Activities
Workshops
Working papers
Network management
Coordination Committee chaired by Dr. Bernard Steunenberg, University of Leiden, the Netherlands
More about the Network
The research objective of the Network is twofold. First, the Network aims to contribute to the literature in economics, particularly institutional and constitutional economics, and political science by focusing on the role of institutions in political decision making. Recently, the study of institutions has become increasingly prominent in the social sciences, particularly in economics and political science (see, for instance, Eggertsson, 1990; Frey, 1992; Furubotn and Richter, 1991; North, 1990; Schotter, 1981; Williamson, 1985). These contributions focus on the effects of institutions on decision making. Most of these studies present a static view of institutions. That is, institutions are regarded as constraints on decision making processes which, along with preferences, co-determine outcomes (see, for instance, Dowding and King, 1995). However, in this research we propose not only a static but also a dynamic view of institutions. In other words, the Network seeks to analyse alternative institutional arrangements concerning European integration in a comparative way and, in addition, to focus on institutional change.
Second, the project aims to enhance our understanding of the enlargement of the EU and the extent to which enlargement and new entry will induce institutional change. We propose to apply our theories of institutional change on issues related to the enlargement of the EU. This research will provide answers to basic questions such as how and to what extent will new entry affect European integration? How will entry affect the political and legal system of these countries, particularly the associated countries in Central and Eastern Europe? How will enlargement affect the benefits of current EU members? How will a change in the distribution of these benefits affect the popular support for European integration and the decisions of national policy-makers towards the EU? And how can some of the disadvantages of admitting new members be overcome by changing the current EU institutions?
The programme proposed by our Network is designed to deepen our understanding of the process of European integration. Within a political-economic framework, we focus on the following four resea
- What are the main economic and/or political benefits of enlargement of the EU and new memberships to both new applicants and current member countries?
- What institutional changes will entry induce in new member countries?
- What effects will enlargement have on the functioning of the European Union and which institutional changes will it induce?
- To what extent is it possible to overcome disadvantages of enlargement by introducing other institutional arrangements in the Union?
These questions focus on the motives for entry, the consequences of entry to new member states, the effects of enlargement to the Union, and possible alternative arrangements for a future European Union. These questions are addressed in four research clusters of the Network.
Research clusters
The research programme of NEMEU is divided into the following four research clusters :
- Political-economic dimensions of entry and new memberships
- Institutional change as a condition for entry
- Enlargement and institutional change in the European Union
- Alternative institutional arrangements for a future Europe
