The last decades have witnessed a significant shift in policy competencies away from central governments in Europe. The reallocation of competencies spans over three dimensions: upwards, sideways, and downwards. This collection takes the dispersion of powers as a starting point and seeks to assess how the actors involved cope with the new configurations. Chapters discuss the conceptualization of power dispersion and highlight the ways in which we add to this research agenda. Some general conclusions are also outlined, indicating future avenues of research. Taken together, the collection...

This book offers the first comprehensive analysis after the Lisbon Treaty came into force of the EU Presidency's impact on national administrations in the Member States of Poland, Denmark and Cyprus before, during and after the Presidency. Placing the practical issues facing officials and policy-makers into a "governmentality" framework, it analyses the impact on the daily activities of bureaucrats and ministers.

The book utilises comprehensive and novel empirical material including around 100 interviews with key officials, documentary sources and academic literature. It...