11. Social Policy

2020 ◽  
pp. 254-274
Author(s):  
John Bachtler ◽  
Carlos Mendez
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
European Union ◽  
Social Policy ◽  
Social Regulation ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Judicial Decision Making ◽  
Eu Member States ◽  
Eu Legislation ◽  
Main Driver ◽  
Over Time

Social policy in the European Union (EU) is characterized by a fundamental puzzle: integration has happened despite member-state opposition to the delegation of welfare competences. While the policy has developed in small and modest steps, over time, this has led to a considerable expansion of the policy remit. Negative integration pushed by judicial decision-making is often regarded as a main driver for social integration. Positive integration through EU legislation is, however, just as defining for EU social policy, and politics is very evident when EU member states negotiate social regulation. More recently, the policy has been marked by deep politicization.

scholarly journals The evolution of political networks: Evidence from the Council of the European Union

2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Narisong Huhe ◽  
Daniel Naurin ◽  
Robert Thomson
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
European Union ◽  
Network Theory ◽  
Network Evolution ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Unique Combination ◽  
Policy Positions ◽  
Political Actors ◽  
Political Networks ◽  
Over Time

We test two of the main explanations of the formation of political ties. The first states that political actors are more likely to form a relationship if they have similar policy preferences. The second explanation, from network theory, predicts that the likelihood of a tie between two actors depends on the presence of certain relationships with other actors. Our data consist of a unique combination of actors' policy positions and their network relations over time in the Council of the European Union. We find evidence that both types of explanations matter, although there seems to be variation in the extent to which preference similarity affects network evolution. We consider the implications of these findings for understanding the decision-making in the Council.

Public Policies

2020 ◽  
pp. 509-525
Author(s):  
Joan Subirats ◽  
Ricard Gomà
Keyword(s):  
Public Policy ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
European Union ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Policy System ◽  
The Public ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Policy Style ◽  
Over Time ◽  
Operational Aspects

The objective of this chapter is to trace and present the main characteristics of the public policy system in Spain, incorporating policy change over time, as well as the policy style that has characterized its different stages. The transition between Francoism and democracy generated significant continuities and discontinuities both in the decision-making processes and in the actors’ system. The full incorporation into the European Union also involved significant changes in content, processes and networks. Finally, the impacts of the 2007 crisis and the effects of globalization and technological change also generated significant disruptions that will also be incorporated. The chapter will distinguish the conceptual, substantive, and operational aspects of the public policy system in Spain, as well as the main elements of the multilevel government. This aspect is especially complex in the Spanish case, given the combination of Europeanization of policies and the very remarkable regional decentralization generated by 1980.

Scratching the heart of the artichoke? How international institutions and the European Union constrain the state monopoly of force

2011 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 445-468 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eva Herschinger ◽  
Markus Jachtenfuchs ◽  
Christiane Kraft-Kasack
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
International Institutions ◽  
The State ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Physical Force ◽  
Member States ◽  
Eu Member States ◽  
European Court ◽  
Core Areas ◽  
Over Time

In recent years, a growing literature has argued that European Union (EU) member states have undergone a profound transformation caused by international institutions and by the EU, in particular. However, the state core – the monopoly of the legitimate use of physical force, embodied by the police – seemed to remain intact. The literature has argued that in this area, international institutions are weak, and cooperation has remained informal and intergovernmental. We take issue with these claims and evaluate the strength of international institutions in two core areas of policing (terrorism and drugs) over time. We find that in terms of decision-making, precision, and adjudication, international institutions have become considerably stronger over time. Even when international institutions remain intergovernmental they strongly regulate how EU member states exercise their monopoly of force. Member states are even further constrained because adjudication is delegated to the European Court of Justice. Thus, even the state core is undergoing a significant transformation.

Coordination for the European Union

2020 ◽  
pp. 192-209
Author(s):  
Mads Dagnis Jensen ◽  
Peter Nedergaard
Keyword(s):  
Political System ◽  
Decision Making Process ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Eu Member States ◽  
Eu Legislation ◽  
Coordination System ◽  
Set Up ◽  
High Degree ◽  
Over Time ◽  
The Eu

