The Transformation of Governance in the European Union

The Transformation of Governance in the European Union provides a challenging contribution to the topical, on-going governance-debate. Governance is the new buzz-word aimed at catching the present day complexity of political action. Coordinating actors that are both autonomous and interdependent is a growing matter of concern for governing within and beyond the nation state. It is of particular relevance to the EU because of the very properties of this system: highly sectoralised policy regulation has to be agreed in a multilevel framework. The book presents a theoretically informed typology of modes of governance which is tested in a careful selection of comparative country and policy studies. At the core is the question whether the European Union is destined to a network type of governance and whether and how this type of governance will be translated into the member states. The individual chapters subject the governing patterns at European and national level to empirical scrutiny. Drawing on recent research findings in different issue areas - including monetary union, social affairs, environment, genetic engineering and market liberalisation in transport, banking, energy, professional services - the contributions highlight the impact of the European activities on policy-making process in the member states. This book will give a new perspective to the topical, and controversial issue of governance, to researchers in political science, European studies, international relations, and policy making. It will be useful to those with a professional interest in the topic - from lobbyists, national civil servants and MEPs to Commission officials. Mark Aspinwall, University of Durham, UK Kenneth Dyson, University of Bradford, UK Rainer Eising, University of Mannheim, Germany Gerda Falkner, University Vienna, Austria