How are the deals and decisions of the EU made - in the meeting rooms and at the conference tables, or by informal networks in the back corridors of power?

This book addresses an issue of paramount importance concerning the politics of the European Union: aspects of governance and policy making in the EU that are labelled 'informal'. Much of the literature on the EU focuses on the formal facets of EU politics, but uniquely, the subject matter within this book deals with informal aspects such as: the role of personal relationships, the presence of non-hierarchical policy-networks and non-institutional channels of interest representation, and the relevance of the unwritten rules and routines which govern these aspects of EU politics.

The contributors ascertain that the study of sectoral policy making in the EU is incomplete without attention to this informal governance, which is normatively and conceptually more complex than is generally assumed. They provide a number of different approaches to the subject, illuminating the nature of informal governance in the EU and demonstrating the way in which its analysis can contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of politics and policy making in the EU.

This highly original book will be a fascinating read for a wide-ranging audience - including academics, students, researchers and practitioners - with an interest in the governance of the EU.

About the Author
Edited by Thomas Christiansen, Professor of Political Science and European Integration Department of Political Science, Luiss Universita Guido Carli and Simona Piattoni, Professor of Political Science, Department of Sociology and Social Research, University of Trento, Italy

Reviews
'Informal Governance in the European Union is a unique addition to both the European Union and public administration literature. . . A study of this type is long overdue.' -- Richard Grant, Public Administration Today
'. . . [this volume] marks a welcome first step into the murky world of EU informal governance and it unquestionably lays the foundation for future research to come.' -- Brendan Flynn, European Integration



Book Information
ISBN 9781843763512
Author Thomas Christiansen
Format Hardback
Page Count 288
Imprint Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd
Publisher Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd