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Deliberate Delegation or Abdication? Government Backbenchers, Ministers and European Union Legislation

Saalfeld, Thomas (2006) Deliberate Delegation or Abdication? Government Backbenchers, Ministers and European Union Legislation. In: Auel, Katrin and Benz, Arthur, eds. The Europeanisation of Parliamentary Democracy. Routledge, London, pp. 41-69. ISBN 0-415-37133-3. (The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided) (KAR id:3843)

The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided.

Abstract

This chapter analyses how key structural characteristics of the relationship between ministers and government backbenchers influence the extent to which national parliaments of European Union (EU) member states are able to scrutinise and influence EU law-making. Two theoretical perspectives – a ‘parliamentary abdication’ and a ‘delegation’ perspective – will be used to test contrasting hypotheses. The empirical evidence presented is not unequivocal, but more in line with the ‘delegation’ than the ‘abdication perspective’: The extent to which national parliaments have institutional opportunities to scrutinise and influence the national government’s position in EU affairs can indeed be shown to covary (a) with key structural characteristics of the relationship between government backbenchers and ministers and (b) with the electoral saliency of EU affairs in the respective country.

Item Type: Book section
Uncontrolled keywords: EU, Europeanisation, parliamentary scrutiny, parliamentary accountability
Subjects: J Political Science > JN Political institutions and public administration (Europe)
Divisions: Divisions > Division of Human and Social Sciences > School of Politics and International Relations
Depositing User: T.K. Saalfeld
Date Deposited: 20 May 2008 21:54 UTC
Last Modified: 16 Nov 2021 09:42 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/3843 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

University of Kent Author Information

Saalfeld, Thomas.

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