Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: The European Parliament (EP) has
been a center of high attention for a number of uniqueness that stems
from its being the first and the only directly elected supranational
representative institution. Particularly important issue has been the
relationship between the European Parliament as a supranational
institution and the people of Europe that it is supposed to represent.
The paper discusses one aspect of the relationship between the EP and
the people and traces how the evolution of the European Parliament from
a “powerless” institution to a relatively more powerful institution
could have affected its relationship with the people and more
specifically the degree of popularity of the EP in the eyes of the
people. This examination of the relationship between the EP and the
people of Europe will reveal the nature and the limits of the fledgling
post-national democracy in Europe.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: This paper will analyze the legal construction of the European Parliament as a legislative body by the European Court of Justice arising from the jurisprudential controversies as to the "nature" of the acts of parlialement. It will in particular focus on the theories of separation of powers developped by the court of justice.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: Scholars and observers alike agree that the European Union (EU) has weakened national parliaments (NP). We posit that such a view, while generally accurate, ignores ways in which the EU has helped NP in their function as regulators of society. We identify two key mechanisms: precedent setting and policy transfer. First, the EU has produced laws on topics considered beyond the traditional remit of NP. The EU’s intervention has justified the production of unprecedented domestic laws that go well beyond the incorporation of EU principles. This has expanded the legislative reach of NP. We consider the experiences of Italy and the Netherlands in the area of antitrust. Second, the EU has fostered an environment conducive to cross-national lesson drawing. The resulting knowledge has helped the design of more effective domestic legislative frameworks. This has confirmed the viability of NP as regulatory institutions. We examine the Open Method of Coordination and its application to the areas of employment and social inclusion. We conclude with a discussion of parliaments in future member states and in Mercosur.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: This paper examines the causes and effects of the birth of the Italian “Second Republic” during the 1990s. The primary focus is on the impact that both electoral and institutional reforms within the Parliament (Camera dei Deputati) have had on the legislative process. The limitations of the legislative process in post-war Italy are legend and many believed that reform of the electoral system (and the transformation of the party system that it was assumed would follow) would revolutionize governance and policy-making in Italy. In fact, these highly publicized and frequently studied reforms appear to have had very little impact on the legislative process, despite the concurrent transformation of the Italian party system. Instead, this research suggests that if significant changes have occurred, their origin is more credibly traced to the efforts of the Parliament, which pursued wide spread internal reforms in 1996-1997. Though far less familiar to most, these reforms targeted the relative balance of legislative power and influence between the Parliament and the executive and explicitly set out to increase the powers of the executive branch in the attempt to create a more functional (and typical) parliamentary system.