Rich Sordahl 1-3

Search #1
Date of Search: November 1
Search Topic: Agriculture and Regulations

Where did I look? Europa’s Agricultural Activities website
Search Terms: Agriculture, Regulations, Trade, Restrictions

Results:
I found 3,164 returns. The majority of the findings were from press releases issued by the EU. I believe these sources to be critical in my evaluation of the McDonalidzation of Europe in the sense that I can obtain very current information supporting the increasing homogenization of politics, society, and the economy. Developments such as increasing restrictions on trade and progressive efforts toward standardization (i.e. new laws detailing the way food should be grown) of food production will be revealed through the latest press updates. I intend to focus mostly on recent releases, but will also employ 5- and 10-year benchmarks as well. Basically, I’m looking for the reporting of events where government has exercised further restrictions on the production and trade of food.
Citation
Union, E. (2009). Activities of the European Union - Agriculture. Retrieved November 3, 2009, from Europa: http://europa.eu/pol/agr/index_en.htm

Search #2
Date of Search: November 1
Search Topic: European Security

Where did I look? LexisNexis Academic
Search Terms: European Security, NATO

Results:
I obtained a policy paper entitled “European Security: The Debate in NATO and the European Union.” This paper covers the issues surrounding common security and defense of Europe. My rationale behind this search is to cover the bureaucratic characteristics associated with the development of a centralized defense. The concept of McDonaldization involves bureaucracy, taking decisions away from the common people and placing it in the hands of a select few. The paper discusses the fact that there is a major push to consolidate military forces within Europe and strengthen the centralization of decision-making. This shift in power from decentralization to centralization is a key attribute of the process of rationalization as defined in “The McDonaldization of Society.”

Citation
Donfried, K., & Gallis, P. (2000). European Security: The Debate in NATO and the European Union. Congressional Research Service.

Search #3
Date of Search: November 1
Search Topic: Centralization of Decision Making
Where did I look? JSTOR

Search Terms: European Union Democracy

Results
I found 2,058 sources of information regarding this search. My intent is obtain perspective on how the consolidation of political power Europe is discounting the individual nuances of sovereign nation-states, leading to the full McDonaldization of European society. All returns in this query are journal articles that address issues from a legal, political, and socio-economic point of view. In one article of note, “Deliberative Democracy in Divided Societies,” John Dryzek discusses how societies deal with identity when they become increasingly divided. This has interesting implications for the relationship with the McDonaldization of society in Europe. This rationalization process eliminates the individual nuances of regional and local cultures.

Citation
Dryzek, J. S. (2005). Deliberative Democracy in Divided Societies. Political Theory , 33 (2), 218-242.