Tankar om demokrati, effektivitet och legitimitet -En idéanalys av debatten om EU
s framtid i två länder
DemocracyDraft Treaty establishing a Constitution for EuropeLegitimacyEfficiencyDebate about the future of the European UnionSocial sciencesSamhällsvetenskaperPolitical and administrative sciencesStatsvetenskapFörvaltningskunskapSocial SciencesLaw and Political Science
In recent years the concern about the future of the European Union and itssupposed lack of democracy, efficiency and legitimacy has increased. Thisconcern has resulted in extensive debates and the establishment of a conventionwith the task to create a draft treaty for a European Constitution.The aim of this essay is to study how the three theoretical concepts,democracy, efficiency and legitimacy, have been described and used in the debateabout the future of the European Union. My main interest is to see how theseconcepts are described in a debate regarding a political system that goes beyondthe borders of the nation-state. I have made a comparative textual analysis of thedebates taken place in Sweden and Spain during a period of over two years. Ihave, for instance, found out that openness and clearness have a prominentposition as democratic values together with equality and justice (in Spain) and theinstitution of accountability (in Sweden). Further on, democracy and efficiencyare often described as oppositions, between which priorities have to be made.Legitimacy is found in democracy as a rightful source of authority and it is statedthat citizens usually found the results (in Spain) and the citizen involvement (inSweden) as the most important factors for generating social legitimacy.