The European Commission and the Integration of Europe
Images of Governance

Based on interviews with 137 top Commission officials, this 2002 book challenges assumptions about the European Commission.

Liesbet Hooghe (Author)

9780521001434, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 10 January 2002

292 pages
22.8 x 15.2 x 2 cm, 0.47 kg

'… nicely and clearly presented … rigorous … Liesbet Hooghe has produced an excellent book on the preferences of top EC officials, with several great merits … the empirical results contribute greatly to a better understanding of the EU's functioning. Finally, the straightforward structure and informative character makes the work extremely useful for teaching how to take on an empirical research project related to the EU: the introductory parts on preference formation and operationalisation of the research are very clearly written and reveal the rigorously elaborated design of Hooghe's research … rich and testifies to great scholarship; the conclusions are enlightening … an outstanding example of empirical research on European integration. Above all, it is highly recommended to scholars embarking on empirical challenges not only in EU studies but in comparative politics in general.' Journal of International Relations and Development

What kind of European Union do top Commission officials want? Should the European Union be supranational or intergovernmental? Should it promote market-liberalism or regulated capitalism? Should the Commission be Europe's government or its civil service? This 2002 book examines top officials' preferences on these questions through analysis of unique data from 137 interviews. Understanding the forces that shape human preferences is the subject of intense debate. Hooghe demonstrates that the Commission has difficulty shaping its employees' preferences in the fluid multi-institutional context of the European Union. Top officials' preferences are better explained by experiences outside rather than inside the Commission: political party, country, and prior work leave deeper imprints than directorate-general or cabinet. Preferences are also influenced more by internalized values than by self-interested career calculation. Hooghe's findings are surprising, and will challenge a number of common assumptions about the workings and motives of the European Commission.

1. Preference formation in the European Commission
2. Men (and women) at Europe's helm
3. Images of Europe
4. Beyond supranational interest
5. Capitalism against capitalism
6. Principal or agent
7. Accommodating national diversity
8. Conclusion
Appendix.

Subject Areas: EU & European institutions [JPSN2], International relations [JPS], Regional studies [GTB]