Luxembourg in the early days of the EEC: null player or not? (Q1651910)

Summary: Voters whose yes-or-no decision never makes a difference to the outcome in a simple voting game are known as ``null players''. Luxembourg's role in the council of ministers during the first period of the European economic community (EEC) is often cited as a real-world case. The paper contrasts the textbook claim that Luxembourg was a null player with a more comprehensive picture of Luxembourg's role in EEC's voting system. The assessment of Luxembourg's voting power is sensitive to the role played by the European commission in the decision-making procedure and the measurement concepts underlying power evaluations.