Unveiling the Council of the European Union: Games Governments Play in Brussels (Palgrave Studies in European Union Politics)

For A Long Time Our Textbook Knowledge Of What Is Happening In The Council Of The European Union -- The Major Decision Forum Of The Eu -- Was To A Large Extent Based On Limited Interview-based Evidence. One Reason For That Was The Closed Nature Of The Council. In A Very Few Years, However, Thanks To New Transparency Rules And Increased Efforts By Scholars, We Have Seen A Whole Range Of Superb Qualitative And Quantitative Data Collections As Well As More Convincing Theorizing. Eu Researchers Are Better Equipped Than Ever Before To Analyze The Decision-making Processes Of The Council And To Test Conventional Wisdoms. The Effect Will Be Important, Not Only With Respect To Our Knowledge Of The Council Itself -- And Therefore Of Eu Politics In General -- But Also Because This Research Is Advancing General Theories About How Government Interact In International Institutions, For Which The Council Is A Particularly Fruitful Object Of Study. This Book Covers The Most Contentious Areas And Important Debates In The Present Research, Focusing In Particular On Conflict Dimensions, Modes Of Interaction And Power And Leadership In The Council. -- Back Cover. 1. Introduction: From Rags To Riches / D. Naurin & H. Wallace ---- Part I. Coalition-building. 2. Voting And Coalitions In The Council After The Enlargement / M. Mattila --- 3. Voting, Statements And Coalition-building In The Council From 1999 To 2006 / S. Hagemann --- 4. East-north-south: Coalition-building In The Council Before And After Enlargement / D. Naurin & R. Lindahl ---- Part Ii. Consensus. 5. Veto Players Theory And Consensus Behaviour / T. Konig & D. Junge --- 6. The Mechanisms Of Consensus: Coming To Agreement On Community Asylum Policy / J.p. Aus ---- Part Iii. Deliberation. 7. Deliberation And Bargaining In The Article 113 Committee And The 1996/97 Igc Representatives Group / A. Niemann --- 8. Risk Regulation, Gmos, And The Limits Of Deliberation / M.a. Pollack & G.c. Shaffer --- 9. Strategic Bargaining, Norms, And Deliberation / J. Lewis ---- Part Iv. Leadership. 10. The Power Of The Chair: Formal Leadership By The Council Presidency / J. Tallberg --- 11. Steering, But Not Dominating: The Impact Of The Council Presidency On Eu Legislation / A. Warntjen --- 12. The Facilitator Of Efficient Negotiations In The Council: The Impact Of The Council Secretariat / D. Beach --- 13. The Relative Power Of Member States In The Council: Large And Small, Old And New / R. Thomson ---- Part V. Methodological Debate. 14. How Should We Best Study The Council Of Ministers? / D. Heisenberg --- 15. Neither Goethe Nor Bismarck: On The Link Between Theory And Empirics In Council Decision-making Studies / G. Schneider. Edited By Daniel Naurin And Helen Wallace. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 290-315) And Index. Front Matter....Pages i-xiv Introduction: from Rags to Riches....Pages 1-20 Front Matter....Pages 21-21 Voting and Coalitions in the Council after the Enlargement....Pages 23-35 Voting, Statements and Coalition-Building in the Council from 1999 to 2006....Pages 36-63 East-North-South: Coalition-Building in the Council before and after Enlargement....Pages 64-78 Front Matter....Pages 79-79 Veto Player Theory and Consensus Behaviour....Pages 81-98 The Mechanisms of Consensus: Coming to Agreement on Community Asylum Policy....Pages 99-118 Front Matter....Pages 119-119 Deliberation and Bargaining in the Article 113 Committee and the 1996/97 IGC Representatives Group....Pages 121-143 Risk Regulation, GMOs and the Limits of Deliberation....Pages 144-164 Strategic Bargaining, Norms and Deliberation....Pages 165-184 Front Matter....Pages 185-185 The Power of the Chair: Formal Leadership by the Council Presidency....Pages 187-202 Steering, but not Dominating: the Impact of the Council Presidency on EU Legislation....Pages 203-218 The Facilitator of Efficient Negotiations in the Council: the Impact of the Council Secretariat....Pages 219-237 The Relative Power of Member States in the Council: Large and Small, Old and New....Pages 238-258 Front Matter....Pages 259-259 How Should We Best Study the Council of Ministers?....Pages 261-276 Neither Goethe nor Bismarck: on the Link between Theory and Empirics in Council Decision-Making Studies....Pages 277-289 Back Matter....Pages 290-320 Thanks to new transparency rules and increased efforts by scholars, researchers are better equipped than ever before to analyze the decision-making processes of the Council of the European Union and to test old wisdoms. This book covers the most contentious areas and important debates in current research. For a long time our textbook knowledge of what is happening in the Council of the European Union -- the major decision forum of the EU -- was to a large extent based on limited interview-based evidence. One reason for that was the closed nature of the Council. In a very few years, however, thanks to new transparency rules and increased efforts by scholars, we have seen a whole range of superb qualitative and quantitative data collections as well as more convincing theorizing. EU researchers are better equipped than ever before to analyze the decision-making processes of the Council and to test conventional wisdoms. The effect will be important, not only with respect to our knowledge of the Council itself -- and therefore of EU politics in general -- but also because this research is advancing general theories about how government interact in international institutions, for which the Council is a particularly fruitful object of study. This book covers the most contentious areas and important debates in the present research, focusing in particular on conflict dimensions, modes of interaction and power and leadership in the Council