The European Union : how does it work? / edited by Daniel Kenealy, John Peterson, Richard Corbett.

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

The European Union: How does it work? is the perfect introduction to the EU's structure and operations for those coming to the subject for the first time. An expert team of scholars and practitioners cut through the complexity to explain how the EU works in practice, and equip students with the knowledge and skills they need to master the subject. The fourth edition of this successful textbook reflects the ongoing changes in the EU in the aftermath of the Eurozone crises, and the global context in which the EU exists. It also features expanded coverage of theories of European integration and policy making, and considers the hugely topical debate about the UK's future in the EU.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Preface and Acknowledgements (p. xiii)
• List of Figures (p. xv)
• List of Boxes (p. xvi)
• List of Tables (p. xviii)
• Abbreviations and Acronyms (p. xix)
• List of Contributors (p. xxii)
• Map: The European Union's Member States (p. xxiii)
• Guided Tour of the Textbook Features (p. xxiv)
• Guided Tour of the Online Resource Centre (p. xxvi)
• Part I Background
• 1 Introduction (p. 3)
• Studying the EU (p. 4)
• Why bother? (p. 6)
• Understanding the EU: Theory and Conceptual Tools (p. 11)
• International Relations (IR) approaches (p. 12)
• A comparative politics approach (p. 14)
• A sociological/cultural approach (p. 14)
• A public policy approach (p. 15)
• Different theories, different insights (p. 16)
• Themes (p. 17)
• Experimentation and change (p. 17)
• Power sharing and consensus (p. 18)
• Scope and capacity (p. 19)
• Chapter Layout (p. 21)
• Discussion Questions (p. 21)
• Further Reading (p. 21)
• Web Links (p. 22)
• 2 How Did We Get Here? (p. 24)
• Introduction (p. 25)
• Post-War Problems and Solutions (p. 26)
• The Schuman Plan (p. 28)
• The European Defence Community (p. 28)
• The European Community (p. 30)
• Consolidating the European Community (p. 33)
• Crisis and compromise (p. 35)
• The EC after De Gaulle (p. 35)
• A difficult decade (p. 36)
• The Emerging European Union (p. 37)
• Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) (p. 38)
• Maastricht and beyond (p. 38)
• Enlargement, constitution building, and the Eurozone crisis (p. 39)
• Conclusion (p. 41)
• Discussion Questions (p. 43)
• Further Reading (p. 43)
• Web Links (p. 44)
• Part II Major Actors
• 3 The EU's Institutions (p. 47)
• Institutions in Treaties and in Practice (p. 48)
• The European Commission (p. 48)
• Tasks and powers (p. 48)
• How the Commission is organized (p. 49)
• The Council (of Ministers) (p. 52)
• Vice President of the Commission/High Representative for Foreign & Security Policy (p. 53)
• The Council presidency (p. 54)
• Voting in the Council (p. 55)
• Coreper (p. 55)
• European Council (of Heads of State or Government) (p. 57)
• The European Parliament (p. 59)
• The powers of the EP (p. 60)
• European Court of Justice (p. 62)
• Why Institutions Matter (p. 65)
• Experimentation and change (p. 66)
• Power sharing and consensus (p. 66)
• Scope and capacity (p. 67)
• Conclusion (p. 68)
• Discussion Questions (p. 70)
• Further Reading (p. 70)
• Web Links (p. 70)
• 4 Member States (p. 72)
• Introduction (p. 73)
• Six Determining Features (p. 74)
• Entry date (p. 74)
• Size (p. 76)
• Wealth (p. 79)
• State structure (p. 81)
• Economic ideology (p. 81)
• Integration preference (p. 82)
• Member States in Action (p. 87)
• Managing EU Business (p. 88)
• Explaining Member States' Engagement (p. 89)
• Conclusion (p. 90)
• Discussion Questions (p. 92)
• Further Reading (p. 92)
• Web Links (p. 93)
• Part III Policies and Policy-Making
• 5 Key Policies (p. 97)
• Introduction: Policies in the EU (p. 98)
• Key features of EU Policies (p. 100)
• Differences between national and EU policies (p. 100)
