The Institutionalization of Europe

In 1950, a European political space existed, if only as a very primitive site of international governance. Today, the European Union governs in an ever-growing number of policy domains. Increasingly dense networks of transnational actors representing electorates, member state governments, firms, and specialized interests operate in arenas that are best understood as supranational. At the same time, the capacity of European organizations - the Bank, the Commission, and the Court of Justice - to make authoritative policy decisions has steadily expanded, profoundly transforming the very nature of the European policy. This book, a companion volume to "European Integration and Supranational Governance", offers readers a sophisticated theoretical account of this transformation, as well as original empirical research. The editors elaborate an synthesis of institutionalist theory that contributors use to explain the sources and consequences of the emergence and institutionalization of European political arenas. The text examines the evolution of integration and supranational governance across time and policy domain.