Building States without Society

European Union Enlargement and the Transfer of EU Social Policy to Poland and Hungary

By (author) Beate Sissenich

Publication date:

26 January 2007

Length of book:

252 pages

Publisher

Lexington Books

Dimensions:

239x160mm
6x9"

ISBN-13: 9780739112229

Focusing on the 2004 enlargement of the European Union, Building States without Society highlights the real limits of cross-national rule transfer even when power is uneven between rule-makers and rule-takers. Tracing the role of labor and other non-state actors in transferring rules, Beate Sissenich shows the persistent relevance of national politics, specifically state capacity and interest organizations. Social network analysis demonstrates that even in a highly integrated Europe, state borders continue to structure communications.

Chapter 1 Introduction: Transferring Rules across Borders
Chapter 2 Cross-National Rule Transfer: State Capacity and Organized Interests
Chapter 3 Conditions for Rule Transfer at the Source
Chapter 4 Rule Adoption in Poland and Hungary
Chapter 5 Mapping the Network of EU Social Policy and Enlargement
Chapter 6 State-Building and the Politics of Social Influence
Chapter 7 The Weakness of Interest Mediation in Central and Eastern Europe
Chapter 8 Conclusion
Chapter 9 Appendix 1: List of Interviews
Chapter 10 Appendix 2: Constructing the Social Network Database

Building States Without Society provides a timely analysis highlighting the pitfalls of the EU's top-down policy transfer to the new member states and the liabilities this might create for compliance with EU policies. By systematically studying transnational networks, twinning interest mediation, Beate Sissenich significantly adds to our understanding of the micro- and meso-politics of international rule transfer.