Intent and Reality of the European Employment Strategy: Europeanisation of National Employment Policies and Policy-Making?

Dr. Gaby Umbach

doi:10.5771/9783845212470

Summary

Mit ihren spezifischen Merkmalen als neues Politikinstrument – wie etwa ihrem rechtlich nicht bindenden Charakter, dem Ziel des gegenseitigen Politiklernens durch Austausch bester Praktiken oder gemeinsamen Evaluierungsprozessen – stellt die Europäische Beschäftigungsstrategie (EBS) und die mit ihr Anwendung findende Offene Methode der Koordinierung (OMK) beschäftigungspolitische Akteure in der EU vor die neuen Herausforderungen von Politik-Koordinierung, die die Politikgestaltung im europäischen Mehrebenensystem neu prägen.

Das vorliegende Buch beschäftigt sich intensiv mit diesen unterschiedlichen Facetten der EBS und ihrer Wirkung. Es geht dabei über bisherige Einzelstudien zur EBS hinaus und befasst sich nicht nur mit deren Entstehung, Entwicklung und Merkmalen. Es kontrastiert vielmehr den eigenen Anspruch der EBS mit ihrer politischen Realität und untersucht theoretisch hoch reflektiert deren Einfluss auf Politik-Koordinierungsstrukturen, Beschäftigungspolitiken und zugrunde liegenden Ideen sowie deren Zusammenspiel mit anderen wirtschaftspolitischen Bereichen. Neben der EU-Ebene dienen Großbritannien und Deutschland als Fallbeispiele für mitgliedstaatliche Anpassungsprozesse. Das Buch verankert seine Wirkungsanalyse sehr fundiert in der wissenschaftstheoretischen Debatte um Europäisierung und Politikkonvergenz, um deren Anwendbarkeit im Falle der EBS kritisch zu analysieren. Es komplettiert damit Europäisierungsstudien zu regulativer Politik durch die Analyse des Einflusses weicher Politik-Koordinierung im europäischen Mehrebenensystem.

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Bibliographic data

Edition: 1/2009
Copyright year: 2009
ISBN-Print: 978-3-8329-4128-4
ISBN-Online: 978-3-8452-1247-0
Publisher: Nomos, Baden-Baden
Series: Studies on the European Union
Volume: 1
Language: English
Pages: 487
Product type: Book Titles

