Samuele Dossi uncovers the logic and mechanisms of Europeanisation

This new volume from Samuele Dossi examines, through the lens of Europeanisation, EU policy instruments affecting the urban domain. 

Instead of looking at instruments formally consecrated to cities, Cities and the European Union: Mechanisms and Modes of Europeanisation uses theoretical public policy analysis to explore the arenas and causal mechanisms that structure the encounter between the EU and urban governance. 

The author finds that the core variables which explain change concern the status of actors’ preferences and the payoffs from Europeanisation. He develops a typology for the modes of Europeanisation that chimes with current theorisations on the EU modes of governance. 

Dossi considers four modes of Europeanisation, which he analyses to grasp the essence of EU instruments and initiatives. He discovers that the eventual Europeanisation of urban systems depends on the nature of strategic interaction, not on the legal ‘tools’ designated explicitly for cities. 

Praise for this book

'A truly progressive work. By focusing on policy arenas as units of analysis rather than cities or countries, Samuele Dossi uncovers the logic and mechanisms of Europeanisation at work in key domains of European Union policy. A compelling read for those interested in planning, EU public policy and multi-level governance.’
Claudio M. Radaelli, director, Centre for European Governance, University of Exeter