Sociological Approaches to the European Union in Times of Turmoil

Abstract

Abstract This contribution aims at questioning the explanatory capacity of sociological approaches to European integration in times of crisis. Its main argument is that in times of turmoil – perceived or real – analysis of actors’ strategies and cognitive frames is crucial for understanding the emergence of solutions proposed to remedy the problem. Starting from a sociological definition of crisis, the article illustrates through empirical examples how the cognitive frames in which actors evolve determine their analysis of problems as well as solutions. Sociological approaches to public policy, which reject the basic assumption of actors behaving solely according to a presumed material cost–benefit analysis, help us to better grasp the complexity of decision‐making. The main reason for this is that they allow for linking the domestic and European levels when analysing cognitive and decision‐making processes, instead of concentrating on either European citizens or European elites separately.

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