Building states without society: European Union enlargement and the transfer of EU social policy to Poland and Hungary

Focusing on the 2004 enlargement of the European Union, Building States without Society highlights the real limits of cross-national rule transfer even when power is uneven between rule-makers and rule-takers.

Tracing the role of labor and other non-state actors in transferring rules, Beate Sissenich shows the persistent relevance of national politics, specifically state capacity and interest organizations.

Social network analysis demonstrates that even in a highly integrated Europe, state borders continue to structure communications.