Handbook On European Union Public Administration

This Handbook introduces the institutions, organisations and policy processes that make up EU public administration, including those that typically operate beneath the surface, and critically reviews the state of the art in research. Paying close attention to the multi-level nature of EU governance, it is a vital resource for graduate and postgraduate students in the disciplines of European studies, political science and EU law. This title contains one or more Open Access chapters.

The Handbook of Public Administration and Policy in the European Union focuses on the current state of the EU while also demonstrating how its current structure came into being and how it may change in the near future. Although most existing literature is either policy-oriented or institution-oriented, this textbook employs a different, more comprehensive approach. Not only does it analyze selected EU laws and most EU institutions, it is also unique in that it brings together EU public administration, EU institutions, and, most importantly, EU policies into a comprehensive text. Divided into five parts, the book provides an overview of theory discourses on European integration, followed by an analysis of the development of European organizations. Part II explains the nature of the EU, highlighting its institutions. Part III addresses various dimensions of public administration, followed by a review in Part IV of major EU policies, including the Common Agricultural Policy. The textbook concludes with a history of Economic and Monetary Union and a study of the European Central Bank and the euro.

This Handbook offers a systematic review of state-of-the-art knowledge on public administration in Europe. Covering the theoretical, epistemological and practical aspects of the field, it focuses on how public administration operates and is studied in European countries. In sixty-three chapters, written by leading scholars, this Handbook considers the uniqueness of the European situation through an interdisciplinary and comparative lens, focusing on the administrative diversity which results from the multiplicity of countries, languages, schools of thought and streams of investigation across Europe. It addresses issues such as multi-level administration and governance, intensive cross country cooperation in administrative reform policy, and public accountability under different systems. It also considers the issue of welfare service delivery, at a time of major economic and societal challenges, as well as understudied emerging issues like Islamic Public Administration and the dynamics of public sector negotiations. With contributions from key experts in Public Administration and Public Management, this cutting edge Handbook offers a significant contribution to the field of comparative public administration, policy and management.

Drawing on research from the administrative sciences and using organizational, institutional and decision-making theories, this volume examines the emerging bureaucratic framework of the EU and highlights that analyzing the patterns and dynamics of the EU's administrative capacities is essential to understand how it shapes European public policy.

′This volume is one to which anyone trying to make sense of the EU of the early 21st century will return again and again. A terrific line-up that combines diverse talents from North America and Europe. Few books of this kind could live up to the billing ′definitive benchmark′, but this one certainly does′ - John Peterson, University of Edinburgh ′A most useful book that can be highly recommended. A strong analytical framework coupled with unparalleled coverage of the major issues of the political science research of the EU makes this volume a formidable tool for teaching and a significant input to new scholarly research. It is both relatively sophisticated and very accessible to graduate students and advanced researchers. The clear writing style and the richness of information presented will certainly make this book interesting for non-academic readers′ - Igor Vidacak, Institute for International Relations, Zagreb - Journal of Common Market Studies ′An admirably comprehensive source book for those interested in how the tools of political science inspire EU area studies. The editors enlist leading researchers to synthesize the state of the art in their field of expertise. The Handbook of European Union Politics will be an indispensable intellectual resource for researchers, teachers, and graduate students of the European Union′ - Liesbet Hooghe, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA ′Presents an excellent overview of political science research on the EU. It finds the right balance between establishing the state of the art and pointing the reader to theoretical diversity. Highly recommended for advanced students and scholars looking for quick and solid orientation in a fragmented field - and for new ideas for research′ - Frank Schimmelfennig, ETH Zurich, Switzerland ′This is a milestone in the study of EU politics. The authors include the most knowledgeable practitioners in the field, and collectively they provide a comprehensive and highly competent overview of the state of theory and research on EU institutions, politics and policies′ - Fritz Scharpf, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies, Germany The European Union (EU) poses quite profound questions for scholars and students of the social and political sciences. This benchmark handbook is designed to: - provide an authoritative state-of-the art guide to the scope of the field suitable for both established scholars and students of the EU - reflect and contribute to the debates about the nature of the field of EU studies and EU politics in particular - explore in detail the development of the many approaches to the study of EU politics. Divided into four sections, the Handbook focuses on theorizing European integration; the EU as polity; politics and policy making in the EU; and the EU and the international system. Its appeal will reside not only in its comprehensive and authoritative coverage of the field, but also in the quality of its contributors, and the diversity of theoretical and methodological approaches included. The resulting volume is a ′must have′ for all scholars and advanced students of the EU and European integration.

The Routledge Handbook of European Public Policy provides an in-depth and systematic understanding of EU policies. It covers theoretical approaches on the policy process and the various stages of public policy-formulation and decision making; and discusses key questions of contemporary European governance. The handbook introduces major concepts, trends, and methodologies in a variety of comparative settings thereby providing the first systematic effort to include theoretical and substantive analyses of European public policies in a single volume. The handbook is divided into four sections: Concepts and approaches in EU policymaking; Substantive policies of the EU, including economic and social, fiscal and monetary, areas of freedom, security and justice, and external policies; Elements of the policy cycle; Themes ranging from crisis and resistance to controversies in education. This handbook will be an essential reference for students and scholars of the European Union, public policy, social policy and more broadly for European and comparative politics.

The past two decades have been marked by a period of substantial and often fundamental change in public administration. Critically reflecting on the utility of scholarly theory and the extent to which government practices inform the development of this theory, the Handbook of Public Administration was a landmark publication which served as an essential guide for both the practice of public administration today and its on-going development as an academic discipline. The Concise Paperback Edition provides a selection of 30 of the original articles in an accessible paperback format and includes a new introduction by B. Guy Peters and Jon Pierre. It is an essential point of reference for all students of public administration.

The Oxford Handbook of the European Union brings together numerous acknowledged specialists in their field to provide a comprehensive and clear assessment of the nature, evolution, workings, and impact of European integration.