Honors Thesis Proposal - Draft 1

March 1, 1994
 

The Democratic Deficit of the European Union: Perspectives and Proposals for Reform
 

I propose to write an honors thesis on the democratic deficit of the European Union, including an analysis of the problem itself, a critical discussion of current proposals for reform, and my own policy proposals for rectifying the situation. I plan to ask Dr. Peter Pfeiffer to act as my mentor for this project. Why a German literature professor for an honors thesis on politics?

I have been fascinated by the question of democracy and its definition ever since I took "Participation in Government" (fondly known as PIG) in high school. One of my classmates asked the teacher to define democracy, and when he couldn't the class debated it for the rest of the period. We did not come to any conclusion, but my interest in finding my own answer to my friend's question led me to Georgetown and ultimately to the decision to focus my honors thesis on the democratic deficit. This paragraph is irrelevant and adds nothing to the proposal.

In 1988, the European Parliament issued a report identifying a "democratic deficit" in the European Community, now called European Union. Proposals for reform since that time have reflected varying perceptions of the problem, ideas about democracy, and conceptions of the nature and goal of European integration. My thesis will provide a comprehensive overview of the structure of the EC and its decision-making processes, the issues at stake in the democratic deficit debate, as well as specific policy proposals designed to remedy the problem.Sounds like a multi-volume work, not a thesis. What is the research question?

Popular participation in government is the key to democratic legitimacy.Your opinion? As it is now, however, the platonic structure of the EU and its decision-making processes remind one more of De Tocqueville's aristocratic nations than a democracy of independent individuals. Platonic? DeTocqueville? Where's your analysis? Far from making the world safe for democracy, as Jean Monnet hoped, the EC is in danger of becoming a means for European heads of state to bypass the democratic process in the pursuit of selfish national interests. Wilson, not Monnet… More than a century ago, Otto von Bismarck said, "I have always heard the word 'Europe' from the mouths of statesmen who wish to obtain from a foreign power something they would not risk requesting for themselves;" although the EC was conceived to replace competition among nation-states with cooperation, the democratic deficit is causing Europeans to wonder whether Bismarck's assessment still holds true.⁽¹⁾ Relevance? This seems like name-dropping rather than analysis of the problem.

Alberto Spinelli, one of the first proponents of a united Europe, argued that although nation-states were supposed to protect the rights of individuals, by 1941 they had "turned into master[s] of vassals bound into servitude."⁽²⁾ Only a united Europe, in which citizens were "able to exert continuous and effective control over the ruling class" could true political freedom exist.⁽³⁾ Indeed, Spinelli claimed, freedom was the basis of modern civilization, and the rise of totalitarian regimes in the 1930s showed that the nation-state was no longer capable of preserving that foundation. Again, relevance? The political freedom that Spinelli, who wrote his manifesto while a political prisoner in Fascist Italy, believed was the crucial foundation of European unity, now stands in jeopardy, since the democratic deficit reflects a lack of opportunities for meaningful participation by voters or their representatives in the EC. Although democratically elected national parliaments authorize the actions of national ministers at the EC level, not everyone believes that democratic legitimacy is thereby conferred. Aha! Is this the democratic deficit? Or is it merely a perception by some, but not all, Europeans? Europeans do not feel connected to Brussels, and they worry that EC officials make important decisions without any system of checks and balances.

It is necessary to develop innovative compromise solutions to the problem of the democratic deficit in the EC today. The complex nature of the problem, the plethora of factors which must be considered, and the history and structure of the EC all create constraints on the kinds of solutions that can be devised. "If the EC was [sic] a state and applied to join the Community, it would be turned down on the grounds that it was not a democracy."⁽⁴⁾ Of course, every member state has a different idea of what democracy means, but it is clear that the EC is not a democracy by any definition. You have not made it clear… Because the European Union is not a state, though, the effectiveness of solutions requiring it to act like a state will be limited. Interesting - develop this point

My thesis will explore alternative solutions to the problem of the democratic deficit that take into account the EC's unique structure and history. The EC has not developed exactly as Spinelli envisioned it, despite his ongoing involvement with the European Parliament. The EC grew out of the European Coal and Steel Community, an economic arrangement in which several of the current EC members declined to participate. Relevance? The EC was based on the idea of cooperation among the member states, who wished to pursue common goals without sacrificing national sovereignty. All were committed to preserving democracy in Europe, but each member state had its own definition of democracy and how the EC was to be structured in a democratic way. In my thesis, I want to evaluate the particular definitions of democracy that each member state brings to the EC, since the concept of democratic government in Italy differs from that of France, Germany or the United Kingdom. Is this evaluation necessary? Why? After an exhaustive discussion of the intricacies of the EC's structure and the way it provides for or hinders democracy, which I have just hinted at above, I plan to research the historical background of the democratic deficit and the roots of the problem as it is now perceived. I will also analyze current proposals for reducing the democratic deficit and expose some of their strengths and weaknesses. Finally, I will develop specific policy proposals about how to solve the problem of the democratic deficit. Again, suitable for a multi-volume encyclopedia of the EC, but not a thesis.

The Washington, DC area offers a rich source base for my research. The many embassies and delegations of various countries, not to mention the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, provide hundreds of people to interview. How do you plan to interview them? What questions will you ask? How will you define a representative sample? I am sure that Lauinger Library contains a wealth of information about the EC, and the Library Congress ought to have what Lauinger does not. You should know what resources are available. I read a few major European newspapers every day, so I will be sure to notice the latest developments regarding the democratic deficit. Have you considered their political viewpoints? European newspapers often represent the views of particular parties or factions, even if they are not the official party organs. The World Wide Web is loaded with sites about Europe, most of which have English translations available, so I am sure not to lack for material. Beware of the Web - it is hard to discern which sites offer reputable and reliable information.

I became interested in this topic while taking Prof. Cerny's Politics of European Integration class, and I have taken a number of other government and economics courses as part of my SFS curriculum. Why isn't Dr. Cerny your mentor? What other relevant courses have you taken? How are they relevant? I am sure I will be able to bring to bear much of the knowledge I have gained in my six semesters at Georgetown. What about language skills?

I look forward to the opportunity to pursue this project in the context of the honors program, because it will serve as the culmination of my Georgetown education and will enhance my ability to continue meaningful work in international affairs after graduation.

All in all, the proposal lacks focus. It is not clear what the question is, nor have you indicated how you will approach your research. The reader is left wondering how your discussion of the democratic deficit will complement existing literature or add anything new to the debate. You need to define your methodology more clearly and identify specific sources you will use. Furthermore, you must demonstrate that the project is feasible, and that you have the qualifications and expertise to make it a success. Your final paragraph suggests that you are more interested in the honors than in the thesis itself. If that is the case, you should think carefully about the wisdom of pursuing this project. A thesis requires a great deal of time, effort and motivation, and there is no guarantee that a completed thesis will get honors.

1. Cited in Jean-Baptiste Duroselle, Europe: A History of its Peoples. (London: Viking 1990), 333.

2. Alberto Spinelli, "Toward a Free and United Europe- A Draft Manifesto" (The Manifesto of Ventotene) trans. Anthony Baldry.

3. Ibid.

4. David Martin, "Progress toward European Union: EC Institutional Perspectives on the Intergovernmental Conferences - The View of the Parliament," Aussenwirtschaft 46:III/IV (1991): 292.