Europeanization and Multilevel Governance: Cohesion Policy in the European Union and Britain

by Ian Bache

Europeanization has become a major theme within European studies in recent years, emphasizing the domestic effects of the EU on its member and applicant states. At the same time, multi-level governance has emerged as an important concept, highlighting shifts both in horizontal relations between state and society and in vertical links between actors at different territorial levels. In this state-of-the-art study, Ian Bache traces the relationship between these two key elements, considering the extent to which Europeanization advances multi-level governance within member states through the requirements of EU cohesion policy. Bache focuses especially on Britain, a member state whose political system has been increasingly characterized by multilevel governance since it became an EU member. Comparing Britain's case to that of ten other member states, the author distinguishes between the EU's effects in simple polities_in which voice, influence, and power are diffused through multiple levels and modes of governance_and in compound polities, where voice, influence, and power are more concentrated. Bringing together the conceptual tools of multilevel governance and policy networks and developing a framework for using these tools together in future research, this clearly written study will be valuable for scholars and students of EU and British politics.

206 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Diogo Ferreira · Rating 4 out of 5]

A simple yet complete book that covers the Europeanization effects on the European Union, primarly on Western Europe, Britain and on the Central and Eastern Europe.

While many conceptualizations of "Europeanization" exist on the Political Science field, Ian Bache offers us a clear definition based on the variables of "Multi-Level Governance" and "Cohesion Policy", that is, the effects, impacts and consequences of European policies on various domestic areas such as national governments, regions and localities - the focus being primarly on the last two.

Although the Europeanization effects and consequences on domestic policy-making has its good amount of research on Western Europe, I recommend this book for those seeking to better understand and analyze these effects on the United Kingdom and on the Central and Eastern European countries.