The Powers of the Union: Delegation in the EU

The Powers of the Union develops and tests a new theory of centralization and bureaucratization in the European Union. Using original data spanning five decades and a multi-method approach, Franchino argues that most EU laws rely extensively on national administrations for policy implementation and provide for ample national discretionary authority, while limiting tightly the involvement of the European Commission. However, when Council ministers do not share the same policy objectives, some have the incentive to limit national executive discretion and to rely more on the Commission. Majority voting facilitates this outcome, but the limited policy expertise of supranational bureaucrats and their biased views impede extensive supranational delegation. Finally, the European Parliament systematically attempts to limit national discretion, especially when its views differ from ministerial opinions, and tries to increase the Commission\'s policy autonomy. The book contributes towards understanding political-bureaucratic relations and evaluates the implications for EU democracy and subsidiarity.

• Develops and tests a new theory of centralization and bureaucratization in the European Union, using original data on patterns of delegation in the European Union covering five decades • Argues that national governments have more discretion in implementing EU policy than is commonly argued • Presents similarities and systematic differences in delegation between the EU, the US and European parliamentary democracies

1. Introduction; 2. A formal model of delegation in the European Union; 3. Data and longitudinal analysis; 4. Decision rules, preferences and policy complexity; 5. Delegation in the European Union: quantitative analysis; 6. Delegation in the European Union: case studies; 7. The delegation preferences of the European Parliament; 8. Conclusion.

‘Franchino has raised the bar in the study of EU government several notches … Far from seeing the Commission as a \'runaway bureaucracy\', Franchino finds that EU government is limited, constrained, and works remarkably well.’ Simon Hix, London School of Economics and Political Science

‘ … innovative, analytically rigorous, and empirically convincing. The book enhances significantly our understanding of policymaking processes in the European Union, and it also contributes important new theoretical arguments about delegation in decentralized political systems. It is an impressive achievement.’ John Huber, Columbia University

‘ … The theoretical and empirical work is conducted with Franchino style, sophistication, creativity and thoroughness. The Power of the Union is a groundbreaking achievement and required reading for anyone interested in the European Union and empirically informed delegation theory. Gerald Schneider, University of Konstanz

‘ … a thorough study of the delegation process in the EU … original, thoughtful, and very well documented. It meets the highest standards of research on bureaucracies. George Tsebelis, UCLA