tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58484990108324050072024-03-13T02:05:08.405-07:00SIS Summer Abroad 2013: BrusselsUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger51125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848499010832405007.post-30307393164565888672013-08-08T12:52:00.002-07:002013-08-08T12:52:30.150-07:00Reflective/Retrospective PostSorry for the delay, I've been pretty busy and all over the place lately.<br />
<br />
My overall impression of my Brussels experience was positive (despite the horrendous weather for five of the six weeks). I really liked that we had three day weekends, it gave me many opportunities to travel. Jerry's lectures were really great, and he was nice enough to give Cassandra, Emily and myself a private tour of the Battle of the Bulge, and he even drove us the hour it took to get there and back for free!<br />
<br />
Although I like that the policy posts on the blog were all conducted over one weekend in one cluster, I thought it would have been easier to complete all the readings a week or two later, since we were still getting situated and had just completed a breathtaking week of travel, internship interviews, and internship orientations.<br />
<br />
As for the homestay experience, it was O.K. From talking to the other 9 students, I would rank my family as somewhere in the middle. Some families made their student lunch and dinner every day, while others were forgotten about or had to listen to family fights at 4 AM every morning. My family was not particularly warm, but they were polite for the most part. They did forget my dinner one night, but I also received one extra dinner several weeks later, so I suppose this balances out.<br />
<br />
With respect to my internship, again my feelings are mixed. I was frustrated that somehow I was the only grad student to not receive an interview with a member of parliament, while others who weren't even considering parliament received one or even two interviews there (though I'm happy for those that did wind up in parliament, and I know they did a really great job!). Also, the majority of the interviews I received were not fields I was interested in: I was hoping for something more directly related to the EU government. Though having completed this course, I now know how uncommon it probably is for EU internships to be granted to Americans. I think it would be helpful to tell incoming law students about the internships previous law students had received, to help them decide if they want to participate in the program.<br />
<br />
With regard to my particular internship, I really like the work Social Platform is doing, and I was able to work briefly on a few important projects. I also thought the staff was very warm and friendly, and I do think this was a worthwhile work experience. However, the Platform seemed a little unprepared for how short the internship was (this was their first 6 week summer intern experience). The first week was nearly a waste, since they were in the middle of several important meetings, and no one had time to set me up on any projects or show me much, so I spent most of that time sitting in on the meetings. Also, on slower days I was doing mundane tasks such as making copies and setting up tables for meetings. Though I didn't mind doing this kind of work as an undergrad, I'm now looking for more substantial work as a second year graduate/law student, particularly since I've paid for the flight and course and in time to be there and was working for free. I think it would be helpful in the future to stress to the employers before the student arrives that there are differences in expectations between an undergraduate and a graduate internship. Still, my overall impression of Social Platform was positive, and I did get to do some work on substantial projects, such as my financial inclusion analysis grid. If they were more prepared for the short timespan, I think this would solve many of the problems.<br />
<br />
Thank you for a great course and a great trip! This blog has been my favorite online classroom experience to date!<br />
<br />ryansomebodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02604313894274309793noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848499010832405007.post-52486752189181744672013-06-24T14:01:00.000-07:002013-06-24T14:01:08.335-07:00Reminder: Internship PortfoliosGreetings all,<br /><br />I hope that everything is going well as you enter the final week of your internships. It is amazing how time flies! <br /><br />I
just wanted to send along a quick reminder about the Internship
Portfolio assignment. As you wrap up your time in Brussels, it is an
excellent time to take stock of the materials that you have collected or
produced that could be included in the portfolio. In general, your
portfolio should be well-organized (a binder with sections & a table
of contents) and should provide some commentary or description of the
materials included. Beyond that, the key details are provided in the
assignment description on the course syllabus, so please make sure to
review the information in the
syllabus. As always, please don't hesitate to let me know if you have any questions. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I look forward to seeing your portfolios and reading about your work and experiences in Brussels!Aaron P. Boeseneckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02212235231012536861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848499010832405007.post-56634149544572007182013-06-17T14:59:00.002-07:002013-06-17T15:29:30.334-07:00Organizational Assessment: Social PlatformSocial Platform is a "Platform" or collection of more than 40 NGOs working together on social issues of common concern. I have now worked here for several weeks, and had the opportunity to observe the massive amount of coordination and organization that goes into something of this large size and diverse breadth of interests. My work here has varied quite a bit. It has included assisting with the transition to a newer website, researching and providing information on how the Platform can better use social media, English corrections on newsletters that are sent out to members, and analyzing Commission proposals and already existing directives while summarizing their relevance for discussion during steering group meetings (discussed below). Additionally, I have attended a Parliament meeting on a topic of interest to the Platform, financial inclusion, and written an article on it that was later published and sent to all the members as a part of a weekly news update.<br />
<br />
To provide a more clear overview on what Social Platform really is, it helps to first describe what its members do, as NGOs. NGO members are groups dedicated to raising awareness over some specific issue of political policy within the EU. They represent a wide variety of issues, from immigrant assimilation, to elderly discrimination, to disability awareness. Unlike charities, they do not seek to assist their target groups of people by gaining and distributing financial donations. Rather, they are closer to political lobbyists, seeking to influence emerging legislation, or change existing policies to benefit their people. An important distinction from lobbyists however is that NGOs generally seek to monitor and protect particular classes of (traditionally underprivileged) people, whereas lobbyists are usually seeking only to influence legislation to the benefit of the business that hired them.<br />
<br />
Social Platform's internal organization seeks to balance efficiency and clarity with diverse voices and interests. Only seven people work within the organizational office. They work constantly to communicate between members (NGOs) and garner support for whatever issue gradually emerges. This office (where I work) holds quarterly meetings with various "working groups" who meet to discuss issues that hold particular relevance to them. At these meetings, details about proposals to the Commission, Parliament and even the Council are hammered out, and decided on. Additional, new ideas are either proposed by the organizational office to members here, or by members themselves. Once this meeting is completed there will be an even less frequent "Steering Group" meeting, which consists of all 46 NGOs within social platform. Here, a vote is held on what to keep and what to remove from proposals, and a simple majority determines what will actually make it into the requests or proposals sent to the EU. These members all recognize the power of large numbers when seeking to influence the EU, and so hope to gain influence and insight from working together on issues of common concern.<br />
<br />
The main categories of policy that that Social Platform deals with are financial inclusion, equality and anti-discrimination, integration of migrants, fundamental rights, corporate social responsibility, services of general interest (public services), and of course whatever else may emerge. Some members have a stronger interest in particular fields over others (almost by definition, since they seek to protect a narrower group of people), and so they will voice their opinions at working group meetings more on issues that relate to them directly in a broad proposal. Currently, many members are pushing hard just to prevent money-saving cuts to social service funding during the ongoing financial crisis.<br />
<br />
Finally, because the EU values the input of the NGOs that Social Platform represents, the Commission actually provides the majority of the Platform's funding. Occasionally the Commission will request Social Platform's opinion on a particular proposed directive or regulation, and take it into consideration while assessing how legislation may impact underprivileged groups. The Platform requests funding from the Commission yearly, and income is further supplemented through donations and even renting out a large meeting room in the main office to NGOs for conferences.ryansomebodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02604313894274309793noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848499010832405007.post-65508021902586671482013-06-17T14:55:00.003-07:002013-06-17T14:55:44.306-07:00European Parliament-Organizational Assessment<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Working under MEP
Peter Stastny at the European Parliament, his office mainly focuses on
International Trade; specifically, my work thus far has consisted of economic
partnership agreements (EPA) with ACP (African, Caribbean, and Pacific)
countries and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership negotiations.
The constraints of the organization can be divided into two general categories:
the parliamentary level and the MEP level. The latter level is a small office
with four people trying to do everything which can lead to mild chaos at times;
there are numerous conferences and events to keep track of and to ensure that
the MEP must be prepared for that it is easy to get confused if one is
disorganized. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">On the European
Parliament level, the main struggle is trying to convince everyone that the MEP’s
views are valid enough that the majority will vote according to those views.
Mr. Stastny is a member of the Christian Democrats and so far has been in agreement
with the majority of the Parliament on the matters of international trade. These
past two weeks I have been working on speeches for the ACP conference that Mr.
