Negotiating the morass: measuring and explaining variation in co-ordination mechanisms in the European Union

Abstract:

This contribution examines the co-ordination mechanisms which central governments have established to develop positions and cast votes in negotiations in the European Union (EU). Conceptually, the contribution discusses how different traits of EU co-ordination mechanisms can be defined and measured. Empirically, it utilizes a novel data set to map the defined traits of the co-ordination mechanisms in EU-28.

Analytically, the contribution demonstrates that some of the variation in the traits of the EU co-ordination mechanisms is connected to public Euroscepticism. Therefore the analysis supports studies that have argued that a sceptical attitude towards European integration is associated with more centralized co-ordination mechanisms.