Organization Theory and the Study of European Union Institutions: Lessons and Opportunities

Most scholarship in modern organization theory maintains a near-exclusive focus on private-sector settings. In contrast, this article argues that complex public-sector organizational systems – such as the European Union (EU) – can provide a very relevant laboratory to both fine-tune organization theoretical propositions and test them empirically. I first draw attention to the value-added of organization theory for the study of EU institutions. Then, I turn to these institutions’ capacity to present a springboard for theoretical development in organization theory, and bring forward a number of avenues for further research on the intersection of EU studies and organization theory that can push forward both research fields.