Cross-National Policy Networks and the State: EU Social Policy Transfer to Poland and Hungary

Abstract

This article challenges optimistic claims about the power of nonstate actors in cross-border policy networks. In a pilot study of two mostlikely cases, the article examines the social policy network between the European Union and Poland and Hungary prior to accession. Two dimensions guide the analysis: Whether states act as gatekeepers and whether national borders restrict communications. The article shows that while labor and employers easily communicate with the EU, contacts fail to cut across national borders. Network data show that the EU significantly controls the flow of communication, a fact that runs counter to the notion of networks as fluid entities that enable all actors to link freely with others. Governments and the EU have an interest in network construction and control. Only by tracking network contacts empirically, the article argues, are we able to estimate the capacities and limits of nonstate actors in transnational politics.

Varieties of regional economic integration and labor internationalism: The case of Japanese trade unions in comparison

“…5 Whether those organizational resources foster international cooperation is questioned in the literature (Hyman, 2005;Turner, 1996). Furthermore, funds for strengthening international cooperation between social partners structure the networks of organizations but do not necessarily empower them (Sissenich, 2008). In contrast, Gajewska (2009) argues that these funds may foster mobilization and cooperation in the long run because of the resulting ties between trade unions.…”

Transnational Networks and Paths to EU Environmental Compliance: Evidence from New Member States

“…Knill and Tosun () consider a measure of network activity in a statistical analysis of compliance, finding inconsistent effect and inviting further investigation. While several analyses of the EU accession process highlight the role of trans‐European networks (Andonova, ; Hughes et al ., ; Sissenich, ) in shaping institutional and policy outcomes, there has been little examination of the interplay between transnational networks and compliance following accession. The relevance of non‐state actors is addressed primarily in discussions on the domestic politics of the implementation of EU laws (Börzel and Buzogàny, 2010b; Falkner and Treib, ; Toshkov et al ., ).…”

Croyances et coopération : analyse du réseau des acteurs de la Politique de sécurité et de défense commune de l'UE

“…En plus des interactions formelles entre les États, qui préoccupent les intergouvernementalistes, nous cherchons à identifier les relations sociales entre les autres acteurs impliqués dans ce champ et constater comment elles sont structurées selon les préférences des acteurs. Au niveau méthodologique, nous utilisons l'analyse de réseaux sociaux (ARS), qui a été utilisée à quelques reprises dans des études sur différents aspects de la politique européenne, comme le transfert des politiques sociales en Europe de l'Est (Sissenich ), ou encore sur la politique climatique de la Suisse (Ingold ). Dans le domaine de la sécurité et de la défense, toutefois, cette méthode reste peu usitée, si ce n'est de façon métaphorique, à l'aide de méthodes qualitatives (Krahmann ().…”