Paper Titles & Abstracts

This chapter examines the phenomenon of European agencies and summarises theoretical approaches to agency establishment, with particular attention given to new institutionalist perspectives. To reach a full understanding of the creation and institutional design of European agencies, the author argues, it is necessary to look further than transaction cost arguments and consider also historical contexts and social processes. It is then explained how the three main strands of new institutionalism (i.e. rational choice institutionalism, sociological institutionalism and historical institutionalism) can be used as conceptual lenses for drawing attention to various aspects of the creation of the European Defense Agency (EDA). Whereas the rational choice institutionalist approach, with its emphasis on functional needs, can contribute to our understanding of why certain tasks and responsibilities are delegated to the EDA, sociological and historical approaches are more useful for understanding the timing of establishment and the institutional design of the agency.