Pandemocracy In Europe

"This open access book explains why a democratic reckoning will start when European societies win the fight against COVID-19. Have democracies successfully mastered the challenges of the pandemic? How has the coronavirus impacted democratic principles, processes and values? At the heels of the worst public health crisis in living memory, this book shines an unforgiving light on the side-lining of parliaments, the ruling by governmental decrees and the disenfranchisement of the people in the name of fighting COVID-19. Pandemocracy in Europe situates the dramatic impact of COVID-19, and the fight against the virus, on Europe's democracies. Throughout its 17 contributions the book sets the theoretical stage and answers the democratic questions engaged by health emergencies. Seven national case studies - UK, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Hungary, Switzerland, and France - show, each time with a pronounced focus on a particular element of democracy, how different states reacted to the pandemic. The book also shifts the analytical gaze beyond the nation state towards international settings, looking at the effects on the European Union and considering the impact on populist movements. Bridging disciplines and uniting a stellar cast of scholars on democracy, rule of law and constitutionalism, the book provides contours and nuances to a year of debates in political science, international relations and law on the impact of the virus on democracies. In times of uncertainty, Pandemocracy in Europe provides analysis and answers to the democratic challenges of the coronavirus. The open access edition of this book is available under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence on www.bloomsburycollections.com"--

This book addresses two questions: firstly, how has the fight against COVID-19, especially the individual and collective responses of Latin American nation-states, influenced the relationship between power, people, and statebodies? And secondly, has democracy taken a step back and allowed pandemocracy to replace its long-term legitimising function? Adopting a Global South perspective, the book explores the constitutional, political and institutional measures that paved the way for several aggressive state policies in various Latin American countries during the COVID-19 pandemic. The contributions provide a detailed review of democratic decay and the 'rule of law' impairment in many countries of the region. The book goes beyond mere observation and explores all the main theoretical elements that can lead to a more comprehensive understanding of the political and normative impact of the pandemic. In terms of constitutional design and concerning the actual behaviour of political bodies, the fairness and efficacy of Latin American state responses during the COVID-19 pandemic did not rely on civic culture, executive goodwill, or boldness on the part of the judges. The aim of this volume, therefore, is to unravel the most subtle elements of a very puzzling situation. Multidisciplinary perspectives are deployed to explore how democratic standards and goals have been reshaped by nuanced constructions of certain atavistic normative ideas or even by non-constitutional policies. The book sheds light on the underlying connection between politics and law.

This eagerly awaited volume, from a leading scholar on Europeanization, explores the impact of European integration on national democracies. Focusing on the case studies of France, Britain, Italy, and Germany, this is an exciting contribution to work on the implications of European integration for democratic government.

Why did democracy survive in some European countries between the wars while fascism or authoritarianism emerged elsewhere? This innovative study approaches this question through the comparative analysis of the inter-war experience of eighteen countries within a common comprehensive analytical framework. It combines (social and economic) structure- and (political) actor-related aspects to provide detailed historical accounts of each case which serve as background information for the systematic testing of major theories of fascism and democracy.

This text is about the interface of German democracy with European diplomacy and maps out the shifting terrain in contemporary Europe.

The rule of law represents the heart of constitutionalism. Public power can only be legitimately exercised if it is based on and complies with the law. The Constitution and its fundamental values – human dignity, freedom and equality – are the ultimate sources of orientation for the rule of law. Domestic rule of law is complemented by its external dimension, the duty to respect international law and, for EU member states, supranational law. For the World Jurist Association, the realization of the Rule of Law has been the central concern since its founding more than 60 years ago. Its biennial world congresses, which bring together leading figures from politics, the judiciary and academia under the presidency of Javier Cremades, focus on the universal importance of the rule of law, which experts from numerous countries discuss on the basis of current problem areas. At the 2021 World Law Congress in Barranquilla, Colombia, one central topic was the tension between combating pandemics and the rule of law. The contributions gathered here examine how this challenge was met in political-legal practice, and the role of constitutional jurisdiction in the process. They analyze and evaluate the legal situation in numerous countries in Europe and Latin America. In addition, they reflect on fundamental issues, such as the concept of the rule of law, its relationship to democracy, its universal character and its implementation via jurisprudence.

This book addresses two questions: firstly, how has the fight against COVID-19, especially the individual and collective responses of Latin American nation-states, influenced the relationship between power, people, and statebodies? And secondly, has democracy taken a step back and allowed pandemocracy to replace its long-term legitimising function? Adopting a Global South perspective, the book explores the constitutional, political and institutional measures that paved the way for several aggressive state policies in various Latin American countries during the COVID-19 pandemic. The contributions provide a detailed review of democratic decay and the 'rule of law' impairment in many countries of the region. The book goes beyond mere observation and explores all the main theoretical elements that can lead to a more comprehensive understanding of the political and normative impact of the pandemic. In terms of constitutional design and concerning the actual behaviour of political bodies, the fairness and efficacy of Latin American state responses during the COVID-19 pandemic did not rely on civic culture, executive goodwill, or boldness on the part of the judges. The aim of this volume, therefore, is to unravel the most subtle elements of a very puzzling situation. Multidisciplinary perspectives are deployed to explore how democratic standards and goals have been reshaped by nuanced constructions of certain atavistic normative ideas or even by non-constitutional policies. The book sheds light on the underlying connection between politics and law.

The national-conservative government of Hungary has been heavily criticised for its violation of EU values, primarily, the rule of law in recent years. This book looks to the bigger picture in examining the rule-of-law debate between Hungary and the EU. It explores how certain elements of various Hungarian constitutional reforms are interrelated and how the EU has failed to address the situation properly. It is argued here that the reason the EU has been unable to enforce its values effectively in Hungary stems from the misunderstanding that Hungary kept the institutional design of liberal democracy but made it dysfunctional. The debate with the EU is characterised as a dialogue of the deaf as the EU insists on advancing the rule-of-law agenda, while the Hungarian government defends itself by alluding to its democratic legitimacy. The author contents that the Hungarian government is in fact playing a charade, while the actions of the EU maintain this drama. The book will be of interest to students, academics, and policymakers working in the areas of constitutional law and politics, EU law, and populism.