This edited volume explores what we may term the gap between doctrine, theory, lexicon and practice in assessing the descriptive and normative dimensions of actors engaging in rule-making in EU and International law. Drawing together contributions from leading scholars in the field, the collection uses three central and cross-cutting research questions as themes for synthesis, namely: (1) how do we frame actors and action in postnational rule-making; (2) how to we frame new organisations, institutions and their components within postnational rule-making and (3) how do we frame interactions between actors? What practices constitute acting in the shadows?