At the Heart of the Union

Neill Nugent is Emeritus Professor of Politics at Manchester Metropolitan University, UK. He has published widely on the European Union and in 2013 was given a Lifetime Achievement Award in Contemporary European Studies by the University Association for Contemporary European Studies (UACES), 2013.

• Preface List of Abbreviations Notes on the Contributors Introduction: At the Heart of the Union; N.Nugent European Commissioners 1952-1995: National Routes to a European Elite; A.Macmullen Identities in the European Commission; M.McDonald Administrative Culture in the European Commission: The Cases of Competition and Environment; M.Cini A House with Differing Views: The European Commission and Cohesion Policy; L.Hooghe The Commission as an Agent; M.A.Pollack Uniting European Industrial Policy: A Commission Agenda for Integration; T.C.Lawton Safeguarding the Economic Constitution: The Commission and Competition Policy; L.McGowan The Commission Made Me Do It: The European Commission as a Strategic Asset in Domestic Politics; M.P.Smith The Commission and Implementation in the European Union: Is there an Implementation Deficit and Why?; B.Guy Peters Managing the Managers: the Commission's Role in the Implementation of Spending Programmes; R.Levy The European Commission and the Politics of Legitimacy in the European Union; H.Drake The Commission and the Intergovernmental Conferences; D.Dinan The Role of the Commission: A Theoretical Discussion; J.H.Matlary Conclusions: Themes and Prospects; N.Nugent Annex: Directorates General and Special Units of the Commission References Index

'...a fascinating and impressive overview of different approaches and research directions on the Commission and makes a valuable contribution to our understanding of this institution.' - Ulrich Sedelmeier, Regional Studies '...an important addition...this is an excellent book which could be very useful for students of European integration but also for policy practitioners.' - Christian Lequesne, West European Politics 'This is an excellent book. At a time when reform of EU institutions is high on the EU agenda, such a high quality and detailed examination of the Commission is very welcome indeed...'. - John Redmond, Political Studies 'It is a treasure-trove of essays on all aspects of the Commission... this is an excellent book...'. Stephen George, University Association for Contemporary European Studies book reviews