This is a book about “procedural politics,” the everyday conduct of politics not within, but with respect to, political institutions. The questions it asks are fundamental to political science, and indeed to “institutional” approaches across the social sciences: why, when, how, and with what effects do actors attempt to influence their institutional environment? Why, when, how, and with what effects, by contrast, do rules constrain them? The book develops and tests answers to these questions in the context of EU politics. The results of this inquiry paint a novel picture of EU politics and policymaking, suggesting most importantly (but somewhat paradoxically) that the EU exhibits a more profound degree of rule governance than is usually recognized. But these results generalize far beyond the EU, not only to other international organizations, but also to domestic political systems and, indeed, to all institutionalized political and social systems.

My general argument can be succinctly summarized. I assume that actors seek to ensure the usage of institutions (rules) that maximize their political influence. They are constrained, however, by the strategic nature of institutional choice – the need to interact with others – and by the availability of institutional alternatives.