The Transnationalization of Public Spheres: Theoretical Considerations

Abstract

The transnationalization of public spheres can best be understood within the context of more encompassing transformations of the state. Since the late 1960s and early 1970s the nation-states of the OECD world — among them, of course, the growing number of member states of the European Union — have been in a process of continuous transformation (Zürn and Leibfried 2005; Hurrelmann et al. 2007). It is unclear as of now whether this incremental change will develop into a new, relatively stable constellation of statehood in the twenty-first century, or whether change will be perpetual. What we do know at present, however, is that there are two main directions of transformation: internationalization and privatization. The four most basic normative goods that the OECD state has provided for so long — monopoly of force and taxation (resources), rule of law, democratic legitimacy and welfare — are today partly co-produced by international bodies and private agencies, or both. Of course, transformation in these four realms is uneven. While on the whole internationalization is more pronounced in the resources and legal dimensions, privatization is somewhat stronger, though not universal, in welfare production.KeywordsPublic SpherePublic DiscourseDemocratic LegitimacyCollective IdentificationDiscourse CoalitionThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.