Stastny will be attending and during my research I found with the EPA that it
is particularly difficult for this policy to be implemented due to the
instability in certain ACP countries that Mr. Stastny focuses on: Mali, Central
African Republic, and Guinea. The EPA proposes that it will aid in development for
these countries by opening the European market up to them but without domestic
security in place the EPA will not work for these countries at the moment; the
security issues are definitely a constraint on allowing this policy to see
fruition. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In this case, it is up to the
Parliament and the Commission to decide if they are to involve themselves in
the security matters of these countries. More discussions are occurring this
week about security in these countries and hopefully I will be to see how this
will impact future negotiations for an EPA in ACP countries. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">There is an addition
level to policy making in the European Parliament which is the state level but
so far that has not had much of an impact in my office. However, after hearing
a few speeches at different meetings I see that the state has an important role
in policy making just as the institutions that make up the European Union. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848499010832405007.post-21477016119882105182013-06-17T14:49:00.005-07:002013-06-17T14:49:59.553-07:00Organizational Assessment: European Parliament
<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-font-charset:78;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:1 134676480 16 0 131072 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-font-charset:78;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:1 134676480 16 0 131072 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:Cambria;
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1073743103 0 0 415 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:Baskerville;
panose-1:2 2 5 2 7 4 1 2 3 3;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-2147483549 0 0 0 507 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
mso-default-props:yes;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;
mso-header-margin:.5in;
mso-footer-margin:.5in;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
-->
</style>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Baskerville;">My
internship is at the European Parliament, which covers a variety of policy
areas. However, my MEP is a member of the Committee on the Internal Market and
Consumer Protection, so much of the work that my member and her assistants have
been working on, focus on the issues related to this committee. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Baskerville;">There
are many organizational constraints and organizational procedures that apply when
working within the European Parliament and addressing issues such as the
internal market. First, there are legal restrictions. As a member of the
European Parliament, my member and her office must follow legislative
procedures in order to accomplish something. There are also bureaucratic
structures that create constraints on what Mrs. Roithova and the European
Parliament would like to accomplish. Specifically, Mrs. Roithova has been the rapporteur
for updating eight product safety directives to bring them in line with the
Lisbon Treaty. As a result, she has been working with the European Commission
and European Council to negotiate a legislative package that would be accepted
by all three bodies. This process has taken over 18 months and has been
difficult at times, particularly in getting all three bodies to agree on
delegating and implementing acts. In order for a directive, or in this case a
set of directives, the Parliament, Council, and Commission, all have to agree.
From what I’ve witnessed within the technical meetings and trialogue concerning
these eight product safety directives, this is not an easy task.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Baskerville;">Not
only are there certain legal restrictions in place but political/party
structures can also create organizational constraints. My member of parliament
is part of the EPP Group, a political party within the European Parliament. The
EPP Group has working group meetings to discuss what
reports/directives/legislation they will support as well as what they will not
support. The EPP Group plays a role in what Mrs. Roithova can do and support as
a member of the EPP Group and as a member of the European Parliament, especially
in terms of policies concerning the internal market and consumer protection.
Mrs. Roithova and her office are also constrained by the state in which she
represents. As a MEP from the Czech Republic, Mrs. Roithova is a represented of
her country and is accountable to the people there through elections; yet, she
is expected to promote the ideals of the European Union. This can be a tough
balance and can create constraints on how far she might support certain reports
and initiatives concerning the internal market and consumer protection that are
good for the European Union as a whole, but may have negative consequences for
her own country.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Baskerville;">The
European Parliament’s organizational culture is best understood within the
context of what the Parliament is a part of as well as the people in which it
represents. As a result, the European Parliament is an organization focused on
creating and meeting the ideals set out in all previous treaties, now including
the Lisbon Treaty. This means focusing on creating one market within Europe.
However, the Parliament also represents the cultural diversity of the European
Community and, as a result, the Parliament must address those differences in
order to be successful. The most obvious example of these differences is
language, which has been addressed. For example, in committee meetings, where there
are 23 translators sitting in booths around the room, translating what is being
said. This is perhaps the easiest issue to address concerning organizational
culture. Other problems that may arise is lack of unity and disagreement on
what should be done or supported within the European Parliament, or the process
in which to accomplish something. </span></div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848499010832405007.post-80758329117757150412013-06-17T13:02:00.001-07:002013-06-17T13:02:22.199-07:00Organizational Assessment: Atlantic Treaty Association<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">I have been interning with the Atlantic Treaty Association.
The ATA is an NGO that works closely with NATO to promote the common values and
ideals of the Alliance through individual national chapters in over 30
countries. The ATA in Brussels is the General Secretariat of the organization
and therefore serves to promote and support its national chapters in a variety
of ways. The secretariat helps the chapters in promoting their events and often
suggesting projects they may be interested in completing. The office also
serves as the main liaison between the chapters and NATO headquarters. A very
large component of the ATA mission is to support and foster the youth community interested in international security and defense. The Youth Atlantic Treaty
Association (YATA) works very closely with ATA. <br />
<br />
ATA publishes a monthly newsletter, <i>Atlantic
Voices</i>, featuring articles by young academics, professionals, and
researchers on current topics in security and defense. I have been lucky enough
to help edit and publish the May and June editions of <i>Atlantic Voices</i> and am currently working on a piece that I hope
will make it into the July edition, the subject of which is Russia/NATO
relations. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">With respect to any organizational hiccups ATA encounters,
all that I've observed seem relatively minor (i.e. we can’t call Portugal or
Spain before 2pm, because no one is in the office) with one exception: some of
the chapters in Eastern Europe and the Caucuses have a lot of trouble working
to promote NATO ideals because they receive a lot of pressure from their
government to do otherwise. Specifically, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s
new “foreign agent” legislation makes daily operations of the Russian ATA
chapter extremely difficult. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Given that it has virtually no interaction or association
with the European Union, the closest the ATA gets to European policy is NATO
policy. Although, it is hard to consider the two close at all, as the European
(and most other non-US) perspective is that NATO is simply a US
strong-arm in Europe.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848499010832405007.post-54773167991396852062013-06-17T11:13:00.002-07:002013-06-17T11:14:13.854-07:00Organizational Assessment Blog Post<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>
<w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>
<w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
</w:Compatibility>
</w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276">
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Organizational Assessment Blog Post</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The organization I am interning with is called Security
Europe. Security Europe publishes
monthly publications on civil security developments in the EU and can also
provide clients with specified “trackers” – newsletters on a specific topic
i.e. cyber security. The main policy areas Security Europe
deals with are security and defense in the European Union.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As an intern, I have had quite a range of tasks. The principle role I’ve had so far
is attending events and taking notes.
I’ve attended events at the European Parliament, the European Defense
Agency, and a few speeches by politicians or security experts. In addition to attending events, I have
had to read final reports written for the EU Directorate of General Enterprise
and Industry and then summarize them into more concise stories that will be
published online and in print.
