The Dynamics of European Integration

Reviews / Votes

"Thomas Koenig's 'partyism' makes a major contribution to the study of European integration. It offers a comprehensive model and rich empirical analysis of the development of the European Union since the early 1990s. This impressive synthesis is sure to shape our understanding and theorizing of European politics and governance." -- Frank Schimmelfennig, ETH Zurich "This is a fundamental book. Koenig focuses on the actors that operate (face constraints, receive payoffs and interact) in both national and European systems: the (supra)national parties. He derives propositions on both causes and consequences of these actors' choices and uses large datasets to corroborate his expectations. A remarkable achievement." -- George Tsebelis, University of Michigan "Thomas Koenig has set out and tested a completely new explanation of European integration, where the central actors are political parties rather than national governments or the supranational institutions. The theoretical ideas and the empirical tests are based on several decades of research and careful thinking by Thomas and his colleagues. The result is the most important book on European integration since Moravcsik's The Choice for Europe in 1988." -- Simon Hix, European University Institute "Professor Thomas Koenig's book is an extremely important and a well-timed attempt to explain how the EU has changed in recent decades. Its insights provide valuable grist for the mill for scholars, practitioners, and politicians alike interested in making sense of how the EU has managed sets of crises and what it all means for the future of the European project." -- Catherine E. De Vries, Generali Chair in European Policies and Professor of Political Science at Bocconi University in Milan "In this sophisticated and detailed study, Koenig, an established scholar in the field, attempts to bring greater rigor and empirical accuracy to the study of European integration. Rated: recommended." -- CHOICE