The Open Method of Coordination (OMC) has received much attention in the recent EU-literature. The predominant view claims that the OMC is not only a new but also an effective policy-making instrument. This paper raises doubts about both claims by offering a comparison of soft law policy...

This paper looks at the historical developments that led to the Schuman Plan in 1950, which today is seen as a starting signal for the European integration process. It argues that this announcement by the French foreign minister constituted a genuine change of strategy that can only be...

Bundestagswahlen, Landtagswahlen, Kom­munalwahlen, Europawahlen – seit Jahren sinkt die Wahlbeteiligung in Deutschland. Doch was steht hinter diesem Trend und was bedeutet er für die Demokratie? Armin Schäfer beantwortet diese Frage umfassend und zeigt, dass wachsende soziale Ungleich­heit...