Recently, I helped to look at and reorganize Security Europe’s website
and have also been asked to do research into how to use social media to promote
the organization.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
From what I have seen, Security Europe does not have too
many organizational constraints despite only essentially having two full-time
employees, two part time workers, and two interns. But beyond best-case scenarios with a fleet of reporters and
perfect technical operations, I’m not sure what could really be done in terms
of the organization to make it function more efficiently. “Security” is a broad policy to
analyze, but it seems to me that it is specialized enough to allow for the
employees to go to most if not all relevant events and report on the
proceedings. With the right
connections, which my boss appears to have, there are not too many constraints
when it comes to getting access to relevant information.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In terms of connecting to the larger landscape of European
policy and politics, at the end of the day, Security Europe is essentially a
newsletter that seeks to inform rather than dictate or overtly influence
policy. However, I think there are
13,000 subscribers to the newsletter, so in that sense one might argue that
Security Europe’s interpretation of ongoing events could have some
ramifications in terms of informing people. That said, it’s hard to measure the influence of an
organization like Security Europe but I do think (from what I have seen) that
it has been effective in gaining followers and reporting on notable civil
security developments.</div>
<!--EndFragment-->Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848499010832405007.post-37540614289839972552013-06-14T10:08:00.002-07:002013-06-14T10:08:52.013-07:00Moving Forward on the EU Policy Analysis PaperI've enjoyed reading about your proposed topics for the EU Policy Analysis Paper, and I've also placed some comments/questions on each of your initial posts. Be sure to check back to your posts to read and respond to the comments/questions that I and others have posted there, as this feedback is important to consider as you refine your topic and continue your background research. In addition to the feedback that I provided on each of your posts, I also wanted to post a few general pieces of advice here to help you with the process of refining your topic and developing your policy analysis:<br />
<ul>
<li><u><b>Be specific in defining the policy problem or issue that will be the object of your analysis</b></u><b>.</b> Remember that the goal of a policy analysis is to develop a very specific account of either how a particular policy came about in the way that it did (historical policy analysis) or to provide prescriptive recommendations for a current policy problem (prescriptive policy analysis). Both require you to clearly specify the policy/problem at stake. In other words, a policy analysis paper does not "look at" a general issue, but rather <i>analyzes</i> a specific and well defined policy/problem.</li>
</ul>
<u><b></b></u><ul>
<li><u><b>Remember to research and use the academic literature</b></u> (theory!) on your <i>general</i> topic area (e.g. if I am studying EU intervention in Syria, then the general academic literature on interventions or on EU foreign policy will certainly be relevant). There may not be a great deal of academic literature on your specific policy problem, especially if it is a current or recent issue, but this does <i>not</i> mean the academic literature has nothing to offer for your analysis. In fact, it is <i>all the more important</i> to research and apply the theoretical and systematic understandings of similar problems when researching a current issue simply because specific information on your issue is likely to be limited and/or unreliable. Irrespective of whether you are conducting a historical or a prescriptive policy analysis, part of your task is to research and then apply the relevant theoretical understandings of your policy problem in order to develop a more systematic analysis (remember, a policy <i>analysis</i> is not a report or a current events paper!).</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><u><b>Follow steps of policy analysis discussed in the readings</b></u><b>!</b> Both the policy analysis handout and the chapter from Patton & Sawicki provide specific advice in terms of the types of information you need to collect for a good policy analysis as well as the specific steps to follow in developing that analysis. It will be essential to follow these steps as you conduct your analysis, which means paying attention to these steps now as you conduct your background research.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<ul>
<li><u><b>Don't wait until returning to the states to conduct your research</b></u>. You have the unique chance to collect primary and secondary source materials while in Brussels -- materials that you may not be able to access once you return to the U.S. -- so make sure to make the most of this opportunity.</li>
</ul>
I hope these tips are helpful. Please don't hesitate to contact me as Aaron P. Boeseneckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02212235231012536861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848499010832405007.post-42413475862413390642013-06-12T12:44:00.001-07:002013-06-12T12:44:38.292-07:00Organizational Assessment Blog PostGreetings all!<br />
<br />
Our next task will be to "zoom back in" to the work that we are doing in order to reflect on and discuss this work and the larger mission of your respective internship organizations. The instructions for the Organizational Assessment Blog Post are posted below (and are also posted to Blackboard). I look forward to reading about and discussing your experiences so far!<br />
<br />
-----<br />
<br />
<br />
This exercise offers you the chance to reflect on the work that you are
doing, how that work fits into the broader scope of activities for your
organization, and how concrete institutional and organizational features
of your organization and of the broader European policy space impact
your organization's work. <br /><br />In your post, you should identify the
main areas of policy that your organization addresses, and reflect on
how organizational constraints (e.g. budgets, legal restrictions,
bureaucratic structures, etc.), organizational procedures, and
organizational culture affect your organization's policies and its
ability to perform its stated tasks and goals. Your post should discuss
the specific work that your organization does as well as identify how
that work connects to the larger landscape of European policy and
politics. In doing so, your post should assess what your organization
does and how various aspects of its structure, culture, and procedures
impact or influence the organization's ability to accomplish it's
mission.<br /><br /><b>Your original post of approximately 250-500 words
should be posted to the SIS Brussels Blog by the end of the day (11:59
p.m. CET) on Monday, June 17.</b> After you have submitted your own
original post, you should provide comments/questions on the original
post of at least one other individual. Be sure to then check back and
respond to the questions/comments that you receive!
Aaron P. Boeseneckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02212235231012536861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848499010832405007.post-90878921743243823142013-06-11T02:03:00.000-07:002013-06-11T02:03:18.749-07:00Financial Inclusion; Access to Financial ServicesPotential Topic: Financial Inclusion; Access to Financial Services<br />
<br />
For my final paper, I would like to write about the pervasive issue of financial inclusion within the EU. Working at Social Platform, a platform of dozens of NGO's that are mainly service providers, I have now done quite a bit of research into this growing issue. A number of these NGO's focus specifically on ensuring access to basic financial services to underprivileged groups in order to combat the growing issue of financial exclusion. Presently, 30 <i>million</i> Europeans do not have access to a basic bank account (about 10 percent of Europe). Half of that number want access but are unable to obtain it due to constraints such as disability, complex banking protocols, and regional access issues. This problem has been of increasing importance in recent years, as physical cash transactions decline and increasingly a basic bank account becomes essential to obtaining a mortgage or loan, deposit work payments, make payments online, and to pay basic bills.<br />
<br />
Recently, the EU passed legislation that seeks to ensure that every member state guarantees that at least one banking company within its borders will provide a free basic bank account. However, the legislation is currently under criticism by some groups (many within Social Platform) for lacking 'teeth' and for failing to apply the right to a bank account to individual citizens (not every citizen has real access to the provided account if, for example, they live in a location far away from a branch of the designated bank providing the free basic account), among other problems.<br />
<br />
Specifically, I would like to do a prescriptive policy analysis paper that examines the issues, goals, and policy options, etc. behind universal access to basic financial services, such as a bank account, within the EU. I think this would be a good opportunity to talk about an important issue that rests, in part, on the level of authority given to the EU over member states to pass this kind of legislation.ryansomebodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02604313894274309793noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848499010832405007.post-84091278362121303922013-06-10T14:47:00.000-07:002013-06-10T14:47:11.915-07:00Policy Analysis Proposal: EU Arms to Syria<div class="MsoNormal">
In working with the Atlantic Treaty Association, I
do not work with the European Union in any direct capacity, however I have been
following the current international crisis posed by the Syrian civil war very
closely. By watching the news and discussing the conflict with coworkers and my
host family, I’ve been gaining a deeper understanding of the European position
toward western intervention in this conflict. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Recently, the EU decided to allow, with limitations, member
states to supply arms to Syrian rebel armies. This is a huge step in both the
Syrian conflict and in EU policy. Most interestingly, it speaks to the relationship
of EU versus member state power with regard to international security. Given
this, I would like to take a deeper look into where this decision came from and
how it came about. What I find most
interesting about this subject is that all players involved, whether it’s the
France, Britain, EU or Russia, all actors seem to be motivated first and
foremost by political potentials. I, personally, find this extremely
disappointing and would like to possibly present an alternative to this “political”
policy choice that may be more effective in terms of global security. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When given the opportunity, I would like to present a mix of
both historical and prescriptive policy analysis as I feel that this topic is
current enough that any prescription would require adequate background analysis
to be fully informed. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/28/us-syria-crisis-eu-idUSBRE94Q09320130528">http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/28/us-syria-crisis-eu-idUSBRE94Q09320130528</a><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://euobserver.com/foreign/120273">http://euobserver.com/foreign/120273</a><o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848499010832405007.post-9179348124505970342013-06-10T13:41:00.002-07:002013-06-10T13:44:43.891-07:00EU Policy Analysis Proposal: Asylum Policy<style>@font-face {
font-family: "MS 明朝";
}@font-face {
font-family: "MS 明朝";
}@font-face {
font-family: "Cambria";
}@font-face {
font-family: "Baskerville";
}p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Cambria; }p.MsoFootnoteText, li.MsoFootnoteText, div.MsoFootnoteText { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Cambria; }span.MsoFootnoteReference { vertical-align: super; }span.FootnoteTextChar { }.MsoChpDefault { font-family: Cambria; }div.WordSection1 { page: WordSection1; }</style>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Baskerville;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Within the general policy field of
immigration, the specific policy issue that I would like to analyze is asylum.
