This essay provides an overview of the literature in the field of small states studies. It
analyses the development of the discipline, and in particular how vulnerability and a lack of …

Size matters in international relations. Owing to their unique vulnerabilities, small states
have different needs, adopt different foreign policies, and have a harder time achieving …

Differentiated integration has been the subject of political discussion and academic thought
for a long time. It has also become an important feature of European integration since the …

Research on differentiated integration (DI) in the European Union (EU) has focused on the
causes, conditions, and patterns of differentiation in European integration. By contrast, we …

Although qualified-majority voting is possible, member states in the Council of the European
Union (EU) still adopt most policies by consensus. The agent-based model of coalition …

The literature suggests that legislative politics among European Union Member States is
characterised by economic exchanges, and constrained by the social norms of a European …

Relational approaches bear a distinct added value for the study of the EU and international
negotiations. In this research note we advocate for the combination of social network …

Differentiation has become a durable feature of European integration but we know little
about its effects on citizens. Does differentiated integration improve the democratic quality of …

Little is known about the effects of the inter-institutional linkages created through the
establishment of the codecision procedure on decision-making in the Council of the …

What are the policy consequences of constitutional differentiation in core state powers? We
argue that the most important consequence is not necessarily the exclusion of the …