"The Janus Face of Brussels: Socialization and Everyday Decision Making" by Jeffrey Lewis
 

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

Fall 2005

Publication Title

International Organization

Abstract

This article examines the European Union's Committee of Permanent Representatives, or COREPER, a group composed of the EU permanent representatives (permreps) and responsible for preparing upcoming ministerial meetings of the Council. As the heart of everyday decision making in the EU, COREPER is a key laboratory to test whether and how national officials become socialized into a Brussels-based collective Culture and what difference this makes for EU negotiations. The key scope conditions for COREPER socialization are high issue density/ intensity and insulation from domestic politics. COREPER also displays a range of socialization mechanisms, including strategic calculation, role playing, and normative suasion. Based on extensive interview data and a detailed case study of negotiations for a controversial EU citizenship directive, this article documents a socialization pathway in COREPER marked by adherence to a set of norm-guided rules and principled beliefs in collectively legitimating arguments and making decisions. COREPER socialization does not indicate a pattern of national identities being replaced or subsumed; rather, the evidence points to a socialization process based on a "logic of appropriateness" and an expanded conception of the self.

Original Citation

Lewis, Jeffrey. 2005. "The Janus Face of Brussels: Socialization and Everyday Decision Making in the European Union." International Organization 59:937-971.

DOI

10.1017/S0020818305050320

Version

Publisher's PDF

Volume

59

Issue

4

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