Asylum is a policy issue within Europe that needs to be addressed further by
the European Union. In 2012, there were about 330,000 asylum applicants that
were registered in countries within the European Union.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5848499010832405007#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">[1]</span></span></span></span></a>
Events such as the conflict in Syria or the Arab Spring, creates a major
challenge for countries and overstretches their asylum capacities. Those
seeking asylum particularly burden member countries that border non-EU member
countries. The inconsistency within the European Union is not only burdensome
for the member countries but makes the process difficult for those seeking
asylum.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Baskerville;">At
the moment, there is no common asylum policy despite the fact that many
European leaders have called on the European Union to develop policies on immigration and
asylum so that the process for immigrants and asylum seekers to obtain entry
into all European Union member states are harmonized. The European Pact on Immigration and Asylum
is really the only significant piece of legislation passed by the European
Union on asylum, and it does nothing to accomplish the task. However, a new asylum
policy is in the works within the European Union and the Parliament will debate
on the new rules already agreed upon by the national governments and Parliament on
June 11, with the expectation of approval on June 12.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5848499010832405007#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">[2]</span></span></span></span></a>
These new rules are intended to harmonize the procedures and basic rights
across all countries. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Baskerville;">My
policy analysis will define the current policy problem of asylum and will
evaluate policy options for addressing the issue of harmonizing asylum policy
within the EU against certain criteria. This type of analysis will be
prescriptive.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Baskerville;">Reference for Topic:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Baskerville; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Pirjola, Jari. "European Asylum Policy – Inclusions and
Exclusions under the Surface of Universal Human Rights Language." <i>European
Journal Of Migration & Law</i> 11, no. 4 (October 2009): 347-366. <i>Academic
Search Premier</i>, EBSCO<i>host</i> (accessed June 10, 2013).</span><span style="font-family: Baskerville;"></span></div>
<div style="mso-element: footnote-list;">
<br clear="all" />
<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<div id="ftn1" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5848499010832405007#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: Baskerville;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">[1]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: Baskerville;"> </span><span style="font-family: Baskerville; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"Common European Asylum System:
What's at Stake?" <i>European Parliament</i>. N.p., 7 June 2013. Web. 10
June 2013.</span><span style="font-family: Baskerville;"></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn2" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5848499010832405007#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: Baskerville;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">[2]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: Baskerville;"> </span><span style="font-family: Baskerville; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"Common European Asylum System:
What's at Stake?" <i>European Parliament</i>. N.p., 7 June 2013. Web. 10
June 2013.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848499010832405007.post-67678196887425168752013-06-10T07:13:00.001-07:002013-06-10T07:13:04.273-07:00Policy Analysis Proposal: EU Enlargment Policy<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">For my policy paper I want to discuss a particular section
of the EU’s membership criteria of the it’s enlargement policy: “stable
institutions guaranteeing democracy, the rule of law, human rights and respect
for and protection of minorities.” I want to analyze this policy against the
backdrop of the Cyprus accession into the EU on May1, 2004. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An ethnically divided island between the Greek
and Turkish peoples, Cyprus has been one of the longest running conflicts that
have been unsuccessfully mediated and negotiated; Cyprus’s accession without
unification was made possible and the island became a full member state in the
EU but only represented by the Greek Cypriots. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Looking at this specific policy, the puzzle it seems is that
there does not appear to be a clear definition of certain terms in this policy
which has allowed for controversial enlargement such as Cyprus. This policy is
a condition to which countries, mainly those under previous Soviet control,
must adhere to if they wish to seek membership into the EU; however, this
policy has led to a controversial accession and I think it is worth analyzing to
ensure that the policy is sound.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Here is a short examination of the aftermath of the
accession of Cyprus into the EU: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Today, the northern Cypriot government, the TNRC, is only
recognized by Turkey, while the EU and all other countries recognize the
Republic of Cyprus as the only legitimate government for the whole island.
However, the Republic of Cyprus only controls the southern Greek portion of the
state while the northern government, which is seen as a Turkish military
occupation zone by the EU, is controlled by the Turkish Cypriots. So by virtue,
the north is considered to be under the rule of the Republic of Cyprus, but
since the EU views the north as a Turkish military zone, it is exempt from EU
legislation. The European Parliament allocates seats based on the population of
a state; in Cyprus’ case, the EP gives seats based on the entire Cyprus island
population but only to the southern Cyprus individuals. In essence, the Greek
Cypriots are have more leverage in the parliament because of the Turkish
Cypriot population but does not allocate any benefits or power to them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<a href="http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/can-this-be-a-new-start-for-cyprus.aspx?pageID=238&nID=41849&NewsCatID=416"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Times New Roman;">http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/can-this-be-a-new-start-for-cyprus.aspx?pageID=238&nID=41849&NewsCatID=416</span></a><o:p></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848499010832405007.post-35768920050119633452013-06-06T12:31:00.000-07:002013-06-06T12:36:08.054-07:00Policy Analysis Paper Topic ProposalsGreetings all,<br />
<br />
Our next task for the academic part of the program is to start thinking about potential topics for your EU Policy Analysis paper. For this exercise you should post to this blog a post of
250-500 words describing the policy area and policy problem that you
propose to analyze for the EU Policy Analysis Paper. <u>Remember to review
the assignment requirements (posted to the Assignments area on
Blackboard) as well as the comments, questions, and wrap-up posts that I've placed on this blog as you think about potential topics</u>. In general, you should
be searching for a policy problem that is <i>puzzling</i> in some sense
(whether in the substance of the policy, the outcome of the policy
process, the way in which the policy doesn't line up our theories of
European integration, etc.) such that it demands analysis and
explanation. <br />
<br />
In your post, you should remember to state the following:<br />
<ul>
<li>The general policy field and the specific policy problem/issue that you are proposing to analyze.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>The type of policy analysis proposed: historical or a prescriptive.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>A reference to at least one source that you have found so far concerning the proposed topic.</li>
</ul>
<u>Your
post detailing your topic proposal should be posted to the SIS Brussels
Blog by the end of the day (11:59 p.m. EST) on Monday, June 10.</u> <u>You should then provide comments or questions on the post of at least one other individual.</u>Aaron P. Boeseneckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02212235231012536861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848499010832405007.post-83269384076887265322013-06-06T04:05:00.002-07:002013-06-10T07:30:32.470-07:00Policy Analysis Topic Proposal<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>
<w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>
<w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
</w:Compatibility>
</w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276">
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">In
the course of my internship thus far, I have had the opportunity to attend a
number of events related to security and defense issues in the EU. For example, last week I went to an
event called “Safeguarding Defense Technology” with the European Defense Agency
and a working group meeting at the EU parliament called “The Future of European
Security and Defense Policy.” I
have also been required to do readings related to defense technologies and
policies through the internship program.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Of
the numerous issues that have come up in the meetings I have attended and
readings I have done, one of the ones I find most interesting relates to the
EU’s Common Security and Defense Policy (CSDP). A broad attempt to examine and analyze the policy writ large
would likely be beyond the scope of the paper we are required to write. However, in many cases, I have often
encountered a great deal of pessimism and tension when it comes to issues of
security, with some officials arguing that there are problems with
burden-sharing and identifying what issues are truly “common.”<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">For
my policy analysis paper, I think it would be interesting to examine the extent
of the EU’s intervention in Mali.
Specifically, the paper would examine, from a practical standpoint, what
challenges the French faced and the successes they have had in spearheading the
intervention in Mali within the framework of the EU and CSDP. As per the Patton and Sawicki article,
the paper should have two broad sections, the first a retrospective analysis
and the second an evaluation to see if the purposes of the policy were
met. Because the conflict in Mali
is still ongoing, the second section may briefly move into the hypothetical and
highlight some possibilities for the EU moving forward.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In terms of sourcing for the paper, as the conflict in Mali is a relatively recent event I will likely principally rely on publications from newspapers, think tanks, and research groups rather than academic journals. I will try to conduct my own analysis and draw conclusions from facts presented in the articles and reports I read.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">That said, there have been some journal articles published that may well be of use. For example, there is an article in a journal called “Survival” entitled “A Surprising Little War: First Lessons of Mali.” This article provides a good, albeit brief, synopsis of events leading up to the conflict in Mali and will be of use in constructing context for the content of the paper.</span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">With
the intervention of Mali as a case study and using the steps outlined by Patton
and Sawicki, I will identify and describe the problems states within the EU
have and may continue to face in articulating and acting upon “common” security
concerns. I will then evaluate
France’s intervention in Mali and identify areas where alternative policies
were possible and examine what avenues France pursued in working through the
EU. Finally, I will write a brief
analytical synopsis that highlights some potential directions for the CSDP,
