This work investigates how the European Union developed its social policy framework during the 1990s, specifically examining the emergence of a corporatist policy community. Gerda Falkner, a scholar of European integration and public policy, utilizes institutional analysis to evaluate the shifting dynamics between EU institutions, member states, and organized interest groups. The book argues that the integration of social policy was not merely a top-down mandate but a complex negotiation process that mirrored corporatist structures found in national political systems.

Experts in European studies recognize this text as a foundational analysis of the institutionalization of social policy in the EU. Scholars frequently cite the book for its rigorous application of corporatist theory to the unique, multi-level governance structure of the European Union.