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1. Europeanization and Constitutional Change: Does Europe Explain the Regions?

Author

Greer, Scott

Subjects
*CONSTITUTIONAL amendments, *ELITE (Social sciences), *CIVIL society
Abstract

For two decades the concept of a "Europe of the regions" has animated and inspired scholars and politicians while the argument that Europeanization drives constitutional change has gained credence. This paper examines the role of the EU in the particular case of constitutional change in the United Kingdom and Spain. It argues that the direct role of the European Union is a weak explanation of constitutional change but that the instititional transformations in legal and bureaucratic elites, interaqting with the European Union, have shaped the development of the two countries' territorial politics. The paper suggests that attention to the interactions of central states with regional civil societies and the orgnanization of the central state itself are key variables mediating and shaping the influence of international organizations and change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Published
2004

2. Finding a Bowling Partner: The Role of Stakeholders in Activating Civil Society in Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom.

Author

Bovaird, Tony, Löffler, Elke, and Parrado-Díez, Salvador

Subjects
CIVIL rights movements, STAKEHOLDERS
Abstract

An 'activism index', combining data on membership of civil associations and societies and the level of activism suggests that, notwithstanding cultural differences, civil activism in European countries could be a great deal higher than its current level. If higher civic participation is to be achieved, each stakeholder group within local governance can play an 'activation' role in relation to citizens, both as individuals and in relation to the voluntary organizations which represent citizens in their collective activities. In practice, different stakeholder groups play this role in widely differing ways in the contexts of Germany, Spain and the UK. In the future, we can expect the lead role in activating civil society in each country to be taken by different stakeholders, depending on the trust currently placed in them by other stakeholders in the community and by the resources which they command. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Published
2002
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