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The Rotating Presidency of the European Council as a Search for Good Policies

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  • Ken Kollman

    (University of Michigan, USA kkollman@umich.edu)

Abstract

The rotating presidency of the European Council is a curious, and unusual, institutional feature. I propose a formal theoretic model that compares a variety of decision-making procedures, including rotating the leadership position in a decision-making council, referendums on each policy issue, and electing a Council president. From the results of the model I conclude that the current version of the rotating presidency has a lot to recommend it. Rotating agenda-setting authority allows for the exploration of new mixtures of policies that might not be discovered or tried under other kinds of procedures. However, I also argue that, once the European Union expands to over 20 members, the procedure may no longer be sustainable.

Suggested Citation

  • Ken Kollman, 2003. "The Rotating Presidency of the European Council as a Search for Good Policies," European Union Politics, , vol. 4(1), pages 51-74, March.
  • Handle: RePEc:sae:eeupol:v:4:y:2003:i:1:p:51-74
    DOI: 10.1177/1465116503004001581
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Kollman, Ken & Miller, John H & Page, Scott E, 2000. "Decentralization and the Search for Policy Solutions," The Journal of Law, Economics, and Organization, Oxford University Press, vol. 16(1), pages 102-128, April.
    2. Scott E. Page, 1996. "Two measures of difficulty (*)," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 8(2), pages 321-346.
    3. Tsebelis, George & Garrett, Geoffrey, 2001. "The Institutional Foundations of Intergovernmentalism and Supranationalism in the European Union," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 55(2), pages 357-390, April.
    4. Kollman, Ken & Miller, John H. & Page, Scott E., 1998. "Political Parties and Electoral Landscapes," British Journal of Political Science, Cambridge University Press, vol. 28(1), pages 139-158, January.
    5. Page, Scott E, 1996. "Two Measures of Difficulty," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 8(2), pages 321-346, August.
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    Cited by:

    1. Blom, Tannelie & Radulova, Elissaveta & Arnold, Christine, 2008. "Theorizing Modes of Governance in the EU: Institutional Design and Informational Complexity," European Governance Papers (EUROGOV) 4, CONNEX and EUROGOV networks.
    2. Volker Britz & Hans Gersbach, 2014. "Experimentation in Democratic Mechanisms," CER-ETH Economics working paper series 14/199, CER-ETH - Center of Economic Research (CER-ETH) at ETH Zurich.

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