Current approaches examining the effect of institutions on policy processes have difficulty in
explaining the results of the legislative process of codecision between the European
Parliament and Council within the European Union. The formal Treaty changes that gave
rise to codecision have, in turn, given rise to a plethora of informal institutions, in a process
that is difficult to understand using dominant modes of analysis. This article provides a
framework for analyzing the relationship between formal and informal institutions, showing …

Current approaches to the understanding of institutional change in the European Union
have difficulty in understanding how intergovernmental bargaining and day-to-day
institutional change interact. This article develops a theoretical framework to understand this
interaction, and applies it to the legislative process of codecision between European
Parliament and Council. The formal Treaty changes which gave rise to codecision have in
turn given rise to a plethora of informal institutions, in a process which cannot be grasped by …