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The Europeanisation of Legislative Civil Servants - A Case Study of the Swedish Riksdag Administration

Loesevitz, Magdalena LU (2025) STVM25 20251
Department of Political Science
Abstract
As set out in the Treaty of Lisbon from 2009, Member States’ national parliaments are encouraged to contribute actively to the functioning of the European Union. A consequence of an increased parliamentary engagement in EU affairs, is the Europeanisation of national parliaments. While literature on this phenomena is growing, less has been said about how the administration supporting parliamentary work is affected. The purpose of this thesis is to understand how the professional role of civil servants sustaining parliamentary work on EU issues is shaped by Europeanisation. This is done through analysing material from 13 semi-structured interviews with civil servants in the Swedish Riksdag Administration. Drawing from new institutionalist... (More)
As set out in the Treaty of Lisbon from 2009, Member States’ national parliaments are encouraged to contribute actively to the functioning of the European Union. A consequence of an increased parliamentary engagement in EU affairs, is the Europeanisation of national parliaments. While literature on this phenomena is growing, less has been said about how the administration supporting parliamentary work is affected. The purpose of this thesis is to understand how the professional role of civil servants sustaining parliamentary work on EU issues is shaped by Europeanisation. This is done through analysing material from 13 semi-structured interviews with civil servants in the Swedish Riksdag Administration. Drawing from new institutionalist theory, their role is conceptualised through a comparison to two theoretical ideal types of bureaucrats, whereby a distinct ‘type’ of bureaucrat is discerned. The thesis offers a comprehensive analysis of the civil servants’ role in sustaining the Riksdag’s work in EU affairs. In particular, the findings of the thesis enhance the understanding of what administrative capacity is needed for national parliaments to fulfil their post-Lisbon role. In general, they also shed light on European dimensions of national bureaucracy, whose relevance is likely to increase as both European integration and Europeanisation continues. (Less)
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author
Loesevitz, Magdalena LU
supervisor
organization
course
STVM25 20251
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
Europeanisation, National Parliaments, Parliamentary Administration, European Union, Civil Servants, Inter-parliamentary Cooperation, New Institutionalism
language
English
id
9186008
date added to LUP
2025-04-23 10:16:00
date last changed
2025-04-23 10:16:00
@misc{9186008,
  abstract     = {{As set out in the Treaty of Lisbon from 2009, Member States’ national parliaments are encouraged to contribute actively to the functioning of the European Union. A consequence of an increased parliamentary engagement in EU affairs, is the Europeanisation of national parliaments. While literature on this phenomena is growing, less has been said about how the administration supporting parliamentary work is affected. The purpose of this thesis is to understand how the professional role of civil servants sustaining parliamentary work on EU issues is shaped by Europeanisation. This is done through analysing material from 13 semi-structured interviews with civil servants in the Swedish Riksdag Administration. Drawing from new institutionalist theory, their role is conceptualised through a comparison to two theoretical ideal types of bureaucrats, whereby a distinct ‘type’ of bureaucrat is discerned. The thesis offers a comprehensive analysis of the civil servants’ role in sustaining the Riksdag’s work in EU affairs. In particular, the findings of the thesis enhance the understanding of what administrative capacity is needed for national parliaments to fulfil their post-Lisbon role. In general, they also shed light on European dimensions of national bureaucracy, whose relevance is likely to increase as both European integration and Europeanisation continues.}},
  author       = {{Loesevitz, Magdalena}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{The Europeanisation of Legislative Civil Servants - A Case Study of the Swedish Riksdag Administration}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}