Political Institutions and Public Policy : Perspectives on European Decision Making

The discipline of public administration and public policy is experiencing a renaissance of research in which explicit attention is paid to political insti­ tutions. This renewed interest in institutions is not simply an extension of the 'classical' paradigm in the study of public administration, which peaked in the 1920s and 1930s, but offers a new orientation on political institutions. While 'classical' institutionalism is known for its focus on the formal stroctures of the executive branch of government, the 'new' institutionalism concentrates on the interaction between political institutions and the behavior of policy makers. This interaction, which until recently was largely neglected in public administration and public policy, forms the basic theme of this volume. To advance the study of political institutions, two rather basic problems need to be addressed: What are institutions and what are adequate ways to analyze them? We briefty discuss both questions, which determine the strocture of this book.

The discipline of public administration and public policy shows a renaissance of research in which explicit attention is paid to political institutions. This book offers both a theoretical overview and a set of applications using this new approach. The theoretical overview brings together insights from economics, political science, sociology and the study of law to provide a framework to better understand political institutions and the ways in which institutions can be analyzed. In addition, this volume presents various applications of this new perspective in the context of Western European politics and the making of public policy.
The book should be of major interest to students of public administrations and public policy, and related fields. It is also of relevance to those who have an interest in political decision making in Europe.

Front Matter....Pages i-xv Front Matter....Pages xvii-xvii Approaches to the Analysis of Institutions....Pages 1-27 Institutions: The Economic Perspective....Pages 29-44 Sociological Perspectives on Institutions and Neo-institutionalism....Pages 45-66 Normative and Real Institutions....Pages 67-81 Front Matter....Pages 83-83 Is Federalism Superior?....Pages 85-113 The Effects of Alternative Governance Structures....Pages 115-137 Independent Agencies and the Delegation Problem: Theoretical and Normative Dimensions....Pages 139-156 European Challenges to the Nation State....Pages 157-188 Subsidiarity, Responsive Government and Individual Liberty....Pages 189-203 Codecision and its Reform....Pages 205-229 Back Matter....Pages 231-234