Debating europe : Towards the critical informed citizen?. / Claudia Wiesner.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Wiesner, Claudia.

Contributor:

Wiesner, Claudia, editor.

Series:

Routledge Advances in European Politics.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

European Union--Public opinion.

European Union.

Political participation--European Union countries.

Political participation.

College students--Political activity--European Union countries.

College students.

College students--European Union countries--Attitudes.

Citizenship--European Union countries.

Citizenship.

Physical Description:

1 online resource

Place of Publication:

2026.

Summary:

This book examines how Europe and the European Union are debated, politicised, and contested in a group of key (future) actors of European integration. Based on detailed focus group discussions with students in EU studies and the social sciences in six EU countries, the book presents the core results of the theoretical, conceptual, and empirical work of the Jean Monnet Networks "Debating Europe" (www.debating-europe.de) that set out to study the gap between the EU and its citizens. The following chapters first theorise and conceptualise the gap, to then present the core empirical findings from the collective research. These findings show that students' views on democracy in the EU are similar across the countries. Quite unexpectedly, students express strong claims to the EU, lining out a "Normative Power Europe 2.0" that is a global actor, defends democracy, and fights climate change. The EU is associated with values such as equality, freedom, and the rule of law. In particular, non-EU citizens see the EU as an ideal. Students make out several gaps: between citizens and EU institutions, among different member states, and among citizens. Finally, the results reveal the students as critical and informed, but passive EU citizens. This book is of key interest to scholars and students of European studies and EU integration studies, social and political sciences, and international relations. The Open Access version of this book, available at www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 International license.

Contents:

Introduction : the puzzle of the gap between the EU and its citizens / Claudia Wiesner

Towards a dynamic understanding of democracy in the EU : politics, politicisation and debate / Claudia Wiesner

Rethinking EU institutional communication : pathways to democratic legitimacy / Igor Vidačak and Ana Matan

Young people, students and the EU : critical utilitarian democrats / Cécile Robert, Willy Beauvallet, Kim O.K. Zilliacus, Niilo Kauppi, Ruzha Smilova and Kaloyan Velchev

Focus group research design : methodology, standards, and findings / Zhylien Kaja and Claudia Wiesner - Studying student perceptions on the EU in an international learning interpretative and comparative research design / Claudia Wiesner

Bulgaria, Croatia, Finland, France, Germany, and Slovenia : the cases and the context / Kaloyan Velchev, Igor Vidačak, Ana Matan, Kim O.K Zilliacus, Niilo Kauppi, Willy Beauvallet, Cécile Robert, Zhylien Kaja, Claudia Wiesner, Meta Novak, Damjan Lajh

Students as EU citizens : critical, informed, engaged, and passive / Muriel C. Wenzel, Claudia Wiesner and Zhylien Kaja

Critical informed passive citizens of a normative power Europe 2.0 / Claudia Wiesner and Zhylien Kaja

Young citizens' visions of EU democracy : a research outlook / Kim O.K. Zilliacus, Ruzha Smilova, Niilo Kauppi, Kaloyan Velchev, Cécile Robert and Willy Beauvallet.

ISBN:

1-04-064776-6

1-003-58513-2

1-04-054847-4

OCLC:

1564130561

Publisher Number:

CIPO000317770