particularly as it pertains to foreign interventions, moving forward.</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848499010832405007.post-10978877029833443552013-06-03T13:21:00.000-07:002013-06-03T13:21:46.151-07:00Bringing Theory, Practice, and Analysis TogetherI've enjoyed the posts on the theoretical foundations for the study of European integration as well as the application of these theories and the analytical framework for policy analysis to the debate concerning the Single European Act and the creation of the Common Market. I've posted comments/questions to your various posts, so be sure to check back to the posts below to respond to both my questions and the comments/questions of your classmates. I wanted to take a moment here to provide some overarching comments and questions as well (you should make sure to reply/comment to this post with your thoughts on these comments/questions!).<br />
<br />
First, as most of you noted, it was interesting to see how each person had their own "favorite" in terms of the competing accounts for the SEA. This is also not surprising, though, as we often follow our own assumptions about the way the world work (even unconsciously) when evaluating evidence and analyzing politics/policy. In fact, cognitive scientists have shown that humans in general are much more likely to accept as "fact" evidence that conforms to their existing assumptions (even if that evidence is questionable or demonstrably false) and much more likely to reject evidence that challenges their existing assumptions (even when that evidence is sound and verifiable). <u>This is precisely why knowing both the overarching theoretical frameworks and the specific tools/steps of the policy analysis process is so critical: these tools allow us to challenge and step beyond our preconceived notions and to conduct a thorough and reasonably objective analysis rather than an impressionistic one!</u> So as you evaluate the various accounts of the SEA, where (with specific reference to the policy analysis steps) is each article strong/weak? Can you find evidence across the three articles to fill in the required material for each of the policy analysis steps such that you have, as an analyst, an account of what "really" happened?<br />
<br />
With respect to each of the three accounts to the SEA, I think it is especially important to pay attention to how well each author meets the criteria of their own theories (internal validity) in their analysis. For instance:<br />
<ul>
<li>Moravscik's liberal intergovernmentalism tells us that the domestic policy preferences of key constituencies (farmers, business leaders, pensioners, public employees, etc.) are critical. Does he demonstrate that these groups held preferences for a common market, and that they were able to articulate and aggregate these preferences into a common position for state leaders? </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Garrett adopts an even more explicitly rationalist approach than Moravscik in his account..but what about the idea that the key assumptions of rational political actors are often not met in reality (as is discussed in the policy analysis handout)? </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Sandholtz and Zysman emphasize the international environment, so how well do they present concrete evidence that this environment was what key actors were considering (above and beyond the domestic interests of various constituencies in the member states)?</li>
</ul>
For all of the accounts (and for your own policy analysis work) we want to make sure to pay attention to the <i><u>actors</u></i> involved as well as the <i><u>timeline</u></i> and <i><u>process</u></i>. Who were the key actors? When did different actors engage in the process or influence the process? For example, who was the actor / who were the actors that proposed a common market in the 1980s?<br />
<br />
As a final general comment, I'd also point out that the three articles themselves are not (strictly) policy analysis pieces. They are more thorough theoretical and empirical explanations of the SEA, demonstrating how the theories we have examined can be brought to bear on a concrete policy issue/problem. Thus, each article offers us the theoretical and empirical material to conduct *our own* policy analysis, which is really the task here (and will be the task in your policy analysis paper). Although Garrett's article resembles the structure of a policy analysis, this isn't necessarily the aim of these three articles. Instead, taking the evidence from all three articles, we want to use the tools of policy analysis described in the readings to determine "what really happened" with respect to the SEA.<br />
<br />
I look forward to your questions/comments and to the continued discussion! Aaron P. Boeseneckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02212235231012536861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848499010832405007.post-31512220004446386832013-06-02T08:01:00.001-07:002013-06-02T08:07:24.482-07:00EU Policy analysis: The Single European Act<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">The
passage of the SEA and creation of the Single Market were complex undertakings
that necessarily have created varying theoretical accounts of how and why they
were successful, and what motivated their creation. The three articles assigned
all have accounts that vary depending on which theoretical school they adhered
to in their analysis.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">The
first article by Maravcsik states the goal of the SEA to be the removal of
internal frontiers and barriers to trade and the movement of people across
borders, as set forth in the EC 1985 Commission White Paper (Moravcsik, 19). He
focuses extensively and almost exclusively on the motivations and negotiations of the Council members
and European leaders in bargaining over the Act. He concludes that this
negotiation resulted in an SEA that was a "new approach" to old
financial problems and resulted in a streamlined decision making process. He
rejects the view that institutional reforms were the result of any kind of
"elite alliance" between European business interest groups (as put forth in the Sandholz article discussed below) and EC
officials and instead emphasizes that it stemmed from a desire of the Heads of
State to solidify their domestic interests in an intergovernmental
institutionalist framework (Moravcsik, 20). I personally found this article to
be overly focused on the Heads of State actors in the bargaining process
(though I understand that he seems to be trying to move away from the more traditional
analysis of the SEA as stemming soley from bargaining between elites and EC
members). He rejects the notion that the SEA demonstrates a rebirth or
vindication of neofunctionalism and advocates instead an intergovernmental
institutionalistic approach (Moravcisk, 56). This intergovernmental approach does not match with my own analytical framework preference, since it underemphasizes the importance of non-state actors and does not look at the bigger, global picture and market pressures. Although Moravcsik also offers
little analysis on the actual implementation of the SEA he does extensively
cover the domestic government's motivations for selecting its policy stances.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">In my opinion, the
second article by Garrett is slightly more logically sound. It notes as well that the SEA's goal was the removal of
non-tarrif barriers to trade. Garrett also covers more extensively than Moravcsik
what are the implications of a new, Single European market, and the streamlined
legislative process stemming from the introduction of qualified majority voting
in the Council of Ministers. (Garrett, 536). I agree with his functionalist
approach to an extent, but I also think that it does not highlight enough the
pressures of constituents on their leaders domestically nor the special
interests lobbied by businesses in support of fewer barriers to trade. He seems
to agree with Moravcsik's view that the ultimate form of the internal market is
dominated by the most powerful countries like Germany and France, a view that I think is accurate (Garrett, 560).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">The
third article by Sandholz and Zysman provided the most logically sound
analysis, in my opinion. This article focused more extensively than the
previous two on what the actual implications of the SEA are and the current
issues it faces. They cast the EU market in a more global perspective, along with the
American and Asian markets. They stress that Europeans must show a more
"coherent political presence" on the world stage if they are to compete
in the <i>world</i> economy. (Sandholz, 127). I think this analysis is more practical
and applicable to real world problems that emerge, and I like that it casts the
EU Single Market not in terms of itself alone, but in terms of a larger,
shifting global economy, which undoubtedly has an influence today in the
desired level of eventual EU integration. Contrary to Moravcsik, they emphasize
the role of elites and business lobbyist pressures for less economic barriers
between borders (though they note these groups are unlikely to retain this role
in the future). (Sandholz, 127-8).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br /></span></div>
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
<w:UseFELayout/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="276">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0in;
mso-para-margin-right:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0in;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-language:JA;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<!--EndFragment--><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">My
favorite aspect of the Sandholz and Zysman analysis is that it dismisses the
importance of many competing analytical frameworks seeking to understand the
SEA. They seem to reject adhering to any one particular theoretical framework,
and instead analyze the complex real world pressures on and implications of the
SEA. Studying these various frameworks and how they are continually surpassed by
newer ones seeking to explain some new developmental shift has left me
unconvinced that they are necessarily the most useful tool for understanding EU
integration, its policies, or its implications. As put forth in this article,
"In the end, it is not a matter of which (theoretical analysis) is better,
but of whether the right questions are being asked." (Sandholz, 127).</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
ryansomebodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02604313894274309793noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848499010832405007.post-37820153112089315972013-06-02T07:55:00.001-07:002013-06-02T07:56:05.050-07:00Policy Analysis: Single European Act<div class="MsoNormal">
After exploring the articles presented by Moravcsik, Sandholtz
& Zysman, and Garrett, I feel that the account of the Single European Act
presented by Geoffrey Garrett offers the best policy analysis. Both the
Moravcsik and Sandholtz &Zysman articles are very heavy on theory and spend
a lot of time discussing the bargaining process involved in the SEA, but their
analysis lacked any structure even similar to that offered in the policy
analysis materials available to us. In contrast, the Garrett article presented an analysis that
follows a structure generally similar to what I was expecting. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Garrett first discussed the motivations for EC member state
interest in a single market using an in depth explanation of the situation as
it is similar to the prisoner’s dilemma. An integrated internal market will
only benefit all parties if everyone is aware that no other actor can swindle
the system. Because there is no reliable way for all the EC member states to be
constantly aware of each other’s behavior the implementation of the single
market required supranational institutions to monitor the internal market for
any rule-breakers (557). <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Garrett does not offer much explanation in terms of
implementation of the internal market as not much is really needed (directives,
once accepted, become national law), however he does discuss how, why and by
whom the policy was shaped. The two largest countries: France and Germany, had
the most influence during negotiations, and thus the policy itself is
representative of their preferences (support of universal recognition of
national standards and opposition to deregulation of national economies) (554).
