Democratic Legitimacy under Conditions of Regulatory Competition: Why Europe Differs from the United States

Abstract

Discusses the political-economic "trilemma" that informs European integration. The first element of the three-pronged problematic stems from the markedly closer identification of European nation-state legitimacy with welfare-state accomplishments than is seen in the US. The second prong owes to the irrevocable commitment of the EU Member States to an overarching agenda of economic integration whose very achievements are now compelling national welfare states to deal with the same type of regulatory competition that has stymied social policy development in the US. The third element, which is the major focus of this discussion, derives from the effective impossibility in the EU of resituating welfare state functions within the federal level, since Member States cannot forego their welfare responsibilities without imperiling the foundations of their legitimacy. This topic is explored first through a concise theoretical analysis of the prerequisites for democratic legitimacy, then through assessing the impact of European integration. The conclusion considers policies that could bolster national attempts to address the limitations of regulatory competition. 24 References. K. Coddon