Governance in the European Union

Presenting a fresh alternative to traditional state-centered analyses of the process of European integration, Governance in the European Union clearly shows the interaction of subnational, national, and supranational actors in the emerging European polity. This "multilevel politics" approach offers a powerful lens for viewing the future course of European integration. The authors′ empirical exploration of areas such as regional governance, social policy, and social movements underpins their broad conceptual and theoretical framework, providing significant new insight into European politics. Governance in the European Union will appeal to students and academics across the broad spectrum of political science, and will be of particular interest to those in European studies, public policy studies, comparative politics, and political theory.

`This book is extremely persuasive in demonstrating the value of the multi-level governance approach.... [it] shows the absurdness of theories concerned with the nation-state′s obsolescence, but, in turn, makes state-centred theories redundant and rightly so: it leads students of European history, European politics and the dynamics of European governance into an interesting and new direction′ - Journal of European Integration History

`When Marks, Scharpf, Schmitter and Streeck join forces to write a book on governance in the European Union, there are good reasons to have high expectaions concerning the outcome. All four are well-known international scholars nd major contributors to the literature on European integration and governance. Few quartets would be better qualified to help bring a little more order in a field of research in deep need of new theoretical ideas and concepts, as well as data.... well worth reading. Key issues are raised, and the reader is exposed to a multitude of interesting observations, arguments and theoretical ideas.... they [the authors] have provided important building blocks for further theoretical development′ - Public Policy