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Unfortunately, one major part of the analysis is missing in
Garrett’s article: an evaluation. He spends quite a bit of time discussing the
legal implications of the Single European Act but hardly touches on any
overarching takeaways from this major event. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Considering that the evaluation of the policy after it has
been implemented is possibly the most important part of a policy analysis,
particularly a historical policy analysis, it is very disappointing that
Garrett does not go into greater detail here. With that in mind, I maintain that
the Garrett article was a better representation of the Single European Act; its
formation and its influence in the history of the European Union. <o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848499010832405007.post-22408709796420790732013-06-02T07:36:00.002-07:002013-06-02T07:42:50.539-07:00Policy Analysis: Single European Market<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-font-charset:78;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:1 134676480 16 0 131072 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-font-charset:78;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:1 134676480 16 0 131072 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:Cambria;
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1073743103 0 0 415 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:Baskerville;
panose-1:2 2 5 2 7 4 1 2 3 3;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-2147483549 0 0 0 507 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
p.MsoListParagraph, li.MsoListParagraph, div.MsoListParagraph
{mso-style-priority:34;
mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
margin-top:0in;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:.5in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-add-space:auto;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
p.MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst, li.MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst, div.MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst
{mso-style-priority:34;
mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-type:export-only;
margin-top:0in;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:.5in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-add-space:auto;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
p.MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle, li.MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle, div.MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle
{mso-style-priority:34;
mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-type:export-only;
margin-top:0in;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:.5in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-add-space:auto;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
p.MsoListParagraphCxSpLast, li.MsoListParagraphCxSpLast, div.MsoListParagraphCxSpLast
{mso-style-priority:34;
mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-type:export-only;
margin-top:0in;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:.5in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-add-space:auto;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
mso-default-props:yes;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;
mso-header-margin:.5in;
mso-footer-margin:.5in;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
/* List Definitions */
@list l0
{mso-list-id:320159013;
mso-list-type:hybrid;
mso-list-template-ids:-862278022 352862016 67698713 67698715 67698703 67698713 67698715 67698703 67698713 67698715;}
@list l0:level1
{mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
margin-left:.75in;
text-indent:-.25in;}
@list l0:level2
{mso-level-number-format:alpha-lower;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
margin-left:1.25in;
text-indent:-.25in;}
@list l0:level3
{mso-level-number-format:roman-lower;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:right;
margin-left:1.75in;
text-indent:-9.0pt;}
@list l0:level4
{mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
margin-left:2.25in;
text-indent:-.25in;}
@list l0:level5
{mso-level-number-format:alpha-lower;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
margin-left:2.75in;
text-indent:-.25in;}
@list l0:level6
{mso-level-number-format:roman-lower;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:right;
margin-left:3.25in;
text-indent:-9.0pt;}
@list l0:level7
{mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
margin-left:3.75in;
text-indent:-.25in;}
@list l0:level8
{mso-level-number-format:alpha-lower;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
margin-left:4.25in;
text-indent:-.25in;}
@list l0:level9
{mso-level-number-format:roman-lower;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:right;
margin-left:4.75in;
text-indent:-9.0pt;}
ol
{margin-bottom:0in;}
ul
{margin-bottom:0in;}
</style>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Baskerville;">Objective</span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Baskerville;">The
following analysis will outline the complex events that led to the Single
European Act, following closely the Moravcsik article, which provides a logical
sound account of the Single European Act. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Baskerville;">The Problem</span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Baskerville;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The creation of the European Community
was built on the idea of creating a more integrated Europe, particularly in
terms of the economy and security. However, up until the approval of the Single
European Act, members within the European Community were unhappy about the lack
of free trade between them. Thus, it was assumed that completion of the single
market would lead to an economically stronger Europe. Up until the approval of
the Single European Act in 1986, there were many issues facing the European
Community that needed to be addressed, such as “comprehensive liberalization of
trade in services and the removal of domestic regulations that act as nontariff
barriers” (Moravcsik, 19-20). The need for the completion of the European
Community’s internal market was spurred on by the growing “trade dependence of
the European economies” along with the past decade of declining and poor
economic performances (Garrett, 538).<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It
was assumed that if all of the barriers for the movement of capital, goods, and
people were removed among the member states, that the transaction costs would
decrease and economies of scale would increase (Sandholtz & Zysman, 95).
Thus, the policy problem was how an agreement would be made between the twelve
member states, particularly France, Germany, and Britain, in order to address
these problems.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Baskerville;">Goal</span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Baskerville;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>To come up with a policy
option that will further European integration through the forming of a single
internal market as well as address procedural reform.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Baskerville;">Criteria for Evaluation</span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Baskerville;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The policies addressing the single
market issue for the European Community had to meet the following criteria:</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Baskerville; mso-fareast-font-family: Baskerville;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Baskerville;">Viability
– operationally, politically, and economically</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Baskerville; mso-fareast-font-family: Baskerville;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Baskerville;">Removal of
barriers for the movement of (Sandholtz & Zysman, 95):</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Baskerville; mso-fareast-font-family: Baskerville;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">a.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Baskerville;">Capital</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Baskerville; mso-fareast-font-family: Baskerville;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">b.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Baskerville;">Goods</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 1.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Baskerville; mso-fareast-font-family: Baskerville;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">c.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Baskerville;">Persons</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Baskerville;">In
order for policymakers to take a policy option seriously, that policy has to be
operationally, politically, and economically viable. The European Community is
complex in that it is comprised of many member states; thus, a policy solution
must be able to be carried out by the member states without creating negative
side-affects. In addition, because the European Community is made up of many
member states, each state has its own political agenda and wants to protect its
sovereignty and economy. Consequently, any policy solution has to be
politically viable – all member states have to be able to agree to the solution
– and for that to happen, member states have to perceive the policy solution
has something that will be in their best interest economically.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Baskerville;">The
second criterion for evaluation is perhaps difficult to quantify; however, it
is the main goal of the member states. By removing these barriers, a single
internal market will be created. Any policy option that removes these barriers
is a possible solution to the policy problem.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Baskerville;">Policy Options:</span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Baskerville;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Three member states were the main
actors that played a role in the designing of policy: France, Germany, and
Britain. Each of these states had a different proposal on how to address the
policy problem.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Baskerville;">Status
Quo</span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Baskerville;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Concerning economic intervention of
the internal market, the status quo gave way to national protection while voting
in Councils of Ministers would require a unanimous vote and the option of
national vetoes.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Baskerville;">Britain</span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Baskerville;">Concerning economic intervention of the
internal market, Britain was in favor of “pervasive deregulation of national
regimes” by the European Commission (Garrett, 543). As for voting in Council
Ministers, Britain was for “unanimity voting with informal qualified majority
rule” (Garrett, 543).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Baskerville;">France</span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Baskerville;">Concerning economic intervention of the
internal market, France supported reregulation at the European Commission level
as well as “maintenance of elements of national regimes”(Garrett, 543). As for
voting in Council Ministers, France was for “qualified majority rule” (Garrett,
543).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Baskerville;">Germany</span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Baskerville;">Concerning economic intervention of the
internal market, Germany also supported reregulation at the European Commission
level as well as “maintenance of elements of national regimes”(Garrett, 543).
As for voting in Council Ministers, like France, Germany was for “qualified
majority rule” (Garrett, 543).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Baskerville;">Single
European Act</span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Baskerville;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The Single European Act was drafted
with the goal of implementing the European Commission’s White Paper and parts
of the Dooge report. The Commission’s White Paper was comprised of nearly 279
proposals, which called for a “less invasive form of liberalization whereby
only minimal standards would be harmonized” (Moravcsik, 20). In addition, it
created a timetable and a program for the completion of a single internal
market (Sandholtz & Zysman, 114). The Dooge report contained several
proposals such as the liberalization of insurance and transport services, open
public procurement, and common EC standards (Moravcsik, 39). However, the
ultimate goal of the Single European Act was to further European integration
and the “completion of the internal market” (Sandholtz & Zysman, 95). Along
with creating a single internal market, the Single European Act aimed to
produce a collaborative legislative process, allowing for qualified majority
voting (Garrett, 548).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Baskerville;">Implementation</span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Baskerville;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Responsibility for implementation
for the Single European Act would fall onto the European Community as a whole
as well as each individual member state. Implementation is not simple,
particularly with the growth of the European Community. Furthermore, the
complex legislative system created within the European Community between the
Commission, Council, and Parliament, means that there are a variety of actors
that are in charge of overseeing the implementation of this policy as well as
their own point of view on how that should be done. It is for these reasons
that how further European integration will be achieved, particularly in terms
of a single internal market, has to be continually re-evaluated.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Baskerville;">Evaluation</span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Baskerville;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The Single European Act has been,
for the most part, operationally, politically, and economically viable. It was
approved and ratified by all the member states and it has worked towards the
goal of creating a single internal market. Though it has been amended, it
represents an important step forward in getting rid of all barriers for the
movement of goods, people, and capital.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Baskerville;">Conclusion:</span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Baskerville;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The Single European Act was an
important piece of legislation that addressed the issues that were keeping the
European Community from completely integrating into a single market.
Moravcsik’s article provides the most logically sound account of the Single
European Act by providing a history of the negotiating process and how a
compromise was made. Furthermore, Moravcik’s article interprets the
negotiations through the various interested actors and interest groups and
applies the different theories to the negotiating process. This provides a
clear picture of what the expectation was for those interested in a policy
solution.</span></div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848499010832405007.post-87934877813374071822013-06-02T06:26:00.000-07:002013-06-02T06:26:01.186-07:00Historical Policy Analysis<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">The three articles all touch on the idea that the
most powerful/elite actors played key roles during the process of finalizing
the SEA but I found Moravcsik’s article to be the most compelling; however, some
aspects of this article were not well articulated. The article proposes that through
intergovernmental institutionalism, the role of supranational institutions in strengthening
“existing interstate bargains as the foundation for renewed integration” (56) was
dominant in finalizing the SEA. Moreover that European integration stems from
the states and their relative power in the EU. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">The three principles of intergovernmental institutionalism
are as follows: 1). Intergovernmentalism is the expression of state interests
at the national level, meaning the interests of the state are influenced at the
domestic level not the international level 2). Lowest-common-denominator
bargaining is that of the dominant state interests 3). The protection of
sovereignty seeks to maintain state sovereignty without much loss to the supranational
organization (Marovcsik 25-26). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Moravcsik explains the three nationalistic goals by the dominant
states that lead to the overall approval of the SEA. Historically, Germany has profited
“directly from economic integration” (29); France moved forward for political
reasons as France’s term for EC presidency happened to come around at the time
of negotiations; and Britain was in favor of liberalizing the market so long as
the budgetary issues were resolved to their liking.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Through Weiner’s policy analysis guide I believe that this
theory effectively describes the account of the SEA. As Marovcsik explains, there
were three supranational factors that consistently recurred in EC reforms and
thus lead to the successful passage of the SEA in 1986: “pressures from EC
institutions; lobbying by transnational business interest groups; and the
political entrepreneurship of the Commission” (21). </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
Where Moravcsik struggled was in the definition of the problem as to why the SEA was sought.
