ABSTRACT
Context matters and so do institutions. This chapter analyses to what extent context matters by focusing on two particular aspects. First, it is argued that associations are not unconditionally good for democracy; rather their ‘democratic potential’ depends on the inherent features of the polity in which they act. This chapter illustrates the role of civil society by highlighting the complex institutional context of the European Union. The supranational and multi-level nature of the European polity makes the associative elixir both rewarding and problematic. Second, it is argued that the ‘democratic added value’ of associations also depends on how political institutions perceive the role of civil society organizations and how they structure interaction with them. This chapter examines the ‘institutional context’ from one particular angle: it shows how certain European institutions have made recourse to the idea of a ‘European civil society’; it is this discourse that would strengthen their institutional position.
