Coalitions in Action: A Study on Intra-Coalition Cooperation in the Council of Ministers

Abstract: This thesis seeks to increase the scholarly understanding of coalitions in working-groups in the Council of Ministers. In contrast to most of the literature on coalitions in the Council, this thesis is not concerned with which coalitions that will be formed. Instead, the focus is on intra-coalition cooperation, a topic that remains largely unexplored. More specifically, this thesis begins by investigating which factors that drives cooperation. This is investigated through a quantitative design with data collected through a survey that was sent to the Danish and Swedish Permanent Representations. Through a rational choice perspective and bivariate regressions, it is concluded that intra-coalition cooperation is driven by the coalition’s degree of interest-homogeneity and the strength of potential counter-coalitions. Surprisingly the negotiation-mode in a working-group has no effect on intra-coalition cooperation. The thesis then goes on to explore how coalitions cooperate internally and which benefits they reap from this cooperation. This is investigated through interviews with Danish counsellors and attachés. The thesis identifies four distinct ways coalitions may cooperate, which all provide substantial advantages; 1) Strategizing and Coordination, 2) Information Sharing, 3) Sharing of Expertise and Analytical Capabilities and 4) Mutual Support. Through a case-by-case analysis followed by a cross-case comparison, it is argued that the costs of engaging in these kinds of cooperation varies significantly, and that only coalitions with a high degree of interest homogeneity who face strong opposition in their working group will have the incentives to pay the costs and engage in all four kinds of cooperation.