PART I: INTRODUCTION -- 1.1. Expert groups: What do we know from the literature? -- 1.2. Expert groups in the policy process and the role of resource dependencies -- 1.3. Investigating European Commission expert groups -- 1.4. Outline of the book -- PART II: A RELATIONSHIP OF RESOURCE DEPENDENCIES -- 2.1. Resource dependence theory -- 2.2. The European Commission as a resource-dependent organization -- 2.3. The European Commission's demand for resources -- 2.4. A typology of expert-group use -- 2.5. Determinants of the European Commission's use of expert groups -- 2.6. Conclusion -- PART III: A BIRD'S-EYE VIEW -- 3.1. Expert groups explained -- 3.2. Quantitative analysis: Challenging the myth of technocracy -- 3.3. Conclusion -- PART IV: TECHNICAL ADVICE UNITED WITH POLITICAL AGENDA SETTING -- 4.1. The Information Society Technologies Advisory Group -- 4.2. Providing expertise to the Sixth Framework Programme -- 4.3. Supporting DG Information Society's budget request for the Seventh Framework Programme -- 4.4. Conclusion -- PARTV: POWERFULLY SHAPING THE COMMISSION'S RESEARCH AGENDA -- 5.1. The European Research Advisory Board -- 5.2. The expert group's strong impact on the Seventh Framework Programme -- 5.3. Giving credence to DG Research's position on the European Institute of Technology -- 5.4. Conclusion -- PART VI: A REALITY CHECK AND CLEARING HOUSE -- 6.1. The Enterprise Policy Group -- 6.2. A brief encounter between the expert group and the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme -- 6.3. Conclusion -- PART VII: ACCUMULATING POLITICAL AMMUNITION -- 7.1. The European Research Area Expert Group on Research Infrastructures -- 7.2. Defending the Commission's legal framework for a European Research Infrastructure -- 7.3. Conclusion -- PART VIII: A CROSS-SECTORAL VIEW -- 8.1. Insights from the case studies: Resource dependencies and administrative culture -- 8.2. Expert-group use across policy areas -- 8.3. Conclusion -- PART IX: CONCLUSION: TECHNOCRATIC GOVERNANCE BETWEEN MYTH AND REALITY -- 9.1. Resource dependencies revisited -- 9.2. The European Commission, expert groups, and the policy process: New insights -- 9.3. Beyond the European Union: The relationship between policy makers and experts -- 9.4. Expert groups, legitimacy, and transparency : and what to do about it
Summary
Commission expert groups and their role in the EU policy process. It offers a rich empirical investigation of an understudied and highly topical subject matter, including an analysis of the Commission's expert-group system, in-depth studies of single expert groups, and a cross-sectoral view. The results challenge the prevailing view of expert groups as purely technocratic entities. Expert groups provide not only solutions to complex policy problems but also tactical support for predefined policies, and they broker consensus in anticipation of impending decision making. By showing how and why the European Commission uses its expert groups, this book offers novel insights into the relationship between policy makers and their advisors in modern governance
