The Many Faces of Europeanization

Abstract

Is 'Europeanization' as disappointing a term as it is fashionable? Should it be abandoned, or is it useful for understanding European transformations? Five uses are discussed and it is argued that research need not be hampered by competing definitions as long as their meaning, the phenomena in focus, the simplifying assumption used, the models of change and the theoretical challenges involved, are clarified and kept separate. The research challenge is one of model building, not one of inventing definitions. While it is premature to abandon the term, its usefulness may be more limited than its widespread use could indicate. Europeanization may be less useful as an explanatory concept than as an attention-directing device and a starting point for further exploration.

Hierarchy, networks, or markets: how does the EU shape environmental policy adoptions within and beyond its borders?

“…For exploring how the EU matters, Europeanization research has focused on adaptation pressures and the implementation of European directives and regulations (see, for example, Knill 2001Knill , 2005Cowles et al 2001;Héritier et al 2001;Knill and Lehmkuhl 2002;Olsen 2002;Börzel and Risse 2003). The growing policy-shaping power of the EU has also motivated a number of political scientists to ask whether Europeanization leads to crossnational policy convergence (see, for example, Dimitrova and Steunenberg 2000;Hix and Goetz 2000;Knill 2001;Risse et al 2001;Jordan and Liefferink 2004;Holzinger andKnill 2004, 2005;Holzinger et al 2008a,b).…”

Modelos organizacionais e reformas da administração pública

“…2009 Os elementos apontados como ativadores dessas ondas de "modernização" são a crise fiscal do Estado (Aucoin, 1990;Hood, 1995;Pollitt e Bouckaert 2002a), a crescente competição territorial pelos investimentos privados e mão de obra qualificada (Subirats e Quintana, 2005), a disponibilidade de novos conhecimentos organizacionais e tecnologia, a ascensão de valores pluralistas e neoliberais (Kooiman, 1993;Rhodes, 1997), e a crescente complexidade, dinâmica e diversidade das nossas sociedades (Kooiman, 1993). No velho continente, o processo de europeanização também tem desempenhado um papel crucial no estímulo à adoção de novos modelos organizacionais e à revisão das PGPs nos níveis nacionais, regionais e municipais (Olsen, 2002;Radaelli, 2005).…”

Europeanization and multi‐level governance: EU cohesion policy and pre‐accession aid in Southeast Europe

“…While the term 'Europeanization' has been used in a number of ways (see Olsen 2002), it is employed here in its most prominent usage to refer to the effects of the EU on domestic politics. Specifically, Europeanization is understood as 'the reorientation or reshaping of politics (and governance) in the domestic arena in ways that reflect policies, practices or preferences advanced through the EU system of governance' (Bache and Jordan 2006, 30).…”