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tries to re-validate an MLGT approach with past data, instead of directly moving on to what MLGT might predict for the future. A two-stage research has been conducted because MLGT, to the author’s best knowledge, has so far only been applied to the analysis of reforms that took place in the previous century. Since then, the CAP’s environment has changed. The WTO has expanded and grown in scope. Also, internal institutional reforms such as the use of QMV in the CAP decision-making have changed the environment where CAP’s reforms are pursued. It is therefore desirable to find out first whether MLGT still applies at all, and, if not, whether it can be made relevant again with theory up-dates. Methodology 4 The author will use analytic narratives —as elaborated by Bates et al. (1998, 10-18)—to compare the to-be-tested theory’s predictions with empirical evidence drawn from the vast literature available about the case study. Since the theory to be tested is MLGT, the analytic narrative, which means analysing games within a rational choice framework, is well suited. In practice, this means identifying agents who have played a role in the CAP’s reform: individuals, or collectives such as elites, nations, electorates, legislatures, or bureaucratic institutions. Not all categories are likely to be found. The identification process will first involve reading a large amount of relevant high-quality secondary scientific literature about the subject matter. This will be supplemented with official documents and statistical data analysis. By using analytic narratives in this way, the author expects to comprehend “actors’ 4 According to Bates et al. (1998, 10), analytic narrative (AN) “combines analytic tools that are commonly employed in economics and political science with the narrative form, which is more commonly employed in history.” The narrative component of AN means that the approach used in the thesis will pay close attention to stories, accounts, and context. The analytic component of AN means that the approach used in the thesis will rely on explicit and formal lines of reasoning, which facilitate both exposition and explanation. 10