The European Court's Political Power

Peter J. Katzenstein, Walter S. Carpenter, Jr. Professor of International Studies, Cornell University Spanning the last fifteen years, one of the most recognized and respected scholars of the European Court of Justice has brought together between two covers many of her most important papers. Alter's deeply contextualized understanding of the Court dissents from both specific legal doctrinal analysis that tends to overlook political conflicts and overly general social scientific generalizations that breezily bypass a deeply grounded understanding of the politics of European law. An additional virtue of this outstanding collection is its comparative perspective on the European court and its recognition of broader international developments to which the Court may have given rise. Among both scholars and practitioners this book should find a large and avid readership.

Anne-Marie Slaughter, Dean of the Woodrow Wilson School If political scientists and international lawyers were to read only one book on the European Court of Justice, this should be the one.

Robert O. Keohane, Professor of International Affairs, Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University Karen Alter has done more than any other scholar to show how the social, political, and historical context in which the European Court of Justice is embedded shapes its role and impact. The four thresholds that she identifies also provide a basic for a comparative analysis of the role of international courts in world politics. With its lucid new introduction,The European Court's Political Power is a "must read" for anyone seeking to understand international courts.

Marie-Pierre Granger, Central European University, The Modern Law Review The aim of Alter's book is to strengthen her contribution to our understanding of how international courts can impact on policy making at both the national and international level...Alter's book is a must-read for anyone concerned with the process of translating international law into social and political reality

<br>Karen J. Alter is Associate Professor of Political Science, Northwestern University. She is the author of Establishing the Supremacy of European Law: The Making of an International Rule of Law in Europe (OUP: 2001).<br>

1. The European Court of Justice Across Time and Space; I. THE ECJ DURING THE FOUNDING PERIOD OF LEGAL INTEGRATION (1952-1980); 2. The Theory and Reality of the European Coal and Steel Community; 3. Transnational Jurist Advocacy Networks in Europe: The Role of Euro-law Associations in Promoting Supra-National Integration (1953-1970); 4. The European Court of Justice's Political Power; 5. Who are the Masters of the Treaty? European Governments and the European Court of Justice; II. ECJ AND ITS VARIED INFLUENCE ON EUROPEAN POLICY & POLITICS (1980-2005); 6. Judicial Politics in the European Community: European Integration and the Pathbreaking Cassis de Dijon decision; 7. Explaining Variation in the Use of European Litigation Strategies: EC law and UK Gender Equality Policy; 8. The European Legal System and Domestic Policy: Spillover or Backlash?; 9. Banana Splits: Nested and Competing Regimes in the Transatlantic Banana Trade Dispute; III. BEYOND EUROPEAN COURT POLITICS; 10. The European Court and Legal Integration: An Exceptional Story or Harbinger of the Future?; 11. Agents or Trustees? International Courts in their Political Context; 12. Private Litigants and the New International Courts; 13. Conclusion