SPECIAL ISSUE | ||
Hamerly Ivy |
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Christian Democratic Parties and the Domestic Parliamentary Response to European Integration | ||
in Journal of Church & State , Vol. 54, Issue 2, Sping , 2012 , 214-239 | ||
While numerous studies demonstrate the critical role Christian Democratic Parties (CDPs) played in the development of the European Union (EU), a less-studied factor is the influence of CDPs on the domestic legislative response to European integration. As more policy decisions take place at the European level rather than the national level, domestic legislatures have adjusted their oversight activities to encompass the European decision-making process. One of the ways domestic parliaments have responded to this challenge is by establishing new legislative committees that coordinate the oversight of European affairs (EACs). Research has revealed a strong negative correlation between the percentage of a country's population that belongs to the Catholic Church and the strength of that country's legislative oversight of European affairs. This correlation has been interpreted to represent general North-South cultural differences; however, the North-South cleavage includes several reinforcing cleavages, such as religious, social, cultural, and societal divisions. | ||