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Unpacking EU Policy-Making towards China

Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in Asia-Pacific Political Economy ((PASTAPPE))

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Abstract

This chapter discusses the scope, rationale, and relevance of the book. It documents various limitations to current approaches to the study of EU-China relations, including the limited use of theory to explain EU-China relations and, when scholars use theory, a failure to unpack the policy cycle. It also demonstrates that the cases that are the focus of this book are insufficiently studied, and that extant treatment of these cases would benefit from more and better evidence. This allows for more powerful tests of existing arguments and the culling out of cope conditions. For background purposes, this chapter gives an overview of EU-China relations and details numerous thorny issues affecting the relationship. Apart from the latter, it also undertakes the critical task of detailing internal divisions and diverging interests on the European side. This chapter also justifies my research design, methodology, and case selection and presents my key findings. As far as methodology is concerned, to preview, I argue the comparative case study method is best because inter alia it allows me to test the applicability of theories in different cases pertaining to the realm of economics.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Advanced International and Area Studies, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China

    Bas Hooijmaaijers

  2. Leuven International and European Studies Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium

    Bas Hooijmaaijers

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Hooijmaaijers, B. (2021). Introduction. In: Unpacking EU Policy-Making towards China. Palgrave Studies in Asia-Pacific Political Economy. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-9367-3_1

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