Why inertia in the European Union policies? History, Strategy and Policy Characteristics
(2008)Department of Political Science
- Abstract
- In the European Union policies often demonstrate considerable resistance to reform. A classic exampe is the Common Agricultural Policy, CAP, which illustrates the inertia that can surround EU better than any other sector. The inertia within the CAP has often been analysed from a historical perspective using the path dependency concept as an analytical tool.
This thesis suggest that this perspective is not sufficient enough in explaining inertia within EU policies and complementary perspectives such as a strategic perspective and a policy characteristic perspective are therefore needed. These three perspectives are used to explain and analyse inertia or the lack of it in the CAP, the Emissions Trading Scheme and in the 2001 Directive on... (More) - In the European Union policies often demonstrate considerable resistance to reform. A classic exampe is the Common Agricultural Policy, CAP, which illustrates the inertia that can surround EU better than any other sector. The inertia within the CAP has often been analysed from a historical perspective using the path dependency concept as an analytical tool.
This thesis suggest that this perspective is not sufficient enough in explaining inertia within EU policies and complementary perspectives such as a strategic perspective and a policy characteristic perspective are therefore needed. These three perspectives are used to explain and analyse inertia or the lack of it in the CAP, the Emissions Trading Scheme and in the 2001 Directive on Deliberate Relase of Genetic Modified Organisms.
The historical perspective suggest that inertia can surround EU policies when the cost of deviate from the path is too high. Once a particular decision or path is chosen it is very difficult to get back on the rejected path and there a certain feedback mechanism that inhibits exit from the path.
The strategic perspective suggest that inertia can surround EU policies when policy networks and policy entrepreneurs have the will and the capacity to defend the status quo and the policy characteristic perspective suggest that inertia is more likely within EU policies when the policy is consituent or redistributive.
Using them together can give an even more comprehensive and broader explanation of why inertia can surround EU policies. The hypothesis that is formulated in the end is thus that inertia can occur in policies where policy networks and policy entrepreneurs defend the status quo, are of a redistributive or constituent character and have path dependent behavior. In the CAP all of these criteria's are present and can be the reason why the CAP is the policy that is the most subject to inertia in the EU. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/1319138
- author
- Tideklev, Niklas
- supervisor
- organization
- year
- 2008
- type
- H1 - Master's Degree (One Year)
- subject
- keywords
- Inertia, Change, EU, Policy, CAP, Political and administrative sciences, Statsvetenskap, förvaltningskunskap
- language
- English
- id
- 1319138
- date added to LUP
- 2008-09-03 00:00:00
- date last changed
- 2008-09-03 00:00:00
@misc{1319138,
abstract = {{In the European Union policies often demonstrate considerable resistance to reform. A classic exampe is the Common Agricultural Policy, CAP, which illustrates the inertia that can surround EU better than any other sector. The inertia within the CAP has often been analysed from a historical perspective using the path dependency concept as an analytical tool.
This thesis suggest that this perspective is not sufficient enough in explaining inertia within EU policies and complementary perspectives such as a strategic perspective and a policy characteristic perspective are therefore needed. These three perspectives are used to explain and analyse inertia or the lack of it in the CAP, the Emissions Trading Scheme and in the 2001 Directive on Deliberate Relase of Genetic Modified Organisms.
The historical perspective suggest that inertia can surround EU policies when the cost of deviate from the path is too high. Once a particular decision or path is chosen it is very difficult to get back on the rejected path and there a certain feedback mechanism that inhibits exit from the path.
The strategic perspective suggest that inertia can surround EU policies when policy networks and policy entrepreneurs have the will and the capacity to defend the status quo and the policy characteristic perspective suggest that inertia is more likely within EU policies when the policy is consituent or redistributive.
Using them together can give an even more comprehensive and broader explanation of why inertia can surround EU policies. The hypothesis that is formulated in the end is thus that inertia can occur in policies where policy networks and policy entrepreneurs defend the status quo, are of a redistributive or constituent character and have path dependent behavior. In the CAP all of these criteria's are present and can be the reason why the CAP is the policy that is the most subject to inertia in the EU.}},
author = {{Tideklev, Niklas}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Why inertia in the European Union policies? History, Strategy and Policy Characteristics}},
year = {{2008}},
}