THE PRACTICE TURN CONTRIBUTION TO SOCIALISATION AND DECISIONMAKING RESEARCH IN EU STUDIES
THE PRACTICE TURN CONTRIBUTION TO SOCIALISATION AND DECISIONMAKING RESEARCH IN EU STUDIES

Summary/Abstract: “Practice turn” can potentially influence both the theory and methods applied in EU studies. This paper attempts to grasp the most important features of this approach, as they could prove relevant to the study of decision-making at the European level. The point of departure is a research project on the role of socialisation mechanisms in the Council of the European Union, which was rooted in constructivism and used process tracing type case studies as its main method. The paper explores the principles and promises of practice turn and, more generally, of interpretive social science. It describes methods and practical considerations of tracing practices and studying the understandings they contain. Showing the limitations of a more conventional approach to issues such as supranational socialisation and decision-making, the paper argues for practice-oriented research by describing the opportunities and advantages it offers.

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