Contemporary European Institutions

Aim

After completion of the course the student at an advanced level should be able to:

• analyze the EU institutions from several theoretical perspectives
• analyze the EU institutions empirically based on observations of how they function in practice
• use theoretical concepts in the discussion of patterns of power and authority in contemporary Europe
• critically discuss the concept of multi-level governance in the EU
• account for centrifugal and integrative aspects of national and transnational relations and interdependencies, in a broad historical and spatial perspective
• discuss possible future development lines in Europe and the EU

Content

The central themes of the course are:

• institutional theory with application to the EU
• theories of integration and multi-level governance
• policy processes in the EU
• the development and characteristics of the EU institutions
• the prerequisites for EU enlargement and institutional development
• organizations and other actors that influence the policy process in Brussels