Democracy goes abroad

Abstract

Globalisation and Europeanisation need not lead to a weakening of democratic government. Major, though as yet unexploited, opportunities exist for strengthening the democratic aspects of international politics. The European Convention is an experiment in constitutional engineering across borders. The Convention combines the world of diplomacy with features from domestic democratic reform. There are mutual linkages. Events at the national level trigger changes in the European Union. The Convention might propose institutional reforms which would, in turn, have significant effects within the member states, particularly in the Scandinavian countries