Citizens in Europe

Half a century ago, two brilliant students caused a sensation with a radical and inspiring memorandum on an overdue university reform in Germany. In their respective academic fields, both have become masters of worldwide renown. It is an exciting experience to follow these two brilliant minds on their intellectual itinerary towards path-breaking interpretations of the present fate of democracy in Europe. -- Jürgen Habermas, University of Frankfurt

Few will disagree with Claus Offe’s contention “...that the way democracies function and the political outcomes they generate are often frustrating, disappointing, short-sighted, unfair, and thus seriously deficient”. In these essays he and Ulrich Preuß confront the challenges posed by this state of affairs for, and possible approaches to solutions in, citizenship, constitutionalism, the welfare state and, in particular, European integration. Their rigorous philosophical reasoning and rich historical sweep makes this a book with which anyone seeking to grapple with these issues will want to engage. -- Colin Crouch, University of Warwick

For over 30 years, Claus Offe and Ulrich Preuß – both singly and jointly – have produced some of the most incisive, committed and critical commentary on the democratic and constitutional foundations of the European Union, and the nature of EU citizenship. Blending normative political, social and legal theory with empirical social and political science, the current crises fulfil some of their worst fears at the inadequacies of the Union and stand in need of many of their proposed remedies. These essays demonstrate that solid research and sound critical analysis will always be timely. -- Richard Bellamy, European University Institute and University College London

Claus Offe and Ulrich K. Preuß, two eminent scholars of politics, law and sociology, have joined forces in this book to analyse the European Union's strengths and weaknesses, more specifically its crisis management and future. In this collection of brilliantly written essays, the authors elucidate key concepts, in particular citizenship, constitutionalism, democracy and the welfare state. This masterpiece of interdisciplinary study should be read by every scholar and student of European politics and law, especially those concerned with the role of citizens in a transnational constitutional democracy and the future of a 'social' Europe. -- Günter Frankenberg, Goethe-Universität

Claus Offe, born 1940, was Professor of Political Science at Humboldt University, Berlin, where he held a chair in Political Sociology and Social Policy. His previous positions include professorships at the Universities of Bielefeld and Bremen, where he served as director of the Center of Social Policy Research. He has held research fellowships and visiting professorships in the US, Canada, Australia, Hungary, Poland, Austria, Italy, and the Netherlands. Since 2006 he has been Professor of Political Science at Hertie School of Governance, Berlin. His fields of research are democratic theory, transition studies, EU integration, and welfare state and labour market studies. He has published numerous articles and book chapters in these fields, a selection of which is reprinted as Herausforderungen der Demokratie. Zur Integrations- und Leistungsfähigkeit politischer Institutionen (2003). Recent book publications in English include Varieties of Transition (1996), Modernity and the State: East and West (1996), Institutional Design in Post-Communist Societies (1998, with J. Elster and U.K. Preuß), Reflections on America. Tocqueville, Weber, und Adorno in the United States (2005) and Europe Entrapped (2014).