The Institutionalization of Europe - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0199247951 ISBN 13: 9780199247950

Publisher: OUP Oxford, 2001

Synopsis

In 1950, a European political space existed, if only as a very primitive site of international governance. Today, the European Union governs in an ever-growing number of policy domains. Increasingly dense networks of transnational actors representing electorates, member state governments, firms, and specialized interests operate in arenas that are best understood as supranational. At the same time, the capacity of European organizations - the Bank, the Commission, and the Court of Justice - to make authoritative policy decisions has steadily expanded, profoundly transforming the very nature of the European polity.

This book, a companion volume to European Integration and Supranational Governance, offers readers a sophisticated theoretical account of this transformation, as well as original empirical research. The editors elaborate an innovative synthesis of institutionalist theory that contributors use to explain the sources and consequences of the emergence and institutionalization of European political arenas. Some chapters examine the evolution of integration and supranational governance across time and policy domain. Others recount more discrete episodes, including: the development of women's rights, the judicial review of administrative acts, a stable system of interest group representation, and enhanced cooperation in foreign policy and security; the creation of the European Central Bank; the emergence of new policy competences, such as for policing and immigration; and the multi-dimensional impact of European policies on national modes of governance.

About this title

Review

An impressive line-up of contributors ... the book is an important contribution to the literature and should be engaged by advanced students and scholars alike. (West European Politics)

About the Author

Alec Stone Sweet is an Official Fellow, Chair of Comparative Government, Nuffield College, Oxford. Wayne Sandholtz is an Associate Professor of Political Science, University of California, Irvine. Neil Fligstein is a Professor of Sociology, University of California, Berkeley.

Edition details

• Publisher: OUP Oxford
• Publication date: 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0199247951
• ISBN 13: 9780199247950
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 286
• Editor: Stone Sweet Alec, Sandholtz Wayne, Fligstein Neil