Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Trade and aid? The negotiated construction of European Union policy on economic partnership agreements.

Elgström, Ole LU (2009) In International Politics 46(4). p.451-468
Abstract
Efforts by the European Commission and by leading member states, to normatively frame the debate about trade - and thus rhetorically entrap other actors by references to previous commitments - are ubiquitous; and member states do take account of the potential effects of their actions, in terms of potential praise or shaming, and adapt their behaviour to the institutional setting. However, this holds true only up to a certain limit. If sensitivity to domestic constituencies is high enough and the issue gets politicized, then member states may break ranks regardless of institutionalized normative constraints, especially if the issue-area is linked to proclaimed key self-images of the government. External pressure can also play its part.... (More)
Efforts by the European Commission and by leading member states, to normatively frame the debate about trade - and thus rhetorically entrap other actors by references to previous commitments - are ubiquitous; and member states do take account of the potential effects of their actions, in terms of potential praise or shaming, and adapt their behaviour to the institutional setting. However, this holds true only up to a certain limit. If sensitivity to domestic constituencies is high enough and the issue gets politicized, then member states may break ranks regardless of institutionalized normative constraints, especially if the issue-area is linked to proclaimed key self-images of the government. External pressure can also play its part. Indeed, the Commission's reluctant decision to include development sections in the final offer was arguably not only the result of internal member state activity, but also of pressure from the EU's counterpart - Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific - whose main bargaining objective was to include strong and effective development provisions in the final agreement. International Politics (2009) 46, 451-468. doi: 10.1057/ip.2009.2; published online 1 May 2009 (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
trade, European Commission, aid, economic policy, ACP
in
International Politics
volume
46
issue
4
pages
451 - 468
publisher
Palgrave Macmillan
external identifiers
  • wos:000280238700008
  • scopus:67549084561
ISSN
1384-5748
DOI
10.1057/ip.2009.2
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
66461749-b005-4962-a9ba-125e7728274e (old id 1503332)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 13:53:10
date last changed
2022-02-04 17:56:11
@article{66461749-b005-4962-a9ba-125e7728274e,
  abstract     = {{Efforts by the European Commission and by leading member states, to normatively frame the debate about trade - and thus rhetorically entrap other actors by references to previous commitments - are ubiquitous; and member states do take account of the potential effects of their actions, in terms of potential praise or shaming, and adapt their behaviour to the institutional setting. However, this holds true only up to a certain limit. If sensitivity to domestic constituencies is high enough and the issue gets politicized, then member states may break ranks regardless of institutionalized normative constraints, especially if the issue-area is linked to proclaimed key self-images of the government. External pressure can also play its part. Indeed, the Commission's reluctant decision to include development sections in the final offer was arguably not only the result of internal member state activity, but also of pressure from the EU's counterpart - Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific - whose main bargaining objective was to include strong and effective development provisions in the final agreement. International Politics (2009) 46, 451-468. doi: 10.1057/ip.2009.2; published online 1 May 2009}},
  author       = {{Elgström, Ole}},
  issn         = {{1384-5748}},
  keywords     = {{trade; European Commission; aid; economic policy; ACP}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{4}},
  pages        = {{451--468}},
  publisher    = {{Palgrave Macmillan}},
  series       = {{International Politics}},
  title        = {{Trade and aid? The negotiated construction of European Union policy on economic partnership agreements.}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1057/ip.2009.2}},
  doi          = {{10.1057/ip.2009.2}},
  volume       = {{46}},
  year         = {{2009}},
}