STV2500 - EU decision-making processes and policy areas

Undergraduate course, University of Oslo, Department of Political Science, 2017

In this course, you will learn to analyze decision-making in the European Union. The course consists of three parts; Government, Politics, and Policies. The premise for the course is that although the EU is not a state, it can be analyzed using standard theoretical tools from mainstream political science. The empirical focus is on how the EU is currently operating. We expect you to follow EU current affairs, and be able to interpret contemporary developments in light of the theoretical tools. Moreover, you will develop the ability to find and extract relevant material for the EU political system.

The course is based my book with Simon Hix, I am writing the 4th edition of the Political System of the European Union

Course webpage:

The below vidoes may work as an introduction to the material.

Principal agent framework

Delegation to the Commission

Delegation in the Council

Theories of legislative politics

Legislative politics in the Council

Legislative politics in the Parliament

Theories of judicial politics

The judicial system of the EU

Theories of public opinion

Democratic politics in the EU

Theories of interest groups

Theories of regulatory policies

Expenditure

Ecoomic and Monetary Union

Theories of the state

Trade

Development aid

Sanctions

Security policy