1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910595036503321

Autore

Martin-Russu Luana

Titolo

Deforming the Reform : The Impact of Elites on Romania's Post-Accession Europeanization

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Cham, : Springer Nature, 2022

Cham : , : Springer International Publishing AG, , 2022

©2022

ISBN

3-031-11081-1

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (224 pages)

Collana

Contributions to Political Science

Soggetti

Politics & government

Comparative politics

Sociology

Public administration

Economics

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Sommario/riassunto

This open access book presents an actor-centered study on Europeanization, based on the assumption that EU-driven reforms are highly dependent on the behavior and interests of the key domestic actors. Whether or not a state pursues a European and democratic agenda depends on domestic lawmakers. Further, political elites are pre-eminent in deciding on the nature, form and content of any law, and on the extent to which the rule of law is actually enforced. Elites can overcome structural or institutional barriers that stand in the way of achieving their goals. The empirical study on Romania presented here lends this observation a more profound meaning: it shows how, in contexts where high level corruption is the norm rather than the exception, self-serving political elites cannot be expected to genuinely commit to adopting sound anti-corruption reform. The book is an inquiry into the motivations that drive legislators to make particular decisions, but also into the structural characteristics and dynamics of the elite that invite a selfish rather than responsible and responsive



behaviour. This publication was supported by funds from the Publication Fund for Open Access Monographs of the Federal State of Brandenburg, Germany.