Understanding Eu Policy Making

Sylvia Kritzinger, Raj S. Chari

Description

EU policy shapes all areas of our lives - from our money, to our food, to our welfare. Yet we know little about how EU decisions are made, and who benefits from them. This book is a critical guide to the policies of the EU.



Raj Chari and Sylvia Kritzinger argue that there is an agenda that underlies EU policy making. Some policies - those that aim to create a competitive economy - are prioritised, while others are effectively ignored.



Setting the EU in a proper economic and theoretical context, the authors analyse each of the EU's major policy areas. Arguing that traditional accounts of EU integration are inadequate, the authors develop an innovative new perspective.
1. A Supranational or a Decentralised EU?

2. Who’s Coming to Play? Policy-Making Actors in the EU

3. Understanding EU Policy-Making: Major Theories and New Insights

4. Single Market Policy: Creating a Strong Neo-Liberal Market in the Global Economy

5. Competition Policy: Ensuring a Competitive European Market.

6. Economic and Monetary Union: The Making of the Money Tree

7. Common Agricultural Policy: Redistributive Policy in Favour of Whom?

8. Social Policy: Demonstrating European Incapability and Differences

9. Policies of Freedom, Security and Justice: A Limited Role for the EU

10. External Policies: Divided We Stand, United We Fall

11. Conclusions: Understanding the Present, Changing the Future.

Notes

Index

Sujets

• Political Process
• Political Science
• General officer
• European Union
• General

Informations

• Publié par: Pluto Press
• Date de parution: 20 août 2006
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781783719570
• Langue: English

Extrait

Understanding EU Policy Making
Raj S. Chari and Sylvia Kritzinger
First published 2006 by Pluto Press 345 Archway Road, London N6 5AA and 839 Greene Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48106
www.plutobooks.com
Copyright © Raj S. Chari and Sylvia Kritzinger 2006
The right of Raj S. Chari and Sylvia Kritzinger to be identified as the authors of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 0 7453 1971 8 hardback ISBN 0 7453 1970 X paperback ISBN 978 1 7837 1957 0 ePub ISBN 978 1 7837 1958 7 Kindle
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data applied for
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Designed and produced for Pluto Press by Curran Publishing Services, Norwich, England Printed and bound in the European Union by Antony Rowe Ltd, Chippenham and Eastbourne, England
Contents
List of figures
List of tables
Acknowledgements
List of acronyms
 
1.
A supranational or a decentralized EU?
2.
Who’s coming to play? Policy-making actors in the EU
3.
Understanding EU policy making: major theories and new insights
4.
Single market policy: creating a strong neo-liberal market in the global economy
5.
Competition policy: ensuring a competitive European market
6.
Economic and Monetary Union: the making of the money tree
7.
The Common Agricultural Policy: redistributive policy in favour of whom?
8.
Social policy: demonstrating European incapability and differences
9.
Policies of freedom, security and justice: a limited role for the EU
10.
External policies: divided we stand, united we fall
11.
Conclusions: understanding the present, changing the future
 
