William Riker (1980) famously argued that if institutions have effects on things that rational actors care about, then those actors should have preferences over institutions and should be prepared to engage in politics with respect to them. The preceding chapter developed a theory that would extend this insight from the U.S. Congress, where it has been most consistently pursued, to the European Union, where it should be no less true (and should perhaps be more so). It developed the argument that everyday politics with respect to rules – “procedural politics” – responds systematically to the opportunities and incentives facing the actors in any political system. More specifically, procedural politics involves strategic interaction over rules and varies with both the jurisdictional ambiguity of issues and the nature (influence properties) of procedural alternatives. These conditions in place, it occurs by predictable means (strategic issue framing and coalition formation) and with predictable effects (on rules choices, on policymaking efficiency and outcomes, and on long-run institutional change). It represents one aspect of a complete institutional life cycle the totality of which must be accounted for if institutions and their effects are to be properly understood.

This chapter begins the process of systematically applying the argument to the European Union. Specifically, it fleshes out, in the EU context, the three premises underpinning the analysis.