The Coordination of the European Union: Exploring the Capacities of Networked Governance - Couverture rigide

Jordan, Andrew; Schout, Adriaan

Couverture rigide

ISBN 10 : 0199286957 ISBN 13 : 9780199286959

Editeur : Oxford University Press, 2006

Synopsis

All policy systems are struggling to respond to wicked policy problems like international terrorism, drug crime and unsustainable development, none more so than the European Union (EU) which is renowned for its fluidity, deeply sectorized structures and weak political leadership. As the traditional mode of coordinating - essentially issuing regulation - no longer commands sufficient political support, the EU has turned to what are increasingly termed soft or 'new' modes of governance, which rely upon different actors working together in relatively non-hierarchical networks. New modes of governance are in vogue because they appear to provide the EU with a new way to add value to national level activities without the slow and process of agreeing new legislation or the cost associated with building new administrative capacities in Brussels. This analysis provides the first book-length account of how effective network-based modes are at addressing problems that simultaneously demand greater levels of horizontal and vertical coordination.Taking, as an example, the thirty year struggle to build environmental thinking into all areas and levels of EU policy making, it systematically explores the steps that two major EU institutions (the European Commission and the European Parliament), and three member states (Germany, the Netherlands and the UK) have (not) taken to build effective networked governance. By blending state of the art theories with new empirical findings, it offers a stark reminder that networked governance is not and has never been a panacea. Coordinating networks do not spontaneously 'self organise' in the EU; they have to be carefully designed as part of a repertoire of different coordinating instruments. The book concludes that the EU urgently needs to devote more of its time to the more mundane but important task of auditing and managing network, which, paradoxically, is an exercise in hierarchy. In so doing, this book helps to strip away some of the rhetorical claims made about the novelty and appeal of new modes, to reveal a much more sober and realistic appraisal of their coordinating potential.

A propos du livre

Revue de presse

Review from previous edition Reformers in pursuit of the holy grail of coordination would do well to heed Andrew Jordan and Adriaan Schout's careful analysis. They document not only the pros and cons of centralised solutions but also the limits to the present-day fashion for networked solutions. Governments are told to 'keep it simple', to mix coordinating strategies and to understand what they cannot do; otherwise we are doomed to recurrent policy messes. For all our sakes, I hope someone will listen this time. (Professor Rod Rhodes, Professor of Political Science and Head of Program, Research School of Social Sciences, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia)

The authors have written a thought-provoking and stimulating book. By taking a hard-headed look at the issue of policy coordination as it relates to governance, they have illuminated key dilemmas in how ambitious initiatives such as environmental policy integration can be put into practice. Their discussion of networked forms of governance makes a real contribution to the literature. Theory is integrated with practical questions of administration in such a clear fashion that both practitioners and academics will find this volume both relevant and engaging. (Professor Desmond Dinan, School of Public Policy, George Mason University, USA)

an extremely valuable [and]... a path-breaking book that highlights the coordination problems raised by networked governance [with] a valuable analytical framework for exploring coordination under such conditions (American EU Studies Review)

[a] seminal study on the coordination of networked governance... [which] contributes greatly to the burgeoning literature on... governance in the EU (Political Studies Review)

[provides] a detailed and innovative tool that can be used to analyse...'wicked' problems... a nice example of assembling a plethora of qualitative data into a well-structured and therefore comprehensible account (Journal of Commom Market Studies)

Among the deluge of books that appear each year on the study of European integration, Andrew Jordan and Adriaan Schout have managed to produce that rare book which is both intellectually challenging and accessible to read... [A] clearly written and authoritative study that will appeal to a wide audience (Environment and Planning)

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: Oxford University Press
• Date d'édition: 2006
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 0199286957
• ISBN 13: 9780199286959
• Reliure: Relié
• Nombre de pages: 336
• Coordonnées du fabricant: non disponible
• Personne responsable: Ufficio Anagrafiche Messaggerie; ufficio.anagrafiche@meli.it; ; Via Verdi, 8; Assago Milano; 20090; Italie