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The Social OMCs at Work: Identifying and Explaining Variations in National Use and Influence
Abstract
The European Commission regularly stresses Europe’s unique social model, which promises to promote sustainable economic growth and greater social cohesion. The Europe 2020 Strategy, launched as the Lisbon Strategy’s successor in 2010, reiterates that the EU’s normative foundation rests on social principles such as solidarity, equal opportunity, and social protection. In addition to the new framework of the European Semester, the instruments through which the EU can promote its social agenda include the Community Method (legislation), funding (especially the European Social Fund [ESF]), social dialogue at the European level, agenda-setting (through Green or White Papers, Communications), and not least the Open Method of Coordination (OMC) (Hermans 2005, 15; Zeitlin 2008). During the decade of the Lisbon Strategy (2000-2010), the OMC was expected to serve as the EU’s principal instrument to promote reform of national social protection systems. Yet, whether and if so how, the OMC has had any influence in promoting greater social cohesion and strengthening social protection systems at national level remains highly ambiguous and the method itself controversial. Drawing heavily on the results of a large-scale research project conducted on behalf of the European Commission (PPMI 2011a), but also on a wide range of other sources, including the academic and policy literature, this chapter presents a new interpretation of the OMC’s influence.
Sukzessive ist seit den 1990er-Jahren die zunächst als Addendum des Gemeinschaftsrechts stattfindende Koordinierung von Politiken in der Europäischen Union zu politikfeldspezifischen Regelungsmechanismen mit Primärrechtsstatus entwickelt worden. Dabei unterschieden sich die Koordinierungsbereiche stark in ihrer rechtlichen und politischen Verbindlichkeit. So unternimmt die EU eine relativ effektive Steuerung in Bezug auf die budgetären Haushaltsziele, während sie nur geringe Durchsetzungsmöglichkeiten in den Sozialpolitiken hat. Mit der Eurokrise wurde deutlich, dass die Politikkoordinierung die Asymmetrie des Integrationsprozesses nicht mindert, sondern fortschreibt und verschärft.
A number of studies suggest that the Europeanisation process is having a profound impact on national labour market policies. Nevertheless, rather little research has been devoted to the development of social assistance schemes across countries and over time. Relying on two newindicators, benefit levels and replacement rates, we examined the relationship between the Lisbon Strategy and changes in national social assistance benefits.Wefound no robust results for the first years of the Lisbon Strategy. However, after its re-launch in 2005, there was a positive association between the Lisbon Strategy and social assistance benefit levels. In addition to the Lisbon Strategy, domestic political, institutional and several economic factors were significantly associated with social assistance benefits.
some French actors argued that these indicators were developed themselves
- Yet
Yet, some French actors argued that these indicators were developed themselves, at least in part, on inputs from France.
Assessing the Open Method of Coordination, Edited by Egidijus Barcevičius, Timo Weishaupt and Jonathan Zeitlin Copyright material from www.palgraveconnect.com -licensed to Universitaetsbibliothek Mannheim
Actions put forward included:
10.1057/9781137022622 -Assessing the Open Method of Coordination, Edited by Egidijus Barcevičius, Timo Weishaupt and Jonathan
Zeitlin
Copyright material from www.palgraveconnect.com -licensed to Universitaetsbibliothek Mannheim -PalgraveConnect -2015-02-09