Additional information
by Christian Rauh (Author)
This book challenges the common image of the European Commission as an insulated technocracy immune to political pressures. Based on an innovative combination of public opinion, protest and media data, it first demonstrates that European integration has become increasingly politicised since the 1990s. Against this background, the Commission is now much more concerned about the public appeal of its policies. That, however, challenges and contradicts the well-worn patterns of supranational regulation in Europe. Rauh systematically compares 17 legislative drafting processes in consumer policy between 1999 and 2009. Based on first-hand insider accounts of involved officials, his analysis indicates that the Commission's policy choices indeed become more consumer friendly under higher levels of public awareness. While this improves the democratic quality of European decision-making, the book also reveals an enhanced conflict potential within the Commission and beyond which threatens to undermine the efficiency of legislative decision-making in the EU.
Author Biography
Christian Rauh is a Research Fellow of the Global Governance department at the WZB Berlin Social Science Center. He holds an MA in Politics and Management from the University of Konstanz and a PhD in Political Science from the Free University Berlin. His dissertation was awarded the 2013 ECPR Jean Blondel Prize for the best thesis in politics. Christian's work specialises in political economy and the public politicisation of international and supranational organisations. He has been published by Oxford University Press, and contributed articles in European Union Politics, the European Journal of Government and Economics, the Journal of Common Market Studies, the Journal of European Integration and West European Politics.