Titelei/Inhaltsverzeichnis No access Pages 2 - 4 Gaby Umbach
Foreword and Acknowledgement No access Pages 5 - 14 Gaby Umbach
List of Graphs and Tables No access Pages 15 - 18 Gaby Umbach
List of Abbreviations No access Pages 19 - 26 Gaby Umbach
1. Research Focus: Key Aspects, Core Questions, and Most Distant Cases as Spine of Analysis No access Pages 27 - 31 Gaby Umbach
2. Research Design: Variables, Theses, and Methodology No access Pages 31 - 35 Gaby Umbach
3. Structure and Division: The Road Map for the Train of Thought No access Pages 35 - 37 Gaby Umbach
1. 1. Gaby Umbach
    1. The Governance Concept: Development and Surplus of an Analytical Approach No access Gaby Umbach
    2. Gaby Umbach
      1. Systemic Premises: A Political System of Increasing Interweavement No access Gaby Umbach
      2. Functional Characteristics: Policy-Making under the Conditions of Interdependence No access Gaby Umbach
      3. Structural and Procedural Features: European Multilevel Policy Networks and Policy-Making No access Gaby Umbach
    3. Gaby Umbach
      1. Emergence and Expansion: A New Policy Instrument Rooting in National Reluctance to Transfer Sovereignty No access Gaby Umbach
      2. Characteristic Features: ‘Let’s Co-ordinate’ – Achieving Better Practice by Exchanging Best Practice No access Gaby Umbach
      3. Restrictions and Benefits: ‘Much Talk about Nothing’ or ‘Change through Exchange’? No access Gaby Umbach
  2. Gaby Umbach
    1. Multiple Definitions and Latent Concept Stretching – An Analytical ‘Wunderkind’ within a Conceptual ‘Tower of Babel’ No access Gaby Umbach
    2. Gaby Umbach
      1. Domains of Europeanisation: Domestic Targets of Adaptation Pressure – Increasing Complexity to Enhance Conceptual Lucidity No access Gaby Umbach
      2. Categories of Europeanisation: Domestic Change between Retrenchment and Transformation No access Gaby Umbach
    3. Gaby Umbach
      1. Europeanisation of Public Policies: Means and Results of Policy Change in-between Policy Diffusion, Transfer, and Convergence No access Gaby Umbach
      2. Europeanisation and Institutional Change: Institutional Isomorphism on the Winning Track? No access Gaby Umbach
    4. The ‘Whole Picture’ of Europeanisation: Key Elements Boosting or Blocking Domestic Change No access Gaby Umbach
2. 1. Gaby Umbach
    1. The United Kingdom: Integrated Leadership, Centralised Polity, ‘Trimmed’ Pluralism, Few Veto Points No access Gaby Umbach
    2. Germany: Fragmented Leadership, De-centralised Polity, ‘Corporatist Style’ Pluralism, Several Veto Points No access Gaby Umbach
  2. Gaby Umbach
    1. The United Kingdom: Beveridge, De-regulation Thatcherite Style, and Blatcherism – Fast Track towards ‘New Labour’ Doing it the ‘Third Way’ No access Gaby Umbach
    2. Germany: Bismarckian System, ORDO-Liberalism, Neo-liberalist Monetarism, Re-Unification – The Path towards ‘Neue Mitte’ Hunting for Growth No access Gaby Umbach
    3. The Constraints of Supranationalisation and Internationalisation: The Impact of European Economic and Monetary Integration, OECD, and IMF No access Gaby Umbach
3. 1. Europeanisation of Domestic Employment Policy Co-ordination Structures: Adaptation and Change Leading to Institutional Isomorphism? No access Pages 158 - 165 Gaby Umbach
  2. Europeanisation of Employment Policies: Policy Transfer and Diffusion Leading to ?-Convergence? No access Pages 165 - 168 Gaby Umbach
  3. Applicability of the Europeanisation Approach: Misfit and Adaptation Pressure – Omnipotent Concepts To Explain Change Instigated by the OMC? No access Pages 168 - 170 Gaby Umbach
1. 1. From Rome to Essen: The Long Way from Supplementing the Single Market towards the Headstone of the Luxembourg Process No access Pages 171 - 178 Gaby Umbach
  2. Gaby Umbach
    1. From Essen to Amsterdam: The Formal Constitutionalisation of the EES No access Gaby Umbach
