Governing the European Union

Book abstract:

One of three books from the core of the Open University course, 'Governing Europe', this is designed to work as an independent text and as part of a complementary series for use by undergraduate students of the politics and government of the European Union (EU). This text asks three key questions: why did the EU develop, how does it work and what type of political system does it represent? The third question is the principal focus of the book. What kind of political system is the EU, how does it relate to the political systems of its member states and how do these systems interact and evolve over time?

The book explores the idea that the EU represents a novel kind of political system, one that is constantly evolving and developing as its membership changes and as it is called upon to perform new tasks in new ways and as the external environment in which it operates changes.

The eleven chapters are: Introduction: governance and the European Union; Building the European Union; The nation state in the European Union; Law, order and administration in the European Union; The re-forging of European political traditions; Integration and policy processes in the European Union; Democracy and democratization in the European Union; Finance and budgetary processes in the European Union; The enlargement of the European Union; European foreign and security policy; Conclusion: what is the European Union?

This book is an invaluable and accessible guide to the main issues and debates in the contemporary study of EU politics and governance.