Practices of Interparliamentary Coordination in International Politics

Parliaments risk becoming the main losers of internationalisation; a process that privileges executives and experts. Still, parliamentarians have developed a range of responses to catch up with international decision-making: they coordinate their actions with other parliamentarians; engage in international parliamentary forums; and some even opt to pursue political careers at the supranational level, such as in the European Parliament. This volume provides a thorough empirical examination of how an internationalising context drives parliamentarians to engage in inter-parliamentary coordination; how it affects their power positions vis-à-vis executive actors; among themselves; and in society in general. Building upon these empirical insights, the book assesses whether parliamentary democracy can remain sustainable under these changing conditions. Indeed, if parliaments are, and remain, central to our understanding of modern democracy, it is of crucial importance to track their responses to internationalisation, the fragmentation of political sovereignty, and the proliferation of multilevel politics. 'Multi-level processes beyond the nation-state are often criticised for their democratic de¿cit. This rich edited collection assesses carefully the potential and limits of an original remedy for this serious problem: the empowerment of the circuit of representative democracy through the constitution of a multi-level parliamentary ¿eld. A series of ¿ne empirical studies by a team of international scholars highlights the diverse and complex con¿gurations of such a ¿eld. The book provides a balanced and ¿ne-grained account of the role of inter-parliamentary networks as a countervailing power to unaccountable supranational governance.' Professor Yannis Papadopoulos Institut d'Études Politiques et Internationales, Université de Lausanne, Switzerland 'Editors Crum and Fossum have put together an innovative collection of papers on the increasingly topical issue of the Multilevel Parliamentary Field. The collection covers a broad range of topics (policy domains, levels and actors) and offers contributions from an excellent selection of consolidated and younger scholars. There's engaging material in every chapter, and rather than responding conclusively to the question of whether parliaments are the losers in globalisation and European integration, the editors leave the question open-ended ¿ an implicit invitation to further research.' Professor Carlos Closa Montero Institute for Public Goods and Policies (IPP), Centre of Human and Social Sciences and Policies (IPP), Centre of Human and Social Sciences (CCHS) and Spanish National Research Council (CSIC)