    2. From Amsterdam to Luxembourg: The Pre-Ratification Kick-Off of the Luxembourg Process No access Gaby Umbach
    3. From the Luxembourg Process to Lisbon and Beyond: The Lisbon Strategy Putting the EES into the Sustainability Context No access Gaby Umbach
2. 1. The ‘Legal Constitution’ of the Luxembourg Process: Structural-Procedural Aspects of the Written Proto-Type OMC No access Pages 189 - 195 Gaby Umbach
  2. The Underlying ‘Policy ID’: Spotlight at the Initial What of the EES No access Pages 195 - 199 Gaby Umbach
  3. Gaby Umbach
    1. The First Five Years: Positive Interim Assessment, Rocketing Complexity – The EES Achieving Better Practice by Exchange of Best Practice? No access Gaby Umbach
    2. Gaby Umbach
      1. Structural-Procedural Adaptation Aiming at Enhanced Synergy and Coherence: ‘Slimlining’ the EES? No access Gaby Umbach
      2. The 2003 New ‘Policy ID’ of the EES: From Four Pillars to Three Overarching Targets No access Gaby Umbach
    3. The 2003 and 2004 ‘Kok Reports’: Initiating the Re-Launch of the EES and the Lisbon Strategy – Re-Energising Implementation, Re-Calibrating Priorities No access Gaby Umbach
    4. The 2005 Renewal of the Lisbon Strategy: Welding EGs and BEPG – Integrated Guidelines for Growth and Jobs No access Gaby Umbach
3. In How Far?: European Employment Policy Co-ordination and the Constraints of Supra- and International Economic Integration No access Pages 218 - 228 Gaby Umbach
4. 1. Why and When?: The Slow Path of Bottom-up Europeanisation – Economic Mal-Performance Accelerating Up-Loading Processes No access Pages 228 - 230 Gaby Umbach
  2. How?: New Ways of Europeanisation – Networking, Mutual Exchange and Learning as the Key to Domestic Change No access Pages 230 - 235 Gaby Umbach
  3. What?: A New ‘Policy ID’ to Europeanise National Employment Policies – The Activation Paradigm’s Potential to Attain ?-Convergence No access Pages 235 - 239 Gaby Umbach
  4. In How Far?: A New Mode of Governance Constrained by the Supranational Macro-Economic Integration Paradigm No access Pages 239 - 240 Gaby Umbach
1. 1. The European Commission: The ‘Primary Administrator’ of the EES – Analysing, Preparing, Evaluating, Negotiating, and Drafting No access Pages 241 - 250 Gaby Umbach
  2. The Council of the EU: Multilevel Switchboard of the New ‘Third Wayism’ Co-ordination Structure – The EES-PCN Going ‘A Little’ Public No access Pages 250 - 255 Gaby Umbach
  3. The ‘Others’: The European Council, EP, ECOSOC, and CoR – The Eagle of Processes and the Mere ‘Also-Rans’? No access Pages 255 - 256 Gaby Umbach
  4. The Social Partners: The EES-related Supranational Social Dialogue – Real Integration or Just Friendly Lip Service? No access Pages 256 - 263 Gaby Umbach
  5. Interim Assessment: The Supranational Part of the EES-PCN – A New Integrated PCN Interlinking Socio-Economic Policy Co-ordination Processes? No access Pages 263 - 270 Gaby Umbach
2. 1. Gaby Umbach
    1. The Department for Work and Pensions: Pilotage of the British Part of the EES-PCN – Guiding, Steering, and Compiling the UK NAP No access Gaby Umbach
    2. The Department of Trade and Industry: Channelling the Social Partners – Business as Usual? No access Gaby Umbach
    3. Her Majesty’s Treasury: Paramount Economic Overlook – Who Pays, Surveys No access Gaby Umbach
    4. The ‘Others’: No. 10, the DfES, Parliament and the Devolved Administrations – Additional Protagonists or the Play’s Extras? No access Gaby Umbach
    5. The Social Partners: British Social Dialogue Traditions and the UK Part of the EES-PCN – Strait-Jacket for New Ways of Policy Co-ordination? No access Gaby Umbach
    6. Interim Assessment: The UK Part of the EES-PCN – ‘Doing it the British Way’ in the Shadow of Centralisation No access Gaby Umbach
  2. Gaby Umbach
    1. The Ministry of Finance: Pulling the Strings – Technical Lead as a Matter of Principle No access Gaby Umbach
