Varieties of European Subsidiarity: A Multidisciplinary Approach
Edited by Günter Walzenbach and Ralf Alleweldt
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Subsidiarity as a principle in favour of decentralised decision-making is a cornerstone of the very legal construction of the EU. Yet, the question of how decision-making powers should be distributed between the EU and the member states is not, or only to a minimal extent, answered in Article 5 (3) of the Treaty on European Union (TEU). This collection draws on social science disciplines to go beyond a purely legal analysis to provide clarity over this principle as applied. With the help of theoretical exploration and empirical case studies the contributors identify significant variation in the implementation of the subsidiarity concept. By tracing the precise location of political authority at different levels of European governance they examine the pressures for effective decision-making despite the changing policy preferences of governments.
Contributors: Hartmut Aden, Sian Affolter, Marco Balboni, Marco Borraccetti, Maximilian Bossdorf, Jörg Michael Dostal, Jörg Dürrschmidt, Barrie B. F. Hebb, Giuliana Laschi, Thilo Marauhn, Daniel Mengeler, Rosa Mulé, Peter Rinderle, Donatella M. Viola.
Reviews
This book amply demonstrates the utility of political analysis for a fuller understanding of the concept of subsidiarity. It offers important insights for students of regional and global governance, particularly for those concerned with the future evolution and political legitimacy of European governance. The volume’s organisation is exemplary, and the editors identify multiple sources of political authority with far-reaching consequences for supranational policy making. They do so without losing sight of the real-life stakeholders at national and local levels.
— Tsuneo Akaha, Professor Emeritus, Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, USA.
The editors of this volume reinvigorate the international debate on the role of subsidiarity in theory and practice. Varieties of European Subsidiarity moves beyond legal analysis with a multidisciplinary exploration of the principle in its many empirical manifestations. Despite the focus on EU policy, individual contributions also delve into comparative and international dimensions, offering valuable accounts of key topics in European governance. A rigorous, empirically informed, but critical and new contribution to an important field.
— Kostas A. Lavdas, Professor of European Politics, Panteion University, Athens, Greece.
Walzenbach and Alleweldt’s Varieties of European Subsidiarity offers a state- of-the-art account of the complex and politically contested system of multi- level governance in Europe. Those with an interest in the shifting sites of political authority in Europe will greatly benefit from the book’s multidisciplinary insights. It competently explores the legal foundation of the principle of subsidiarity and thoroughly examines practical applications in different policy areas and across EU member states.
— Oliver Schmidtke, Professor, Centre for Global Studies, University of Victoria, Canada.
The multidisciplinary perspective offered here nicely blends theoretical exploration with practical relevance and includes intriguing case studies as a must read for anyone interested in the workings of the European Union. This book will be an essential source for students and scholars in the Eastern Neighbourhood designing their own processes of decentralisation.
— Volodymyr Yemelyanov, Professor, Institute of Public Administration, Petro Mohyla Black Sea National University, Mykolayiv, Ukraine.