Politicisation, democratisation, and contestation in the EU: conceptual likages and challenges

The concept of politicisation is increasingly used and discussed in current theoretical and empirical research on democracy more generally and the European Union more particularly. But it is often left unclear what exactly is meant and understood as politicisation, how politicisation is respectively theorised, conceptualised and operationalised, and what are the chances and limitations linked to different respective definitions and understandings of politicization. This paper systematises the theoretical background and the operationalisation of politicisation by summing up key points that are related to understanding and using politicisation as a theoretical and empirical concept. It tackles four questions decisive for conceptualising politicisation: 1) Which definition of politics does the conceptualisation of politicisation relate to? 2) The who, where and what of politicisation: who can politicise? What is an object of politicisation? What are the spaces, spheres, or arenas in which politicisation takes place? What are, accordingly, the relevant dimensions, actors, issues, objects, addressees and areas of politicisation to be studied? 3) What is empirically studied when analysing politicisation? 4) How is politicisation linked to other concepts? Three conceptual relationships that are generally discussed in the academic politicisation literature are highly relevant. The relation between politicisation and democracy often is thematised in dichotomies; populist or openly anti-democratic politicisation being frequently discussed as a danger or at least a challenge for democracy. However, it is important to underline that politicisation also can have democratising effects. This perspective is also enlightening for the relation of the concept of politicisation to two other concepts. Politicisation in the academic debate is often conceptually linked to populism and Euroscepticism. But it is not politicisation as such that causes populism and euroscpeticism – but both of these are an outcome of a type of politicisation processes that enhances criticism of representative democracy and/or the EU. Three more questions concern politicisation of the EU specifically: 5) To what extent is the EU politicised? 6) Is EU politicisation beneficial or detrimental for EU integration? 7) Is politicisation beneficial for EU democratisation?