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Integrated and united? a quest for citizenship in an 'ever closer Europe'

Objective

The major aim of this research is to study the changes in the scope, nature and characteristics of citizenship presently underway as an effect of the process of deepening and enlargement of the European Union. It will focus on how integration and decentral ization processes, at both the national and European level, are affecting three major dimensions of citizenship: identity, representation, and practice of good governance. In a moment in which the EU is facing an important number of challenges, and given t hat its legitimacy and democratic capacities are questioned, it is important to address the issue of if and how is EU citizenship emerging. From this primary question stem three further sets of questions that will be the building-blocks of this research: ( 1) How does a particular kind of political structuring shapes citizenship? In a complex system, how do different identities coexist? (2) What sense of obligation is the EU citizenship developing? How do coexisting identities affect the relationship between elites and mass? (3) What are the citizens expecting from the EU as a level of government? To answer these questions, we will address the problems of citizenship under the threefold approach of identity, representation and evaluation of government perform ance, by looking at the dynamics between elites and public opinion, whose interactions traditionally nurture the dynamics of collective political identity, political legitimacy and representation, and standards of performance. A number of benefits and impa ct can be foreseen in this project. (1) A contribution to both, the empirical testing of existing theories of integration and citizenship, and the development and improvement of those theories. (2) The raising of academic and scientific standards within t he European Research Area to a highly competitive level. (3) The furthering and deepening of integration between research institutions and disciplines within and between countries. (4) An equalising of level

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Programme(s)

Topic(s)

Call for proposal

FP6-2002-CITIZENS-3
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Funding Scheme

IP - Integrated Project

Coordinator

UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI DI SIENA
Address
Banchi di sotto, 55
Siena
Italy

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EU contribution
€ 0,00

Participants (31)

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Last update: 11 June 2010

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Permalink: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/513421

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