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: Monograph

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