6533b7dcfe1ef96bd127284c

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Impact of the Agent’s Environment on Discretion in the Field of EU Conflict Resolution

Friedrich PlankArne Niemann

subject

Conceptualizationbusiness.industrymedia_common.quotation_subjectField (Bourdieu)05 social sciencesContext (language use)Public relationsDiscretion050601 international relations0506 political scienceAction (philosophy)Order (exchange)Conflict resolution050602 political science & public administrationBusinessProduct (category theory)Law and economicsmedia_common

description

Employing an agent–principal perspective on EU conflict resolution and focusing on the politics of discretion, we argue that the context in which the agent acts affects the principal–agent relation. Our conceptualization draws on the agent’s actions as a source of discretion, which can be either an unintentional product of the characteristics of the external environment in which the agent performs (structure-induced discretion) or a product of intentionally pursued agent action (interest-induced discretion). Focusing particularly on the European External Action Service, we find that the agent can exploit urgency and third party interplay as characteristics of EU conflict resolution in order to increase his discretion. This has led to an agent that has increasingly sought to further its interests and accumulate powers that affect discretion.

yearjournalcountryeditionlanguage
2017-01-01
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-55137-1_6