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Figures
3.1
Conceptualizing polyarchy
3.2
Hypothetical example of interest groups involved in environmental policy making
3.3
Hypothetical example of interest groups involved in immigration policy making
3.4
Policy formulation processes from different theoretical angles
4.1
Average EU transposition deficit
4.2
Intra-EU trade total product
4.3
Imports to EU-15, 1994–2004
4.4
Exports from EU-15, 1994–2004
4.5
Direct investment flows of the EU-15 as a percentage of GDP
4.6
Trade integration in the international economy of the EU-15: goods and services
5.1
State aid policy steps at EU level
6.1
Long-term interest rates, EU-15, 1995–2004
6.2
General government consolidated gross debt as a percentage of GDP in the EU-15
6.3
Stock of international debt securities: currency shares
6.4
Euro foreign exchanges references rates (UK pounds and US dollar 1999–2005)
7.1
Average cereal subsidy payment in the UK by farm size (2003)
8.1
Development of social policy directives, 1974–2002
8.2
Development of non-binding measures in social policy, 1974–2002
9.1
New asylum applications in the EU, 1986–2002
9.2
Distribution of new asylum applications between the member states, between 1998 and September 2003
10.1
EU imports from main Mediterranean states, 1995–2004
10.2
EU exports to main Mediterranean states, 1995–2004
10.3
Morocco’s imports by main partners, 2003 and 2004
10.4
Morocco’s exports by main partners, 2003 and 2004
Tables
2.1
The European Commissions’ directorates-general and services, 2004–2009
2.2
Sixth parliamentary term, 2004–2009
4.1
The major market barriers in the EU as ranked by business
5.1
Total state aid (less agriculture, fisheries and transport) as a percentage of GDP, EU-15, 1992–2002
5.2
State aid in the new 2004 EU members, average annual figures for 2000–03
5.3
European merger control statistics, 1990–2004
6.1
Inflation rate: annual average rate of change in harmonized indices of consumer prices (HICPs), EU-15
6.2
Inflation rates: annual average rate of change in harmonized indices of consumer prices (HICPs), ten new entrants in 2004
6.3
Public balance: net borrowing/lending of consolidated general government sector as a percentage of GDP
9.1
Crude rate of net migration 1990–2002, per 1,000 population, EU-15
9.2
Crude rate of net migration 1990–2002 per 1,000 population, new entrants
9.3
Nationals and non-nationals as a percentage of the total population, 2001
10.1
Public opposition to war in January 2003
11.1
Summary of main findings
Acknowledgements
Books cannot be written in isolation: we are indebted to numerous people throughout the European Union and North America who have helped us along the way. This book was accomplished by fits and starts, and we sincerely thank Roger and the Pluto Press family, as well as Chris and all the staff in Curran Publishing Services in the UK for their encouragement, patience and constructive comments throughout the process.
Raj Chari is particularly indebted to the late Vincent Wright of Nuffield College, Oxford, a friend and mentor who helped inspire much of this book. Many of the tables and graphs presented in the Economic and Monetary Union Chapter were based on ideas he raised in one of his informal conversations in the late 1990s that (refreshingly) had little to do with ‘political science’ in the first place. Sylvia Kritzinger also acknowledges scholars whose ideas have influenced this book, including Bob Jessop from the UK and Susie Pernicka and Monika Feigl-Heihs in Austria.
In Ireland, we are indebted to Eddie Hyland who read over the entire manuscript and whose theoretical ideas were invaluable for the conception of a European integration theory incorporating the concept of a ‘dominant economic class’. Many of these ideas served as a complement to those that have guided the book from its inception, raised by comparative politics scholars and political theorists in Canada; these included Hans Michelmann, Richard Nordhal and Duff Spafford from the University of Saskatchewan, as well as Grant Amyot and Phil Wood from Queen’s University (Ontario), where Raj Chari undertook his political science training.
We are deeply indebted to Arantza Gómez, of Trinity’s Institute for International Integration Studies directed by Philip Lane, who offered her expertise in gathering the data for the empirical chapters. Freya Frank, formerly an undergraduate in Trinity, also provided essential background research assistance in the early phases, while Rory Costello, a Trinity post-grad, was invaluable in the final stages. Mary Brew, Billie Crosbie, Michael Gallagher, Eithne Healy, Michael Marsh and Alan Matthews of Trinity, as well as Francesco Cavatorta of Dublin City University, proved to be wonderful colleagues during the research and writing phases, offering solid insights from which this book has benefited. The MSc students (graduating class 2006–2007) taking Raj Chari’s class on public policy given at Trinity’s Policy Institute offered brilliant comments on draft chapters from which this book has greatly benefited.
In Austria we thank Gerda Falkner, Oliver Treib and Caroline Wörgötter for their insights into social policy, Martin Kniepert, Gertraud Fellner and Helga Pülzl for their help with the CAP-chapter, and Irina Michalowitz for discussions on EU interest-group behaviour. Special thanks also from Sylvia Kritzinger to Franz Steinbauer, Alice Ludvig, Bettina Stadler and Tanja Schrott for their discussions and patience.
We also thank Martha Peach and José Elguero from Madrid as well as the several high-level officials in Spain who have offered their advice throughout. The various EU officials who have informally given us their interpretation of public policy dynamics in Europe over the last few years have also opened our eyes in many ways.
Finally, our families and friends, most particularly Celia Chari, Isabel Rozas, Ranga and Raji Chari, Julius and Johanna Kritzinger and Patrick Martini, stand above anyone for putting up with us while researching and writing this book. Of course – as the usual rider goes – any errors remain our own.
Acronyms
ACP
African, Caribbean and Pacific
AMUE
Association for the Monetary Union of Europe
BDI
Bundesverband der Deutschen Industrie (German employers’ association)
CAP
Common Agricultural Policy
CCME
Churches’ Commission for Migrants in Europe
CCP
Common Commercial Policy
CEC
Conference of European Churches
CEEP
Confédération Européenne des Employers Publics
CEOE
Confederación Española de Organizaciones Empresariales (Spanish Employers’ Association)
CEPOL
European Police College
CFSP
Common Foreign and Security Policy
CNPF
Conseil National du Patronat Francais (French employers’ association)
COGECA
General Committee for Agricultural Cooperation
COPA
Committee of Agricultural Organizations
COREPER
Committee of Permanent Representatives
CPE
Coordination Paysanne
DEC
Dominant Economic Class
DG
Directorate General
EAGGF
European Agriculture Guidance and Guarantee Fund
ECB
European Central Bank
ECJ
European Court of Justice
ECOFIN
Economic and Financial Affairs Council
ECOSOC
Committee on Employment and Social Affairs of the EP
ECRE
European Council of Refugees and Exiles
ECSC
European Coal and Steel Community
EEA
European Economic Association
EEB
European Environment Bureau
EEC
European Economic Community
ELDR
Liberal Democrats
EMP
Euro-Mediterranean Partnership
EMS
European Monetary System
EMU
Economic and Monetary Union
EP
European Parliament
EPC
European Political Cooperation
ERT
European Round Table of Industrialists
ETUC
European Trade Union Confederation
EU
European Union
EURODAC
EU fingerprint database
FDI
Foreign Direct Investment
FNSEA
Fédération Nationale des Syndicats d’Exploitants Agricoles
GDP
Gross Domestic Product
ICMG
International Catholic Migration Commission
ICMSA
Irish farmers’ lobby
IGC
Intergovernmental Conference
ILGA
International Lesbian and Gay Association
INI
The National Industry Institu