The Danish EU coordination system is set up to secure a consensus-oriented and consistent positioning of Denmark in the EU decision-making process. It was established in connection with Danish membership in 1973, but it has roots that go further back. Over time, the Danish coordination system has undergone changes with increased decentralization to the sectoral ministries, through parliamentarization, and via increased transnationalization with linkages to the administrations in the EU and other EU member states. The system secures that the negotiators have a high degree of credibility in the eyes of other delegations, and it ensures a high score when it comes to implementation of EU legislation in Denmark. However, it also has some disadvantages. The key coordination lens in the form of the European Affairs Committee of the Danish Parliament is overloaded, and it is often involved too late in the Brussels negotiations. All in all, the Danish EU coordination system corresponds to the way the Danish political system works in other venues.

scholarly journals The Europeanization of Parliamentary Attention in and out of the European Union

2019 ◽  
pp. 317-333
Author(s):  
Pascal Sciarini ◽  
Frédéric Varone ◽  
Roy Gava ◽  
Sylvain Brouard ◽  
Julien Navarro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
Descriptive Statistics ◽  
Policy Agenda ◽  
The European Union ◽  
National Parliaments ◽  
Eu Member States ◽  
Members Of Parliament ◽  
Time Issue ◽  
Over Time

This chapter adds to the growing literature on the Europeanization of national parliaments by looking at how and to what extent members of parliament (MPs) use parliamentary questions (PQs) on EU-related affairs. Relying on a comparison of three EU member states (France, Spain, and the Netherlands) and Switzerland, we analyze the Europeanization of parliamentary attention from a policy agenda perspective. We formulate expectations regarding variations in the degree of Europeanization across time, countries, and issues, and we test them with descriptive statistics on a rich collection of data covering three decades and including thousands of PQs. Results show that national MPs devote only little attention to EU-related issues, with no increase over time. Issue concentration of PQs is high and has not decreased over time either. Overall, the results tend to underscore the apathy of national MPs on EU matters.

scholarly journals Coalition of states for influence in the European Council. Brexit - a step towards decisional balance in the European Council?

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 124-130
Author(s):  
Gavrilov Doina
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
European Union ◽  
Decisional Balance ◽  
European Council ◽  
Decision Making Process ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Eu Policies ◽  
Over Time ◽  
The Eu

AbstractThe EU decision-making process is one that has changed over time with the Treaties, with the extension, modification of EU policies and the areas where the EU is acting. In addition to the above, in 2016 we have one more reason to add to the changing of the decisional process “-Brexit”- a political turnaround that stimulates new changes at the decision-making level and raises questions about the future of the European Union. Federalists claim that these events will lead to a strengthening of the Union, and euro-skeptics claim that this is a step towards breaking the Union. Two years after the Brexit started, the European Union continues to remain a prominent actor in the international arena, but another question is being raised: “Will EU institutions act on the same principles? Or will there be changes in the decision-making process?”. In this article, we will analyse the state coalitions in the decision-making process, and the role of Brexit in forming coalitions for establishing a decisional balance in the European Council. Following the analysis of the power rapport in the European Council, we refer to small and medium-sized states that work together closely to counterbalance the decisions of the big states, and the new coalitions to achieve their goals in the new political context.

The Evolution of EU Membership Norms

2021 ◽  
pp. 49-84
Author(s):  
Daniel C. Thomas
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
European Union ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Liberal Democracies ◽  
Parliamentary Democracies ◽  
Empirical Basis ◽  
Eu Membership ◽  
The 1950S ◽  
Over Time

This chapter traces the emergence, contestation, and evolution of membership norms within the European Union and its institutional precursors from the 1950s to the present. The genealogy demonstrates that these norms have changed significantly over time, contrary to the assumptions of many scholars and the claims of many EU pronouncements in recent decades. EU norms limited membership to non-Communist states (1957–1961), parliamentary democracies (1962–1969), and liberal democracies (1970–2005), but consensus then broke down and has not been re-established. The chapter thus establishes an empirical basis for investigating in later chapters how prevailing membership norms have shaped the community’s decision-making on the eligibility of particular aspirant and candidate states.

The Constitutional (Im)balance between ‘the Market’ and ‘the Social’ in the European Union

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-61 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sacha Garben
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
European Union ◽  
Social Policy ◽  
European Integration ◽  
Legislative Process ◽  
Economic Governance ◽  
The European Union ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Eu

An assessment of the balance between ‘the market’ and ‘the social’ by reference to the areas of social policy, the internal market and economic governance – Imbalance resulting from a consitutional displacement of the legislative process (EU and national) and instead decision-making by the judiciary and the executive – Proposals to address the imbalance by reinforcing the role of the EU legislative process and limiting other forms of European integration.

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