European Political Science· 2026Q1
Democratic innovations and the field of Eurocracy: How field theory sheds light on the study of democratic innovations
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- Q1SCImago
- 2026year
Short summary
This paper argues against conceptualizing a distinct 'field of democratic innovations' within the EU, proposing instead a 'reform space' that influences the broader European field of power.
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Key points
- Argues against defining a distinct 'field of democratic innovations' due to its heteronomy within power relations.
- Proposes a 'reform space' as an alternative analytical concept for studying democratic innovations.
- This 'reform space' provides resources for actors embedded within the broader field of power.
- Demonstrates the framework's utility by examining EU-level mini-public promoters within the European field of power.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Abstract This article aims to discuss the recent use of Bourdieu’s field theory in scholarship on democratic innovations. It seeks to extend these works’ effort to study democratic innovations within configurations of power relations. However, I argue that it is often unconvincing to conceptualise a field of democratic innovations or institutionalised participation when they are often too heteronomous in relation to the field of power. Instead, by extending the relevance of the Bourdieusian framework for the analysis of democratic innovations, the article invites reflection on the way promoters of democratic innovations constitute a social space – a ‘reform space’ – that is not a field but nonetheless provides resources to certain actors embedded in the field of power. The usefulness of this analytical framework is demonstrated by examining how the promoters of mini-publics at the EU level are positioned within the European field of power.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. European Political Science, 2026 · DOI ↗
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Field: Political Science and International Relations
Political Science and International RelationsSocial Sciences