencies? Does administration have to join with the market in heterarchical partnership, becoming mainly an informational node? Is the conventional model of administration (transmission-belt model) inappropriate for the EU?

References in databases (English)

Swiss Database: Euro-DB of the
State Secretariat for Education and Research
Hallwylstrasse 4
CH-3003 Berne, Switzerland
Tel. [phone]
Swiss Project-Number: 03.0594-3