Premium
Power, norms and institutional change in the European Union: The protection of the free movement of goods
Author(s) -
Dimitrakopoulos Dionyssis G.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
european journal of political research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.267
H-Index - 95
eISSN - 1475-6765
pISSN - 0304-4130
DOI - 10.1111/1475-6765.00082
Subject(s) - normative , institutional change , free movement , european union , order (exchange) , path dependence , power (physics) , economics , institutional theory , economic system , process (computing) , law and economics , political science , public economics , positive economics , microeconomics , international trade , law , public administration , finance , quantum mechanics , computer science , operating system , physics , management
How do European Union (EU) institutions change? Using an institutionalist approach, this article highlights the interplay between power, cognitive limits and the normative order that underpins institutional settings and assesses their impact upon the process of institutional change. Empirical evidence from recent attempts to reinforce the protection of the free movement of goods in the EU suggests that, under conditions of uncertainty, actors with ambiguous preferences assess attempts at institutional change on the basis of the historically defined normative order which holds a given institutional structure together. Hence, path dependent and incremental change occurs even when more ambitious and functionally superior proposals are on offer.