The issue that lead to the passage of the SEA was not
explicitly defined as did the other two articles. According to the findings of Sanholtz &
Zysman and Garrett, the catalyst for reforms was the perceived decline
of American economic dominance (particularly in technology) and the rise of Asian
economies, specifically Japan. Clearly further research needs to be done to incorporate definitions of catalysts and domestic policy implications on the international level. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
</div>
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848499010832405007.post-61266294744592606472013-06-02T05:06:00.001-07:002013-06-02T05:08:01.478-07:00Policy Analysis<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>
<w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>
<w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
</w:Compatibility>
</w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276">
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: #343434; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">There are a number of different types of policy analysis to
potentially use. In the case of
examining the passage of the Single European Act (SEA) and the creation of the
Single Market, events that have already happened, analysis entails what Patton
refers to as “descriptive” or “ex post” policy analysis (Patton, 19). There are two key components of
descriptive policy analysis, the first being “retrospective analysis” which is
the “description and interpretation of past policies.” (Patton, 19) The second part of descriptive policy
analysis is evaluative, which seeks to examine if the “purposes of the policy”
were met. (Patton, 19) Patton
further identifies six steps to follow in the basic policy analysis process:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #343434; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1)<span style="font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #343434; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">Verify,
Define, and Detail the Problem<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">2)<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Establish evaluation criteria<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">3)<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Identify alternative policies<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">4)<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Evaluate alternative policies<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">5)<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Display and select among alternative
policies<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">6)<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Monitor policy outcomes<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">In identifying
which article provides the most logically sound account of the SEA, Patton’s
framework is useful to provide a framework for evaluation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">In
the first article, Moravcsik argues that the European community “reform rested
on interstate bargains between Britain, France, and Germany.” (Moravcsik, 21) He also points out that there were a
number of important preconditions to facilitate changes including “the
convergence of economic policy prescriptions of the ruling party coalitions”
and the “negotiating leverage that France and Germany gained by exploiting the
threat of creating a ‘two-track’ Europe and excluding Britain from it.”
(Moravscik, 21) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Moravscik
argues that intergovernmental institutionalism is the best explanatory
theory. Intergovernmental
institutionalism places a certain degree of emphasis on the importance of
supranational organizations in cementing existing interstate bargains as the
foundation for integration, but also notes that the main source of integration
lies in the interests of the states themselves. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Intergovernmental
institutionalism is “based on three principles: intergovernmentalism,
lowest-common-denominator bargaining, and strict limits on future transfers of
sovereignty.” (Moravschik, 25) Intergovernmentalism refers to the idea that the expression
of state political interest is done at the domestic or national level. Lowest-common-denominator bargaining
means that bargaining “tends to converge toward the lowest common denominator
large state interests.” (Moravschik, 26.)
Finally, the strict limits on the future transfers of sovereignty refers
to states seeking to prevent large losses of sovereignty to a supranational
organization.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Sandholtz
and Zysman primarily focus their article on the importance of economic bases of
power. They argue that “a real
shift in the distribution of economic power resources” caused changes within
the EU. Generally speaking, the
authors portray increases of economic capabilities in Asia as a catalyst for
change. The rise of Asia
necessitated that the European states cooperate economically to remain globally
relevant. Furthermore, Sandholtz
and Zysman also argue that the “failure of national strategies for economic
growth and the transformation of the left in European politics” led to more
European-level, market-oriented solutions. (Sandholtz, 108) Thus, it was a combination of changes
inherent to European states as well as international shifts that resulted in
the passage of SEA and the Single Market.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Garret
presents a more eclectic argument than Moravcsik and Sandholtz/Zysman, writing
that his “study…draws on several approaches developed in other areas, including
those based on spatial theories of political competition and those focusing on
bargaining games, the effects of incomplete information, and the dynamics of
incomplete contracting.” (Garret, 536)
Using these tools, Garret seeks to answer questions surrounding the
dynamics of the EU’s internal market, power structures, and institutions. Garret points out that authors
like Sandholtz and Zysman could be mistaken in attributing the passage of SEA
to the rise of other powers like Asia and argues that the EU could have written
a number of alternative policy prescriptions. Garret places a greater degree of emphasis on the role of
power politics and how stronger states are able to exert their will within the
EU.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> In
using Patton’s policy analysis tools, I found the arguments of Sandholtz and Zysman
to be the most logically sound, although others might disagree with me. I thought that they clearly outlined
and described an issue (shifting balances of economic power) and established
how and why the EU decided to act.
The authors did a good job coherently laying out, in methodical and
clear manner, their approach and articulating the circumstances that allowed
for the passage of SEA. Garret’s
point is well taken in that there were other possible policy options, but in
terms of explaining what happened, I thought Sandholtz and Zysman did a nice
job.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848499010832405007.post-87589165522376069732013-06-01T08:20:00.002-07:002013-06-01T08:20:37.056-07:00EU Theory of Integration<div class="MsoNormal">
In general, theory serves to help a researcher step back and
examine trends. It is a way to succinctly record macro-level observations, in
this case, regarding European integration. However, in the case of
international relations theory, the subject changes so rapidly that many
theories are often outdated. Thus, theory is often used as a framework for
analysis. In comparing current situations to past theories, conclusions and inferences
can be drawn from any observed changes.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
With regard to European integration, there have been a
multitude of theories presented to explain the creation of the Union, and
considering its relatively short history, only major swings in policy could justify
so many different approaches. Given its unique origin, the European Union
presents a complicated study for any IR scholar. Born out of strongly
independent states, integration theory has journeyed from neo-functionalism,
where integration was a natural result of functional and political “spill-over”
(Wallace et al., 17-18), to constructivism where integration is now a matter of
public opinion, closely related to individually held identities (Hooghe &
Marks, 118). <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
A neo-functionalist approach to the current EU crisis would
result in greater central authority over national economies. The idea of
functional spill-over discussed in the Wallace et al. (17-18) piece would apply
in this case. With a common economy, dependent on the support and success of
its member’s economies, in the case of a crisis it would be expected that the
EU institutions exert significantly more influence over economic affairs of
member states, as it has clearly become an issue that is no longer being
sufficiently handled at the national level. When looking at the crisis through
an intergovernmentalist lens, we would expect national governments to push back
against any EU oversight in their economies. Ideally this would eventually result
in some form of cooperative economic monitoring program, structured to distribute
influence between EU institutions and national governments. Using the more
current constructivist approach, the crisis would be highly influenced by
subnational opinions. Given that the Union is increasingly interconnected and
individual citizens’ economic status are all closely linked, individual and
thus national preferences will play a major role in the resolution of these
economic problems.<o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848499010832405007.post-58653700630656201912013-06-01T07:51:00.003-07:002013-06-01T07:51:46.448-07:00Theorizing European Integration<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "inherit","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida grande"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"> Theories
seek to provide a useful framework through which we can better gauge and
conceptualize where and how the EU is changing. By chronicling the EU's integration
through theories, we seek to understand why States behave the way they do. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "inherit","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida grande"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Theorizing on European integration has
proven to be a slippery and elusive undertaking. One major reason for this is
the diversity of the subject matter involved. Every individual EU member has
its own rich and long history as an independent State, developing in conjunction
with but independently from the other States around it. Another reason is the
changes that continue to occur in the political landscape over time. Post-WWII
Europe was not the same as Cold War Europe, and Cold War Europe was different
still from the Europe of today. This makes it extremely difficult to stay with
only one theory of European integration over time. As Europe changes, so too
must the policy analysis that seeks to understand it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "inherit","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida grande"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Yet another thing that makes theorizing
about European integration so difficult is what it seeks to determine. The
benefits of most theoretical models are that they might one day help predict
future actions or behaviors. Each of the major theories discussed below has
been the predominant theory at some point in time, but due to real-world monkey
wrenches thrown into their theoretical framework, several earlier theories have
given way to newer theories. The European Union can be described as a
"moving target" that "(h)as a habit of throwing up new and
unexpected facts which wrong-foot extant theories" (Hooghe, 108). The
ever-changing political, social and economic preferences of individual member
States and their populations makes it nearly impossible to rely on one theory
of European integration indefinitely. Rather it seems to be a process of trial
and error, in which theories that are bent too far to explain shifting
circumstances may be eventually broken altogether and replaced by newer, more
accurate ones.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "inherit","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida grande"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Each major theory would seem to have its
own prediction for Europe and the integration project. Neo-functionalists would
likely argue that the current crisis will result in increased social pressure
