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Roberto Gargarella has infused into constitutional theory a deliberative approach to constitutional review and rights adjudication. By this, he has enriched our understanding of deliberative democracy as a political system in which the judiciary can play a central role, especially through the institution of constitutional review. Furthermore, he has provided us with crucial insights into the deliberative potential of this institution, shedding light on the different ways in which it may serve to secure the essential conditions of democratic deliberation. The article centers on this twofold, crucial contribution of Gargarella – to constitutional theory and to deliberative democratic theory – with a focus on the relationship between social rights and constitutional review. First, it presents the main controversial issues raised by this relationship, concerning both social rights justiciability and adjudication. Second it highlights the resources provided by Gargarella to understand and address both orders of issues, based on his account of deliberative democracy and constitutional review. Third, the article addresses the resulting view of the action of courts on social rights. In particular, it inquires into the idea of a "third way" for judicial action, requiring to modulate judicial review so as to mediate between judicial inertia and activism. ; Roberto Gargarella has infused into constitutional theory a deliberative approach to constitutional review and rights adjudication. By this, he has enriched our understanding of deliberative democracy as a political system in which the judiciary can play a central role, especially through the institution of constitutional review. Furthermore, he has provided us with crucial insights into the deliberative potential of this institution, shedding light on the different ways in which it may serve to secure the essential conditions of democratic deliberation. The article centers on this twofold, crucial contribution of Gargarella – to constitutional theory and to deliberative democratic theory – with a focus on the relationship between social rights and constitutional review. First, it presents the main controversial issues raised by this relationship, concerning both social rights justiciability and adjudication. Second it highlights the resources provided by Gargarella to understand and address both orders of issues, based on his account of deliberative democracy and constitutional review. Third, the article addresses the resulting view of the action of courts on social rights. In particular, it inquires into the idea of a "third way" for judicial action, requiring to modulate judicial review so as to mediate between judicial inertia and activism.

The European Union (EU) is the most advanced regional political and economic entity in the world. Since the Maastricht Treaty in 1992, the EU has gained increasing power in enacting new legislation in Europe, and has become a key player in international and trade relations. The EU as a supranational polity comprises different types of organizations that daily employ communication as a strategic means to establish relationships with different publics. This chapter presents and discusses the context, the actions, and the challenges faced by the EU in communicating to and with its diverse publics. Particularly, it shows how public relations and communication activities have played a key role in fostering mutual and beneficial relationships between the EU institutions and nation-states, their citizens, and other key publics, as well as international relations between the EU and non-EU countries. It offers insights and reflections on the EU and its global public relations efforts by showing the complexity of conceptualizing, developing, and implementing strategic communications in a multicultural environment. ; peerReviewed

Chiara Valentini analysoi tutkimuksessaan Euroopan Unionin viestintää eri yleisöjensä kanssa kahdessa EU:n jäsenmaassa vuosina 2001-2006. Valentini tarkasteli erityisesti Euroopan komissiota ja - Useiden maiden kansalaisille suunnatussa EU:n ohjelmia koskevassa viestinnässä tulisi kiinnittää huomiota paikallisiin ja kulttuurisiin prioriteetteihin. Kaksisuuntaisen viestinnän kehittäminen on mahdollista taustatutkimuksen avulla, Valentini suosittaa.Valentini huomasi, että EU-instituutiot ovat alkaneet laajemmin toteuttaa pr-käytäntöjä viestintänsä kehittämisessä vasta viime vuosina. Pr:stä on tullut erittäin tärkeä strategisen johtamisen väline ja siksi julkisten organisaatioiden tulisi ohjata resursseja sekä organisaation sisäiseen, että sen ulkopuolelle suuntautuvaan viestintään. On tärkeää, että organisaatiot oppivat ajattelemaan globaalisti ja toimimaan paikallisesti. Organisaatioiden tulee tarjota paikallisia tarpeita varten räätälöityjä palveluja, joita laatiessa on pidetty globaalit trendit mielessä. Ideana on yhdistää kulttuurienvälinen osaaminen julkisen johtamisen strategioihin, koska kulttuurienvälinen osaaminen lisää viestijän tehokkuutta, Valentini korostaa.– Ihmisten vapaa liikkuvuus synnyttää yhä useampia monikulttuurisia kaupunkeja, joiden kansalaiset, asiakkaat ja businesskumppanit edustavat monia eri kulttuureja. Tämä vaikuttaa julkisten organisaatioiden toimintaan siten, että niiden täytyy strategisessa suunnittelussaan huomioida myös maahanmuuttajat, Valentini sanoo. ; This study is an analysis of EU information and communication policies developed from 2001 to 2006 and their possible impacts on the communication strategies of two member states, namely Finland and Italy. In particular this investigation focuses on how EU directives affected the communication activities of these two member states toward their national publics. The public organizations analysed were the European Commission and its DG Communication, the Finnish and Italian representations of the European Commission and Finnish and Italian EU offices at regional and local levels. A multi-level (European versus national) and comparative (Finnish versus Italian) approach resting on public communication and public relations theories, but also including some of the theories on public diplomacy, community relations and marketing communications, was adopted. The methodologies applied were based on the triangulation of different techniques such as content and document analyses, qualitative analyses of an online survey and of face-to-face interviews, and a meta-analysis of existing public opinion surveys. The multi-method study is in five parts: a study of six EU documents on information and communication policies and their implementation in member states; an analysis of EU officers' activities and their communication strategies at the local level; a study of different Eurobarometer surveys on citizens' EU perceptions; an investigation of EU media relations and an examination of some EU information campaigns. The results of this research revealed a similar trend with respect to EU communication strategies both in Finland and in Italy. During the period 2001 and 2006 EU communication strategies were not sufficiently tailored to the needs of national publics and they mostly were one-way-symmetrical communications. The stated aim of EU policies on information and communication was a decentralisation of tasks and functions which was not completely delivered in terms of local involvement in communication decisions. The effects on improving citizens' EU perceptions and on a positive EU image and trust were rather low and journalists' opinions of the interest of the European Union in establishing mutual and beneficial media relations scored very poorly in both countries