Agenda-Setting in the European Union

  • Petya Alexandrova Leibniz University Hannover
  • Marcello Carammia University of Malta
DOI: https://doi.org/10.18543/ced-55-2016pp33-59
Keywords: European Union, , agenda setting, public policy

Abstract

Agenda setting is a selective process in which issues gain policy makers’ attention and become prioritised. Within the EU context two major theoretical frameworks have been applied to study this process – one based on rational choice assumptions and one on bounded rationality. Research within the first has concentrated on actors and (conditional) agenda setting power, while the second has emphasised cognitive, institutional and external constrains to information processing. Within the latter particularly prominent theories have been multiple streams and punctuated equilibrium. In regard to the empirical focus of EU agenda setting, two main domains can be distinguished. Analyses of actors or venues aim to disentangle power relationships and agenda composition within institutions. Analyses of specific issues (or policy areas) trace the evolutionary path of the issue on the agenda. With respect to the main characteristics of the political system in relation to agenda setting, distinct features are the coexistence of formal and informal routes of access, the competition between levels of jurisdiction, and different agenda-setting routes in relation to the main policy venues involved. The field of EU agenda setting is therefore rich in terms of both analytical frameworks and methodological approaches.

Received: 19 May 2016
Accepted: 21 June 2016
Publicación en línea: 31 October 2016

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Published
2016-10-31
How to Cite
Alexandrova, Petya, and Marcello Carammia. 2016. “Agenda-Setting in the European Union”. Deusto Journal of European Studies, no. 55 (October), 33-59. https://doi.org/10.18543/ced-55-2016pp33-59.
Issue
No. 55 (2016): Proceso político de la UE: fases, actores, procesos y eficiencia en el proceso de integración de la UE
Section
Articles

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