Theoretical perspectives : how to understand Europarties -- Historical context : from the First International to the PES -- The social democratic policy area : PES employment policy -- The PES and the development of socialist environment policy -- A success story? : PES influence over the outcomes of the Treaty of Amsterdam -- PES influence on the EU agenda since Amsterdam
Summary
Presenting a detailed explanation of party politics in the European Union, this new book uses the Party of European Socialists (PES) as a key case study, and tests the relevance of existing theoretical work on the meaning, significance, and prospects for realising other 'Europarties'. This analysis operates from the assumption that the PES's main goal is to influence the outcome of EU public policy, rather than the more traditional party goals of vote maximisation or office seeking. Secondly, by subjecting the PES to careful scrutiny in two specific policy areas (employment an
