The Coordination of the European Union: Exploring the Capacities of Networked Governance

`The European Union is based on the truth that the value of the whole is greater than the sums of the parts, and it is clear that more coherent co-ordination between Member States and the Institutions can add to that value. This book helps to illuminate what is being done to pursue that course and demystifies how it should be done by focusing on the specific and challenging policy issue of the environment. The result is a lucid and practical indication of the way in which the EU could and should develop to provide greater and more efficient co-ordination, better policy results, and no expansion of administrative costs. I commend this book strongly. ' Lord Neil Kinnock, Chairman of the British Council and former Vice President of the European Commission responsible for administrative reform (1999-2004)`Reformers in pursuit of the holy grail of coordination would do well to heed Andrew Jordan and Adriaan Schout's careful analysis. They document not only the pros and cons of centralised solutions but also the limits to the present-day fashion for networked solutions. Governments are told to 'keep it simple', to mix coordinating strategies and to understand what they cannot do; otherwise we are doomed to recurrent policy messes. For all our sakes, I hope someone will listen this time. ' Professor Rod Rhodes, Professor of Political Science and Head of Program, Research School of Social Sciences, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia`This is an interesting, important, and arresting book. By providing a theoretical and empirical understanding of the management of policy interdependence, with a focus on environment policy integration, it fills a huge gap in the burgeoning literature on EU governance. The book is highly relevant for scholars and practitioners of public policy alike, especially those studying or attempting to implement the EU's ambitious efforts to integrate a range of policy principles and objectives into the enlarging EU's activities and operations. Jordan and Schout have made an excellent and eagerly-awaited contribution to EU scholarship. ' Professor Desmond Dinan, School of Public Policy, George Mason University, USA`The authors have written a thought-provoking and stimulating book. By taking a hard-headed look at the issue of policy coordination as it relates to governance, they have illuminated key dilemmas in how ambitious initiatives such as environmental policy integration can be put into practice. Their discussion of networked forms of governance makes a real contribution to the literature. Theory is integrated with practical questions of administration in such a clear fashion that both practitioners and academics will find this volume both relevant and engaging. ' Professor Alberta Sbragia, UCIS Research Professor of Political Science, University of Pittsburgh, USA`In this authoritative account, Jordan and Schout dispel many myths about the effectiveness of networked governance as alternative to hierarchical governance. Their analysis will make a significant impact on how we think about coordination via 'new' modes of governance, the design of public policy and, ultimately, everyday politics in the EU. ' Professor Claudio M. Radaelli, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK