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. New to this Edition: - Each chapter rewritten, many extensively, throughout - New chapters on migration and border control, competition policy, and social and cohesion policies. - New illustrative material and many new examples - Each chapter now includes a Guide to Further Reading Accompanying online resources for this title can be found at bloomsburyonlineresources.com/policies-and-policy-processes-of-the-european-union. These resources are designed to support teaching and learning when using this textbook and are available at no extra cost

Readers are provided with a practical insight into how to analyze policies and policy-making in the EU. Using case studies to deepen readers' understanding, this book examines the various stages of the policy process - from the moment the issue reaches the agenda through to drafting, implementation and evaluation.

The book advances the state of the European Union‘s policy theory by taking stock of seven promising frameworks of the policy process, systematically comparing their limitations and strengths, and offering a strategy to develop robust research agendas. Frameworks may constitute competing policy explanations depending on assumptions they make about EU institutional and issue complexity. The frameworks include detailed analyses of multi-level governance, advocacy coalitions, punctuated equilibrium, multiple streams, policy learning, normative power Europe, and constructivism. Besides generating a fertile dialogue that transcends the narrow confines of EU policy, contributions highlight the value of intellectual pluralism and the need for clear and rigorous explanations of the policy process. This book was published as a special issue of the Journal of European Public Policy.

This book challenges the assumption that policy makers' work with advisory committees is emblematic of technocratic governance. Analyzing how and why the European Commission uses expert groups in the policy process, it shows that experts not only solve technical problems, but also function as political devices and negotiators in modern governance.

The Routledge Handbook of Differentiation in the European Union offers an essential collection of groundbreaking chapters reflecting on the causes and consequences of this complex phenomenon. With contributions from key experts in this subfield of European Studies, it will become a key volume used for those interested in learning the nuts and bolts of differentiation as a mechanism of (dis)integration in the European Union, especially in the light of Brexit. Organised around five key themes, it offers an authoritative "encyclopaedia" of differentiation and addresses questions such as: How can one define differentiation in the European Union in the light of the most recent events? Does differentiation create more challenges or opportunities for the European Union? Is Europe moving away from an "ever closer Union" and heading towards an "ever more differentiated Union", especially as leading political figures across Europe favour the use of differentiation to reconcile divergences between member states? This handbook is essential reading and an authoritative reference for scholars, students, researchers and practitioners involved in, and actively concerned about, research in the study of European integration. As European differentiation is multifaceted and involves a wide range of actors and policies, it will be of further interest to those working on countries and/or in policy areas where differentiation is an increasingly relevant feature. The Introduction and chapters 13, 21, 30, and 35 of this book is available for free in PDF format as Open Access from the individual product page at www.routledge.com. It has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license.

This book analyses the European Court of Justice's power from a political-science perspective. It argues that this power can be assessed through studying the policy implications of there being a supranational constitution that was drafted as an international treaty. An international treaty contains a set of policy goals for future cooperation. Direct effect and supremacy give constitutional status to these policy goals, allowing the Court to develop the Treaty's implications for policymaking at the European and the member-state levels. By focusing on the four freedoms (of goods, services, persons, and capital) and citizenship rights, the book analyses the implications of case law for policymaking in different case studies. It shows how major EU legislation (for instance, the Services and Citizenship Directives) are significantly influenced by case law and how controversial policies, such as EU citizens' access to tax-financed social benefits, are closely linked to the Court.

Reflecting Malta's unique and often contentious road to EU membership, the book explores the historical context and outlines how Maltese processes and policies have changed since membership and whether a causative link exists between these changes and Malta's membership of the EU. A wide range of primary and secondary sources facilitate the study complemented by a series of interviews with a broad range of Malta's political and social actors as well as individuals from EU institutions.

The revised and updated 2nd edition of this broad-ranging text examines the political dynamic of the European Parliament within the EU and sets it in the broader context of comparative legislative analysis. The authors examine its significance in the debates surrounding the democracy, legitimacy and "parliamentarization" of the European Union.