Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
The dynamic and far-reaching system of European Union policy making is analysed in this sophisticated major new edition of a well-respected textbook. It offers the most integrated understanding of EU policy available. The major approaches to policymaking - intergovernmentalism, supranationalism, multi-level governance, institutionalism and social constructivism - are all presented and supplemented with the authors' own integrating framework: federal integration. It is only through using all these perspectives in conjunction that a systematic and comprehensive evaluation of the EU's interests and actors in key policy areas can be made.
Today, the European Union faces a period of untold crisis. This text illustrates that despite the dire warnings of an EU approaching collapse, there is enough evidence to suggest EU governance is sufficiently flexible to adapt successfully to today's sustained challenges. Uniquely, this text does not become mired in policy minutiae but locates key policy areas within a wider, applied, framework. As such, it is the key introduction to the subject for students of Politics and European Studies at undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
Synopsis
The dynamic and complex system of European Union policymaking is analysed in this new edition of a much-praised textbook. It offers the most integrated understanding of EU policy available. Major approaches to policymaking - including intergovernmentalism, neofunctionalism, supranationalism and critical theory - are presented and supplemented with the authors' own theoretical model, federal integration, to create a comprehensive evaluation of the EU's interests and actors in key policy domains. The text covers the EU's main policy areas - including those on the single market, Economic and Monetary Union, foreign policy, migration and border control, social and regional policies, and the budget - locating them in this wider theoretical framework. As such, it is the key introduction to the subject for students of European Politics at undergraduate and postgraduate levels.