The Open Method of Co-ordination in Action: The European Employment And Social Inclusioin Strategies

by Zeitlin, Jonathan; Pochet, Philippe; Magnusson, Lars (CON)

• ISBN13: 9789052012803
• ISBN10: 9052012806
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-09-22
• Publisher: Peter Lang Pub Inc

Summary

No development in European integration has aroused greater interest or greater controversy in recent years than the Open Method of Co-ordination (OMC), which has become an increasingly broadly applied instrument of EU governance since its invention as part of the «Lisbon Strategy» in 2000. Yet it is widely agreed that the debates surrounding the OMC suffer from a serious empirical deficit. This book, based on an international research network organised by the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the Observatoire social européen, and the SALTSA Programme, focuses on two highly developed OMC processes, the European Employment and Social Inclusion Strategies, concentrating on their operation and influence at national and subnational levels. It comprises a combination of national and comparative studies, covering eight countries (Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United Kingdom) and four transversal themes (hard and soft law, participation, gender equality, activation). These studies are framed by a historical overview of the OMC's place in the construction of Social Europe, and by a synthetic conclusion, which assesses the available evidence on the OMC in action, and proposes a reflexive reform strategy for realising its theoretical promise as a new mode of EU governance.

Table of Contents

List of Abbreviations	9	(6)
Acknowledgements	15	(2)
Foreword	17	(2)
by Lars MAGNUSSON
INTRODUCTION The Open Method of Co-ordination in Question	19	(18)
Jonathan ZEITLIN
PART I THEORETICAL AND HISTORICAL OVERVIEWS
CHAPTER 1 The Open Method of Co-ordination and the Construction of Social Europe. A Historical Perspective	37	(46)
Philippe POCHET
CHAPTER 2 The Open Method of Co-ordination and the Debate over "Hard" and "Soft" Law	83	(24)
David M. TRUBEK & Louise G. TRUBEK
PART II NATIONAL STUDIES
CHAPTER 3 Trying to Reform the "Best Pupils in the Class"? The Open Method of Co-ordination in Sweden and Denmark	107	(30)
Kerstin JACOBSSON
CHAPTER 4 The Open Method of Co-ordination and National Institutional Capabilities. The Italian Experience	137	(36)
Maurizio FERRERA & Stefano SACCHI
CHAPTER 5 The OMC as Selective Amplifier for National Strategies of Reform. What the Netherlands Want to Learn from Europe	173	(44)
Jelle VISSER
CHAPTER 6 The Leverage Effect. The Open Method of Co-ordination in France	217	(32)
Christine ERHEL, Lou MANDIN & Bruno PALIER
CHAPTER 7 Surface Integration. The National Action Plans for Employment and Social Inclusion in Germany	249	(38)
Milena BÜCHS & Dawid FRIEDRICH
CHAPTER 8 How Open is the United Kingdom to the OMC Process on Social Inclusion?	287	(24)
Kenneth A. ARMSTRONG
CHAPTER 9 Ireland: The Very Idea of an Open Method of Co-ordination	311	(42)
Rory O'DONNELL & Brian Moss
PART III COMPARATIVE ASSESSMENTS
CHAPTER 10 Participation in the Open Method of Co-ordination. The Cases of Employment and Social Inclusion	353	(38)
Caroline DE LA PORTE & Philippe POCHET
CHAPTER 11 Gender Mainstreaming and the OMC. Is the Open Method Too Open for Gender Equality Policy?	391	(26)
Jill RUBERY
CHAPTER 12 The European Employment Strategy, a Channel for Activating Social Protection?	417	(30)
Jean-Claude BARBIER
CONCLUSION. The Open Method of Co-ordination in Action. Theoretical Promise, Empirical Realities, Reform Strategy	447	(58)
Jonathan ZEITLIN
Notes on the Contributors	505