From Parliamentarism to Pluralism

Academic observers have long criticized the European Union for being plagued with a `democratic deficit', a critique that is based on the European parliamentary model of democracy. Although widely considered to be a valid foundation for democratic evaluation of the Union, the parliamentary model is irrelevant to the EU's supranational context and character. This irrelevance brings the mainstream democratic deficit literature into question. The American `pluralist' model, with its emphasis on societal interest groups and a fragmented governmental structure, provides a more appropriate foundation for democratic decision-making at the EU's supranational level. This framework explains recent contributions to the literature, and suggests a transition from the traditional democratic deficit critique to a new theoretical conception of democracy in the European Union.