    2. The Ministry of Economics and Labour: The ‘Window to the Outside World’ – Keeping an Eye on Policy Contents No access Gaby Umbach
    3. The ‘Others’: Inter-ministerial Co-ordination, the Subnational Level, and Parliament – Just Small Cogwheels within the German Part of the EES-PCN? No access Gaby Umbach
    4. The Social Partners: German Social Dialogue Traditions and the Domestic Part of the EES-PCN – The Hare and the Hedgehog? No access Gaby Umbach
    5. Interim Assessment: The German Part of the EES-PCN – De-centralisation as Process-Guiding Principle – ‘If it Works for Us it also Works for Brussels’ No access Gaby Umbach
1. 1. Gaby Umbach
    1. ‘Building the Base’ in 1997/98: The ‘New Deal’ and the EES – Fraternal Twins See the Light of Day? No access Gaby Umbach
    2. Further ‘Constructing the House’ in 1999: The Extension of the New Deals – Tending to All-embrace the Workforce No access Gaby Umbach
    3. Taking Care of ‘Interior Fittings’ in 2000: Consolidating Domestic Policies in the Light of Good Performance No access Gaby Umbach
    4. ‘Corralling the Plot’ and ‘Unshuttering the Windows’ in 2001: Defending and Fine-Tuning Policy Choices For a More Inclusive Labour Market No access Gaby Umbach
    5. ‘Outbuilding the House’ and ‘Designing the Grounds’ in 2002: Keeping to the Domestic Approach and Adapting Structurally to Devolution No access Gaby Umbach
  2. ‘Extending the Driveway’: Expanding Existing Policy Approaches under the Streamlined EES (2003-2005) – Europeanisation Impact Intensified or Blurred? No access Pages 339 - 348 Gaby Umbach
  3. Interim Assessment: The EES’s Impact on British Employment Policy Priorities – Policy Transfer and Diffusion leading to ?-Convergence? No access Pages 348 - 356 Gaby Umbach
2. 1. Gaby Umbach
    1. Adapting the ‘Old Edifice’ to New Functions in 1998: The Conservative-Liberal Coalition Government’s Remedies and the First German NAP No access Gaby Umbach
    2. ‘Tearing down Old Walls’ and ‘Building the Base’ in 1999: The ‘Neue Mitte’ and the Start of Its Socio-Economic Reforms No access Gaby Umbach
    3. Cost Control to Continue Re-Construction in 2000: Laying the Budgetary Grounds for Further Socio-Economic Reforms No access Gaby Umbach
    4. Waiting for the ‘Blueprint’ to be Designed in 2001: Evaluating Existing Approaches Instead of Launching New Activities No access Gaby Umbach
    5. The Start of ‘Fast-Track Construction’ in 2002: Reform Boost after Years of ‘Dawdling over’ Substantial Modernisation No access Gaby Umbach
  2. ‘Speeding up the Construction Process’: Post Reform Boost Trends under the Streamlined EES (2003-2005) – Europeanisation Impact Intensified or Blurred? No access Pages 392 - 405 Gaby Umbach
  3. Interim Assessment: The EES’s Impact on German Employment Policy Priorities – Policy Transfer and Diffusion leading to ?-Convergence? No access Pages 405 - 412 Gaby Umbach
1. 1. Gaby Umbach
    1. The National Level: Domestic Institutional Paths and Interactions Running into the EES-PCN – Europeanisation Leading to Institutional Isomorphism? No access Gaby Umbach
    2. The Impact of the EES on European Multilevel Policy Network Structures: A Lock, Stock, and Barrel New Performance or New Lyrics in Old Sceneries? No access Gaby Umbach
  2. British and German Employment Policies under the EES: Proximity and Rapprochement to its ‘Policy ID’ – Converging Trends, Remaining Differences No access Pages 429 - 438 Gaby Umbach
2. 1. The EES, the OMC, and Europeanisation: Impact without Analytical Grounds or a Case of ‘Phantom’ Adaptation Pressure? No access Pages 438 - 441 Gaby Umbach
  2. Explanative Benefits and the Need to Broaden the Analytical View in order to Explain Domestic Change and Persistence No access Pages 441 - 443 Gaby Umbach
Annex No access Pages 444 - 448 Gaby Umbach
1. Interviews No access Pages 449 - 449 Gaby Umbach
2. Sources No access Pages 449 - 458 Gaby Umbach
3. Literature No access Pages 458 - 487 Gaby Umbach