Domestic policy networks and European negotiations: Evidence from British and French financial services

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Abstract
The article examines the influence of sectoral policy networks on national mobilization strategies in the context of international, particularly European Union (EU), negotiations. It argues that stable structures, characterized by frequent interactions and common values among a limited set of organizations, best ensure the active participation of sectoral actors in a non‐conflictual environment, thus facilitating the exploitation of all resources available domestically and the aggregation of public and societal interests. However, the comparison of British and French mobilization patterns in the sector of financial services places particular stress on a further specification: the distribution of power within the network, and the ensuing degree of flexibility. Because they allow for the emergence of autonomous organizations, horizontally integrated networks would in some respects be better suited to the representation of domestic stances ‐ be they public or private ‐ in the multipolar and competitive decision‐making system of the EU than vertical, state‐dominated ones. Although other items need to be considered at national and EU levels, the article concludes that sectoral policy networks can be regarded as significant intervening variables in the study of interstate bargaining and interactions.