Technocracy in the European Union (Paperback)

In mid March 1999, all 20 members of the executive leadership of the European Union resigned. This was in response to a report, from an independent panel, citing the leadership with chronic cronyism and corruption. One of the most common and strongest criticisms of the EU is that the power is held by a select few unaccountable technocrats sitting in Brussels and who, without consultation, formulate policies.

Written just prior to the mass resignations, Claudio Radaelli provided this exploration of technocracy. He has adopted an innovative approach to his study, one which is concise and analytical and which will introduce the reader to the wide ranging literature from political science, political sociology and organizational behavior on bureaucracy and technocracy. All key to understanding how the EU works. Included are two case studies which show the possibilities and limits of relying on 'technocrats'.