This volume provides a novel and relational sociological approach to the study of EU civil society. It focuses on the interactions and interrelations between civil society actors and the forms of capital that structure the fields and sub-fields of EU civil society, through new and important empirical studies on organized EU civil society.

1. Thinking Relationally: Questions, Themes And Perspectives For The Study Of EU Civil Society; Hakan Johansson And Sara Kalm PART I: TRENDS, INTERACTIONS AND POSITIONS WITHIN PLATFORMS OF CSOS 2. Changes In The Field Of Eu Civil Society Organizations: Institutionalization, Differentiation And Challengers; Carlo Ruzza 3. Informational Capital: How It Is Developed And Used By Csos And Eu Institutions; Stefan Bernhard 4. Competing Capital Logics In The Field Of Eu-Level Csos: Autonomy From Or Interconnectedness With The Eu?; Hakan Johansson And Jayeon Lee 5. From Coalition To Community: Collective Identification Formation In The Social Platform; Pauline Cullen 6. Exploring Competition And Cooperation Among Eu-Based International Solidarity Civil Society Organizations: The Relevance Of Values, Resources And External Support; Rosa Sanchez Salgado PART II: MEMBERSHIP AND IDENTITY STRUGGLES WITHIN AND BETWEEN EU-LEVEL CSOS 7. Conflict And Cooperation: Interactions Among Eu Level Civil Society Organisations In The Field Of Gender Equality; Ylva Stubbergaard 8. Sex Workers' Rights Movement And The Eu: Challenging The New European Prostitution Policy Model; Roberto Scaramuzzino And Gabriella Scaramuzzino 9. The Formation Of An Eu-Based Cso: A Case Study Of The Platform For International Cooperation On Undocumented Migrants; Denis Frank PART III: THE EUROPEAN CITIZENS' INITIATIVE: A NEW ARENA FOR CIVIL SOCIETY ACTIVISM? 10. The Effect Of The European Citizens Initiative In The Field Of European Civil Society; Luis Bouza Garcia 11. Civil Dialogue And The Citizens' Initiative: Accounting For Collaboration And Competition Using The Advocacy Coalition Framework And The Strategic Action Field; Justin Greenwood 12. The ECI Stage: A Snapshot Of The Cast And Their Acts; Elsa Hedling And Anna Meeuwisse 13. Fields With Fields? Concluding Remarks On The Relationships Between The European Civil Society And The EU Bureaucratic Fields; Didier Georgakakis

“Interested readers and researchers in the field of EU civil society will find detailed information about methodological issues and data collection. … In general, the volume provides detailed consideration of the conflicts and risks which civil society organisations face in the lobby-based Brussels context.” (Andi Hoxhaj, Journal of Contemporary European Research, Vol.14 (02), 2018)“There are many good reasons for recommending this volume. It departs from the mainstream of European civil societyresearch; it takes a new and fresh theoretical approach to the analysis of a complex phenomenon; it provides a bunch of interesting case studies which are thoroughly researched and well documented.” (Annette Zimmer, Voluntas, Vol. 28, 2017)

'This volume is a fantastically innovative contribution to the study of EU civil society. The relational approach covering the theoretical perspectives of the network, coalition and field model focuses on cooperation and competition so decisive for the constitution and performance of CSOs. The entire book is a 'must read' not only because of the empirical richness of the individual contributions but because the common relational approach provides a comprehensive view of the structure and dynamics of EU civil society." - Beate Kohler-Koch, University of Mannheim, Germany'EU Civil Society casts new lights on the phenomenon of EU civil society. Whereas previous research has focused on the role of EU policies in fostering EU civil society (top-down perspective), on Civil Society organizations tactics and strategies (bottom-up perspective), or on the democratic qualities of EU Civil Society (democratic perspective), this book adopts a relational perspective illuminating the cooperative and conflict-laded interactions taking place between Civil Society actors at the European level. Mobilizing a set of theoretical models (network, coalition, field), the contributions to this volume investigate empirically different types of interactions between Civil Society actors and with the European institutions in a variety of policy-fields. This book will be a major resource for all those interested in the EU Civil Society and its dynamic evolution.' - Bernard Enjolras, Institute for Social Research, Norway