Toward a better understanding of implementation performance in the EU multilevel system
Publisher DOI
Abstract
The results of this collection allow for preliminary conclusions about the
nuanced interplay between Europeanization and domestication forces in
European Union (EU) implementation, which await testing in different
contexts. Some policies lend themselves more to a strategy allowing for
extensive domestication than others; but to be effective, decentralized
implementing actors need both power and capabilities. Europeanization
dynamics strongly influence the direction of domestication of EU policy, but if
EU requirements are incompatible with national political preferences
domestication trumps Europeanization. Domestication equally prevails if the
relationship between EU and national policy is ambiguous and frontline
implementers have high discretion. The trend toward the Europeanization of
direct EU enforcement challenges its legitimacy. This has implications for EU
researchers and practitioners, and suggests methodological challenges and
future research trajectories for a performance perspective on EU
implementation. More comparative research is needed about the trade-offs
between conformance, diversity, and performance in EU multilevel governance.
nuanced interplay between Europeanization and domestication forces in
European Union (EU) implementation, which await testing in different
contexts. Some policies lend themselves more to a strategy allowing for
extensive domestication than others; but to be effective, decentralized
implementing actors need both power and capabilities. Europeanization
dynamics strongly influence the direction of domestication of EU policy, but if
EU requirements are incompatible with national political preferences
domestication trumps Europeanization. Domestication equally prevails if the
relationship between EU and national policy is ambiguous and frontline
implementers have high discretion. The trend toward the Europeanization of
direct EU enforcement challenges its legitimacy. This has implications for EU
researchers and practitioners, and suggests methodological challenges and
future research trajectories for a performance perspective on EU
implementation. More comparative research is needed about the trade-offs
between conformance, diversity, and performance in EU multilevel governance.
Date Issued
2017-05-11
Publication Type
Article
Language(s)
en
Additional Credits
Journal
Journal of European Public Policy
Publisher
Routledge
ISSN
1350-1763, 1466-4429