Leadership and Negotiation in the European Union

This 2006 book is a systematic analysis of power and leadership in European Union negotiations and international cooperation.

Jonas Tallberg (Author)

9780521864527, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 24 August 2006

280 pages, 4 tables
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.7 cm, 0.55 kg

"Jonas Tallberg makes a major theoretical advance clarifying how the European Union is governed and, even better, his theory concentrating on the neglected role of the chair in negotiations is not peculiar to Europe. I have already cited it. Students of multilateral negotiations and institutions elsewhere: take notice. A marvelous book." John Odell, Professor of International Relations, University of Southern California

In this 2006 book, Jonas Tallberg offers a novel perspective on some of the most fundamental questions about international cooperation and European Union politics. Offering the first systematic theoretical and empirical exploration of the influence wielded by chairmen of multilateral negotiations, Tallberg develops a rationalist theory of formal leadership and demonstrates its explanatory power through carefully selected case studies of EU negotiations. He shows that the rotating Presidency of the EU constitutes a power platform that grants governments unique opportunities to shape the outcomes of negotiations. His provocative analysis establishes that Presidencies, while performing vital functions for the EU, simultaneously exploit their privileged political position to favour national interests. Extending the scope of the analysis to international negotiations on trade, security and the environment, Tallberg further demonstrates that the influence of the EU Presidency is not an isolated occurrence but the expression of a general phenomenon in world politics - the power of the chair.

1. Introduction
2. Formal leadership: a rational institutionalist theory
3. The institutional development of the EU presidency: a search for efficient cooperation
4. The EU presidency as agenda manager: shaping political priorities
5. The EU presidency as broker: constructing intergovernmental bargains
6. The EU presidency as representative: negotiating on behalf of others
7. Comparative perspectives: formal leadership in multilateral negotiations
8. Conclusion.

Subject Areas: Political leaders & leadership [JPHL], Comparative politics [JPB], Politics & government [JP], Sociology & anthropology [JH], Regional studies [GTB]