Author:

Keywords:

Social Sciences, Political Science, Public Administration, Government & Law, Core Groups, division of labour, EU foreign policy-making, informal governance, lead negotiators, EUROPEAN-UNION, DECISION-MAKING, COMMUNITY, ACTORNESS, 1605 Policy and Administration, 1606 Political Science, Political Science & Public Administration, 4407 Policy and administration, 4408 Political science

Abstract:

© 2016 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. On many issues in European Union (EU) foreign policy-making, political steering and operational action are provided by an informal, self-selected group of actors. Although this informal division of labour is an important phenomenon, it has largely escaped the radar of EU foreign policy scholars. This article aims to fill that gap. Applying an inductive approach, it presents empirical observations from the fields of crisis management and external climate policy, illustrating the occurrence of informal division of labour. It subsequently provides an analytical framework to map the key dimensions of its different manifestations: the enabling factors, starting point, subject, institutional embeddedness, exclusiveness and durability of informal division of labour. Four possible effects on EU foreign policy-making are then discussed: an increased internal and external effectiveness; and a strengthened internal and external legitimacy. The article concludes by presenting suggestions for further empirical research on this phenomenon, as well as for theorizing it.