w hy ( and how ) still study the omc? caroline de la porte
Post on 21-Dec-2015
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WHY (AND HOW) STILL STUDY THE OMC? Caroline de la Porte
OUTLINE
Aim and origin of paper European Integration New modes of governance Europeanization
EUROPEAN INTEGRATION
Neo-functionalism Intergovernmentalism Advocacy coalitions-interests and beliefs Experts-ideas
OMC (governance architecture and policy objectives) rapidly moving object
OMC AS A NMG
Input and output legitimacy Governing by numbers Justiciability (at best in shadow of hierarchy)
At normative level, dispute about potential impact Potential of learning in the OMC (Zeitlin) Weak potential for learning in the OMC
(Kroger, Lodge, Hartlapp)
IMPACT OF OMC: EUROPEANIZATION Ideational impact\cognitive aspect Direct\indirect Learning from where- Top down – guidelines, benchmarks- Peers - other countries- ESF Other usages of the OMC – as a political opportunity
structure
MECHANISMS OF (IDEATIONAL) CHANGE:
Mechanisms of ideational change:1. Socialization: exposure to new information
(civil servants, NGOs) in fora of OMC (SPC, indicators groups, ESF committees)
2. Diffusion of an idea (parliament, media)3. Reflexive learning (learning about one’s own
policies and institutions - strengths but also weaknesses - on the basis of information produced in or deliberated within the OMC process (Zeitlin, 2005, 2009).
METHODOLOGICAL CHALLENGES
Ideational change takes place over long period of time
Difficult to distinguish influence of OMC from other factors (i.e. domestic intiatives, OECD)
Difficult to say with certainty that ideas, such as active ageing come from the OMC
More specific ideas, care for the elderly or child poverty, can with more certainty be traced back to OMC
Difficult to identify the role of the OMC in the process of policy change
OTHER USAGES OF THE OMC
OMC can be used as leverage for agenda-setting and bargaining (Blyth: ideas as weapons, Beland, Power of ideas)
Blame-shifting When used instrumentally, the OMC agenda
can be adopted fully or partially, or it can be ignored
OMC AND POLICY CHANGE
For the OMC to lead to policy change, policy ideas and new knowledge associated with specific frames (of problems and solutions) should be transformed into initiatives and strategies.
This necessarily involves some degree of translation or ‘re-interpretation’, that is adapting to political preferences and institutional legacies (Barbier, 2008; Martinsen, 2005).
This is the most difficult and most disputed aspect in studies on the impact of the OMC
WHO LEARNS? FOR WHAT PURPOSE?
Government Civil society Social partners Think-tanks Politicians, political parties Media
LEARNING IN THE OMC – WHICH RESULTS
Faming for some governments Framing for NGOs, that also use the OMC
agenda as a political opportunity structure
Longitudinal perspective ESF, EES – case of spain
Selective use of the OMC agenda to fit priorities
Diverse interpretation of ideas – translation according to national norms, institutions and political priorities merits more attention
CONTEXTUALIZING THE OMC
CONCLUDING REMARKS 1
Economic and budgetary pressure for reform from DG ecfin, Ecofin, OECD, IMF, ECB, credit-rating agencies
Social priorities put forward by DG employment, employment and social affairs council, OECD
Institutional affiliation may be less important than their reform agendas and their power (conditionalities, money, political bite, consequences of non-compliance)
FIT MISFIT?
CONCLUDING REMARKS 2
Cumulative and conflictual influence of different actors, instruments
OMC has never been the single cause in a given ideational process, let alone in a given reform process
Necessary to consider policy coordination OMC within the process of domestic reform process
Scholarship on europeanization and comparative welfare state reform should come closer together and not move further apart
THE FUTURE OF THE OMC: EUROPE 2020
Lift 20 million people out of poverty by 2020 according to ”national poverty targets”
In some cases, no target; in others, target is not realistic; in others, there is no ambition
Poverty integrated into core lisbon strategy: this means not only social ministries, but also finance ministries need to address it
Flagship initiative in area of poverty Pensions and health care OMC to continue in
parallel