In the Face of Crisis: Input Legitimacy, Output Legitimacy and the Political Messianism of European Integration

Abstract

European legitimacy discourse typically employs two principal concepts: input (process) legitimacy and output (result) legitimacy. But a third concept, political messianism, is central to the legitimation of Europe, though less commonly explored. In the current European circumstance, however, each of these three concepts is inoperable. Any solution to the crisis of Europe will have to draw upon the deep legitimacy resources of the national communities, the member states.