Demokrati bortom nationalstaten?

This book has two overarching objectives. Firstly, in an age of increasing globalization and cross-border political activities it seeks to contribute to the debate on the limits and possibilities of democracy in the present and in the future. Even though this objective brings to the fore the issue of democracy in a national context, the main ambition is to examine democratic values and institutions beyond the nation-state’s traditional realms. What possibilities exist for realising democratic values and institutions in a context aside from the traditional boundaries of the nation-state? In what way are the decision-making processes different for such a democracy?

To answer these questions, the author address normative theories (i.e. what is desirable?) and empirical theories (i.e. what is possible?) in order to finally answer the constructive question: How can a new understanding of democracy beyond the nation-state unfold, and by which means can we reach that new democracy? In the thesis the European political integration process is used as a paradigmatic case for the discussion on the overall discourse about the desired and possible future of democracy beyond the nation-state. The author concludes that the present institutional governing of the European Union demonstrates a number of democratic shortcomings regarding democratic norms such as participation, accountability, openness, deliberation and constitutional rule by law for the citizen, but also that it is both desirable and possible to democratize those institutions along a civic democratic line.

The second objective of the study is a meta-theoretical and methodological desire to demonstrate why - and how - a constructive political science approach to politics and democracy can be created and achieved. This should be conceived as a response to the general lack of constructive methodological works within the realms of political research. In order to fulfil this objective the thesis gives space to a more profound discussion on the epistemological and methodological aspects which function as cornerstones for the study.