• 'Market-building' Policies (p. 104)
• Competition policy (p. 105)
• Commercial policy (trade policy) (p. 106)
• Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) (p. 107)
• 'Market-correcting' and 'Cushioning' Policies (p. 109)
• Common agricultural policy (p. 109)
• Cohesion policy (p. 111)
• Environmental and social regulation (p. 112)
• Comparing Policy Types in the EU (p. 113)
• Conclusion (p. 115)
• Discussion Questions (p. 116)
• Further Reading (p. 116)
• Web Links (p. 117)
• 6 How Policies are Made (p. 118)
• Introduction (p. 119)
• How it Works Formally (p. 119)
• The basic rules (p. 120)
• The principal actors (p. 121)
• The key stages (p. 122)
• What Happens in Practice (p. 123)
• The adapted rules (p. 123)
• A variety of actors (p. 126)
• Fluid stages (p. 128)
• Assessing the Process (p. 130)
• Is the process democratic? (p. 130)
• Is the process transparent? (p. 131)
• Is the process efficient? (p. 131)
• Theory and Practice (p. 136)
• Conclusion (p. 137)
• Discussion Questions (p. 138)
• Further Reading (p. 138)
• Web Links (p. 139)
• 7 Democracy in the European Union (p. 141)
• Democracy Beyond the State? (p. 142)
• Legislation through Representative Assemblies (p. 143)
• How representative ate the Parliament and the Council? (p. 145)
• Involving national parliaments (p. 147)
• Separation of Powers (p. 148)
• Executive Accountability (p. 150)
• Respecting Fundamental Rights (p. 154)
• Political Parties (p. 154)
• Conclusion (p. 157)
• Discussion Questions (p. 157)
• Further Reading (p. 157)
• Web Links (p. 158)
• Part IV The EU and the Wider World
• 8 EU Expansion and Wider Europe (p. 163)
• Introduction (p. 164)
• Widening versus deepening (p. 164)
• Enlargement as soft power (p. 165)
• An institutional paradox (p. 167)
• How the EU has Expanded (p. 168)
• Why countries want to join (p. 169)
• Recent enlargements (p. 172)
• Leaving and Joining (p. 174)
• Prospective Members (p. 175)
• Balkan countries (p. 175)
• Turkey (p. 176)
• Norway, Switzerland, and Iceland (p. 178)
• Wider Europe (p. 179)
• European Neighbourhood Policy (p. 179)
• What Limits for the EU? (p. 180)
• What is Europe? (p. 181)
• Evaluating Enlargement (p. 183)
• Conclusion (p. 184)
• Discussion Questions (p. 184)
• Further Reading (p. 185)
• Web Links (p. 186)
• 9 The EU as a Security Actor (p. 187)
• Introducing European Security Policy (p. 188)
• How it developed (p. 189)
• The basics (p. 191)
• The EU and International Security (p. 193)
• The Common Security and Defence Policy (p. 195)
• Internal Security (p. 198)
• Theorizing European Security Policy (p. 203)
• Conclusion (p. 205)
• Discussion Questions (p. 206)
• Further Reading (p. 206)
• Web Links (p. 207)
• 10 The EU as a Global Actor (p. 208)
• Introducing European Foreign Policy (p. 209)
• How it developed (p. 210)
• The basics (p. 211)
• A national 'system' of foreign policies (p. 215)
• The Community System (p. 216)
• Commercial (trade) policy (p. 216)
• Aid and development (p. 217)
• Externalizing internal policies (p. 220)
• The Common Foreign and Security Policy (p. 221)
• Theorizing the EU as a Global Actor (p. 223)
• Conclusion (p. 225)
• Discussion Questions (p. 227)
• Further Reading (p. 227)
• Web Links (p. 228)
• 11 Conclusion (p. 229)
• Introduction (p. 230)
• Three Themes (p. 230)
• Experimentation and change (p. 230)
• Sharing power and seeking consensus (p. 231)
• Scope and capacity (p. 234)
• Explaining the EU (p. 234)
• International relations approaches (p. 235)
• A comparative politics approach (p. 236)
• A public policy approach (p. 236)
• A sociological/cultural approach (p. 237)
• Where Do We Go From Here? (p. 238)
• Debating the future of Europe (p. 238)
• How will it work? (p. 240)
• Conclusion (p. 242)
• Appendix: Chronology of European Integration (p. 244)
• Glossary (p. 249)
• References (p. 256)
• Index (p. 271)

Author notes provided by Syndetics