Working title:
We, the people vs. We, the peoples—the debate over the nature of the Union in the USA and its lessons for European integration

Supervisor:
Friedrich Kratochwil

 

Outline of the project

Though the USA are a popular (if not the most popular) object of comparison for the EU, it is, however, today's US-American example of federalism that usually serves as a framework for a structural comparison between the United States and the EU.

Thus, the USA are commonly perceived as a "fully-fledged" federal state created by the sovereign act of a single demos "We the people". In contrast to this narrative, the EU is perceived as an imperfect or an incomplete/unfinished federation.

As far as can be seen, research on the European Union has—so far—only insuffiently paid attention to the fact that the United States have also had (and still have) an extensive debate over the nature of their Union. It is the aim of the research project to explore this so called "Nature of the Union" debate in the United States and to ascertain the parallels to the European discourse.

 

Projects completed

Joint, DFG funded, project by ZEI and Ifri: Germany and France in the face of European crises.

 

Publications

		Gläubigerschutz durch vertragliche Abreden—financial covenants, Munich 2008.
		Ein Gebilde sui generis? Die Debatte um das Wesen der EU im Spiegel der „Nature of the Union“-Kontroverse in den USA, in: Frank Decker & Marcus Höreth (eds.): Die Verfassung Europas. Perspektiven des Integrationsprojekts, Wiesbaden 2009, pp. 319-343.
		Book review (peer-reviewed): Höreth, Marcus: Die Selbstautorisierung des Agenten. Der Europäische Gerichtshof im Vergleich zum U. S. Supreme Court, Baden-Baden 2008, in: Politische Vierteljahresschrift (PVS) Vol. 50—No. 3, 2009, pp. 670-672.
		Les dispositions finales du Traité, in: Claire Demesmay & Andreas Marchetti (eds.): Le Traité de Lisbonne en discussion : quels fondements pour l'Europe ?, les notes de l'ifri n° 60, Paris 2009, pp. 45-51.
		Die Schlussbestimmungen des Vertrags von Lissabon, in: Andreas Marchetti & Claire Demesmay (eds.): Der Vertrag von Lissabon. Analyse und Berwertung, Baden-Baden 2010, pp. 267-285.

 

Lectures / Presentations / Conferences / Workshops

Evaluation of the "Final Provisions" (Title VI) of the "Lisbon Treaty", ZEI / Ifri conference "Der Vertrag von Lissabon in der Diskussion", 25-26 Sept, 2008, Bonn. (conference presentation)

The Constitution of the international Order, Workshop organized by Jan Klabbers (University of Helsinki), Friedrich Kratochwil (EUI) and Antje Wiener (University of Hamburg), 24-25 May, 2009, Florence. (audit)

Do institutions Evolve?, Workshop co-organized by the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies and the Department of Political and Social Sciences, 8-9 May, 2009, Florence. (audit)

The EU-US analogy and the social dimension of European integration, Cattedra Jean Monnet "Dimensione sociale e integrazione europea", Facoltà di Scienze Politiche, Università degli Studi di Firenze, 25 Nov, 2009, Florence. (guest lecture)

Legal Reasoning and European Laws: The Perspective of Neil MacCormick, Co-sponsored by: LAW Department, Max Weber Programme, Global Governance Programme (RSCAS), and The Legal and Political Theory Working Group, European University Institute, 21 May, 2010, San Domenico di Fiesole. (audit).

"We, the people" versus "We, the peoples"—nature of the Union debates compared, Fifth Pan-European Conference on EU Politics, Organized by the ECPR Standing Group on the European Union, 23-26 June, 2010, Porto, Portugal. (conference presentation).

 

 

Work in progress

Legalization and Juridification—Judicial Review as a Catalyst of Institutional Change.

From Perils to Pearls? Presidentialism as an Answer to the Challenge to Party Government.

 

 

Funding / Scholarships / Grants

German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) PhD scholarship, Aug 2008 to date.

EUI “direct exchange” scholarship for New York University (NYU), New York, Aug 2010 to December 2010.

Bonn University “direct exchange” scholarship for University of New Mexico (UNM), Albuquerque, USA, Aug 2005 to May 2006.

 

Memberships / Professional Affiliations

Deutsche Vereinigung für Politische Wissenschaft (DVPW).

The American Political Science Association (APSA).

 

Contact

Dennis-Jonathan Mann
Researcher, Department of Political & Social Sciences
European University Institute
Badia Fiesolana
Via dei Roccettini, 9
I-50014 San Domenico di Fiesole