by populations on governments to strengthen EU economic institutions, in order
to prevent this kind of recession from happening again. They would favor the
creation of new 'Euro-bonds' and<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>a permanent
European stabilization fund. Under this theory, economic pressure will continue
to "spill-over" into other areas of integration (such as social
policy) and thus will ultimately result in a stronger, more unified EU than
before. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "inherit","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida grande"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Alternatively, Intergovernmentalists would
take a very different view of the current situation. They would argue that the
Empty Chair Crisis was actually the beginning of states openly re-asserting
their sovereignty, and this latest financial crisis will result in more of the
same. Countries dissatisfied with the inability of the EU to financially
prevent weaker countries from defaulting and requiring a bailout will likely
continue to push for more nationalistic (and less federalized) economic
policies. In the opinion of many Intergovernmentalists,
"neo-functionalists (have) underestimated the resilience of the nation
state" (Pollack, 19). The EU as a supranational authority will be left
weakened as rational State actors seek to protect their own domestic interests
internationally.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "inherit","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida grande"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Alternatively, Liberal
Intergovernmentalism examines national preferences of domestic constituencies
and views national governments as the rational actors who negotiate their
respective preferences. Under this model, the current crisis would likely spawn
different reactions in different States, depending on whether they were helped
(as many Eastern European countries and Ireland were) or hurt (as many Western
countries were) by EU integration.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "inherit","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida grande"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The importance of social demands by
constituents of individual states is highlighted by the Constructivism Theory
of integration. Under this model, "human agents do not exist independently
from their social environments, and its collectively shared system of
meanings" (Pollack, 24). Thus, the outcome of the financial crisis is
viewed here as resulting in not merely rational-choice State outcomes, but
decisions that reflect the cultural, individual preferences of each EU member.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
<w:UseFELayout/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="276">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0in;
mso-para-margin-right:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0in;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-language:JA;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<!--EndFragment--><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "inherit","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida grande"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Ultimately, these integration theories
will continue to change over time as a young EU seeks to refine what level of
integration is desirable for its member States.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
ryansomebodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02604313894274309793noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848499010832405007.post-86859967968685599802013-06-01T07:19:00.002-07:002013-06-01T07:21:26.077-07:00Theorizing EU Integration<div class="MsoNormal">
<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-font-charset:78;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:1 134676480 16 0 131072 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-font-charset:78;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:1 134676480 16 0 131072 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:Cambria;
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1073743103 0 0 415 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:Baskerville;
panose-1:2 2 5 2 7 4 1 2 3 3;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-2147483549 0 0 0 507 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
mso-default-props:yes;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;
mso-header-margin:.5in;
mso-footer-margin:.5in;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
</style></div>
<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-font-charset:78;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:1 134676480 16 0 131072 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:Cambria;
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1073743103 0 0 415 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:Baskerville;
panose-1:2 2 5 2 7 4 1 2 3 3;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-2147483549 0 0 0 507 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
mso-default-props:yes;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;
mso-header-margin:.5in;
mso-footer-margin:.5in;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
</style>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Baskerville;"> The role and purpose
of theory in studying European integration is to gain a better understanding of
the functions and role of the European Union. Theory can provide insights into
the “telos of European integration” and the workings of the European Union
(Wallace et al., Ch.2, 42). According to Wallace et al., theory can greatly
increase our understanding “of EU policy-making, of the respective roles and
influence of the Commission, Council, Parliament, and Court,” as well as the
“increasingly relationship between EU institutions and their national and
sub-national interlocutors” (Wallace et al., Ch. 2, 34). Furthermore, theories
are good analytical tools that can be used to explain and chart variation in
European Union policy-making over time and across issue areas (Wallace et al.,
Ch. 2, 16). </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Baskerville;">Though
theory can be useful, in regards to European integration, it has also been a
difficult, and contested, enterprise. This is largely due to the fact that the
European Union is unique compared to other governing systems in the world. The
European Union is in many ways unidentifiable, “in that it escapes labels, such
as nation, state, empire, region, federation, which form the conventional
toolkit of political science” (Hooghe & Marks, 108). Furthermore, Hooghe
& Marks note that European integration challenges the political science
division between politics among countries and politics within countries (108).
In addition to the challenges it creates to standing political science
understanding, the institutional change within the European Union moves very
quickly (Hooghe & Marks, 108). For example, “over the space of 50 years,
the EU has increased two-and-a-half times in population, from 190 million to
493 million” </span><span style="font-family: Baskerville; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">(Hooghe & Marks, 108-109). Thus, the European Union is
distinct in regime creation, in its speed and scope (Hooghe & Marks, 109).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Baskerville; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Given the current crisis, each major
body of theory would predict (or suggest) something different for Europe and
the integration project. According to Neo-functionalism, the spillover effect
of integration in one policy area (such as monetary policy) would lead to
further integration in another related policy area (such as fiscal policy);
thus, the current crisis would lead to further integration (Wallace et al., Ch.
2, 18).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>According to
Intergovernmentalism, Europe and the integration project would take a step back;
with focus being placed more on the nation-states than the Community (Wallace
et al., 19). This is because, for intergovernmentalism, “national governments
control policy outcomes” (Hooghe & Marks, 113). According to Liberal
Intergovernmentalism, national governments will bargain more with each other to
deal with the crisis, leading to further integration (Wallace et al., 19-20). For
New Institutionalism, “EU institutions ‘matter’, shaping both the policy
process and policy outcomes in predictable ways,” thus, according to this
theory, institutions will continue to shape European integration during the
current crisis (Wallace et al., Ch. 2, 23). Lastly, for Constructivism, the
social environment plays a key role and will shape the behavior of states and
the EU in dealing with the current crisis (Wallace et al., Ch. 2, 24-25).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Baskerville; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The implication of the European
Union’s actions in response to the crisis so far for the major theories of
European integration varies. I think for Neo-functionalists, the European Union’s
actions signal further integration with “bailouts” given to member states and
the discussion over a permanent “European Stability Mechanism.” I think for
Intergovernmentalism, the recent actions by the European Union goes against
this theory, as integration and the EU have taken steps to deal with the crisis
across many member states. However, I think recent steps demonstrate the
applicability of Liberal Intergovernmentalism because of the response of the EU
to the needs/preferences of the national governments of its member states. The
creation of the European Rescue Fund and discussion over a permanent “European
Stability Mechanism” also demonstrate the usefulness of New Institutionalism,
as it appears that the EU is utilizing institutions in response to this crisis.
Lastly, I think that the current crisis has created a social environment in
which the EU has to respond and thus, Constructivism can be used to somewhat
better understand EU action.</span></div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848499010832405007.post-83287357790171969982013-06-01T04:58:00.002-07:002013-06-01T04:58:55.556-07:00European Integration Theories<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">The general role of theory is to attempt to give an
explanation for why events occur in the manner that they do. European
Integration theories all try to give the audience an account for why policies
and institutions behave in a certain manner, make decisions, or progress in a
certain way. I think what Pollack said at the end of chapter 2 about scholars
theorizing European integration seems accurate not just for the EU but many
different theories for other topics as well: “theorizers of European
Integration [are] blind men touching an elephant, each one feeling a different
part of the elephant purporting to describe a very different animal” (42). It
is difficult to agree upon a theory if scholars are analyzing the EU from its
many different angles or from the multiple layers that make up the union.
European integration is also difficult to generalize because it is constantly
evolving as more states enter the union. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Pollack and Hooghe & Marks compare and contrast a few
different theories of integration including neo-functionlism,
intergovernmentalism, institutionalism, and even constructivism; all having
overlapping ideas but essentially trying to predict how integration will take
place from different perspectives. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Considering the current crisis it would seem that
neo-functionalists and intergovernmentalists would rally to place more
authority into the institution to solve matters with sectorial cooperation
rather than depend upon the individual nation-states. As the EU Observer illustrates,
the economic centralization of the EU in response (2013) to the crisis aligns
well with intergovernmentalism/neo-functionalism in that more power is
seemingly given to the institution. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Constructivism argues that individual identities are shaped
by our social environment in which we consider socially constructed rules and
institutions to determine our actions and behaviors towards certain situations (Pollack, p. 24).
This theory would suggest that each member state of the EU would resolve the
crisis through social institutions which are woven into the makeup of the EU. However,
constructivism would be difficult to quantify as it suggests that the EU would
be influencing the preferences and behaviors of the member governments and not
that individual agents influence the interests of the EU. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com5