EU Governance and Policy

Abstract

A decade has passed since Mark Pollack (2005) so eloquently summarized and reviewed the manifold theoretical approaches to European integration that had gradually appeared and flourished. Since the 1990s, EU research has moved from traditional neo-functionalist (cf. Haas, 1961) and intergovernmentalist (cf. Moravcsik, 1998) theories to constructivism (cf. Risse, 2004), various forms of institutionalism, rational, sociological and historical (cf. Jupille&Caporaso, 1999) and many forms of governance theory (cf. Kohler-Koch&Rittberger, 2006), first and foremost multi-level governance (cf. Marks&Hooghe, 2001). All these approaches have significantly contributed to our understanding of how the EU works and they will continue to be useful in explaining phenomena of governance and policy-making in a rapidly changing European Union. Indeed, as the EU continues to differentiate, expand in some areas and retrench in others, we still need further empirical research to deepen our understanding. There is still much to be said about the role of different institutions and actors in EU decision-making processes in different policy areas. The interplay between the European and the national level also offers a number of interesting research avenues.