Handbook on European Union Public Administration: (Elgar Handbooks in Public Administration and Management)

This Handbook is your one-stop shop for navigating public administration in the European Union, and understanding how its governance differs vastly from that of unitary states. Gijs Jan Brandsma compiles a diverse range of perspectives to assess the ever-changing institutional architecture of the EU, paying close attention to the interlinking mechanisms between the supranational, national and subnational level. Encompassing the institutions, organisations and policy processes that make up EU public administration, it critically reviews existing literature and presents avenues for future research. Contributors consider a broad spectrum of theoretical approaches to the topic, including federalism, institutionalism, constructivism and organisational theory. The Handbook introduces and discusses specific aspects of European public administration, in particular EU-level institutions, agencies, committees and networks, and their impact on EU governance. Chapters also analyse different stages of the policy cycle and issues surrounding the legitimacy of EU public administration. This essential Handbook is a vital resource for graduate and postgraduate students in the disciplines of European studies, political science and EU law. It will also be of great benefit to academics and public administration practitioners interested in expanding their knowledge of public management, policy and governance.

Table of Contents:
Contents 1 Public administration in the European Union 1 Gijs Jan Brandsma PART I THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES ON EU PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION 2 The federal core of EU multilevel administration 11 Eva G. Heidbreder 3 New institutionalism 22 Tom Delreux 4 Constructivism and public administration research in the EU 34 Sabine Saurugger 5 Organization theory, public administration, and the study of multilevel executive order 45 Jarle Trondal PART II INSTITUTIONS OF EU PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION 6 The administration of the European Commission 64 Hussein Kassim, Sara Connolly, Pierre Alayrac and Merve Uzunalioglu 7 The administrative system of the European Parliament (EP): an understudied engine room 95 Anna-Lena Högenauer and Christine Neuhold 8 The General Secretariat of the Council 108 Hussein Kassim and Sara Connolly 9 State of the art in the study of EU agencies: the role of trust as a turning point 138 Jana Gómez Díaz and Ixchel Pérez-Durán 10 European Administrative Networks 155 Reini Schrama, Ellen Mastenbroek and Dorte Sindbjerg Martinsen 11 The Court of Justice of the European Union 169 Christian Adam 12 The European Court of Auditors 184 Paul Stephenson and Maria-Luisa Sánchez-Barrueco 13 The European Ombudsman in the EU’s administrative and institutional framework 203 Nikos Vogiatzis PART III POLICY PROCESSES IN EU PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION 14 Agenda-setting in EU policy-making 216 Sebastiaan Princen 15 Impact assessments 229 Jan Pollex 16 Coordination in the European Commission 239 Jens Blom-Hansen, Daniel Finke and Roman Senninger 17 Delegated and implementing acts: rule-making by the Commission 253 Gijs Jan Brandsma 18 Transposition of European Union legislation 266 Tiziano Zgaga and Asya Zhelyazkova 19 Practical implementation of European Union policies by member state administrations and street-level bureaucrats 279 Eva Thomann and Tiziano Zgaga 20 Member states’ compliance and enforcement in the EU: concepts, drivers and future research avenues 294 Asya Zhelyazkova 21 Evaluations, consultations and networks: formal and informal routes for policy feedback? 309 Pieter Zwaan, Daniel Polman and Stijn van Voorst PART IV LEGITIMACY OF EU PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION 22 Better regulation 322 Jan Pollex and Stijn van Voorst 23 Transparency of EU public administration: harbinger of legitimacy or fig leaf for its absence? 332 Maarten Hillebrandt 24 The EU’s accountability landscape 344 Anchrit Wille 25 Responsiveness 362 Christian Rauh and Reinout van der Veer Index 377

About the Author :
Edited by Gijs Jan Brandsma, Associate Professor of Public Administration, Institute for Management Research, Radboud University, the Netherlands

Review :
‘The public administration of the European Union is particularly difficult to grasp, intellectually and empirically, due to its horizontal and vertical complexity. Brandsma and his contributors are on target with this stellar volume that turns every possible stone to unveil how the EU public administration works.’ ‘Unlike other Handbooks, the chapters of the Handbook on European Union Public Administration are held together by a commitment to both empirical discovery and theoretical innovation. This is not a simple “state of the art” approach, but rather a concerted effort by top-rated scholars to push the research frontier forward. Highly recommended.’ ‘Like it or not, public administration matters. And the EU is by no means an exception. This compendium brings together a fine selection from the “who is who” of EU public administration scholars. In an easily accessible way, the Handbook sheds light on state-of-the art normative, institutionalist and policy research on EU public administration. Highly recommended for administrators, academics, students, and everybody interested in better understanding how the EU works today.’ ‘This Handbook on European Union Public Administration, authored by outstanding researchers, provides essential insights into the intricate workings of EU administrative governance, covering theoretical perspectives, institutional insights, policy processes, and legitimacy issues. An indispensable Handbook for scholars and practitioners studying EU bureaucracy and multilevel policymaking.’