Prospectus

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Implementation EU Policy

Course
2010-2011

Admission requirements

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Description

When the Council of Ministers and other legislative actors in the European Union have agreed on a new directive, this policy instrument has a long way to go before it is finally implemented. To become ‘law in action’ the new directive first has to be transposed into national legislation. Then, the new rules have to be applied by the implementing agency or administration. Finally, the rules have to be monitored and enforced. If somewhere along this road a problem arises so that this process is not completed, the directive is not fully implemented. In other words, the implementation of EU directives is a complicated process in which various decisions have to be taken by different national and sub national actors as well as by the implementing administration or agencies.

Course objectives

This seminar focuses on how EU policy, as specified in a directive, is implemented in member states. Students will analyze the process that eventually may lead to the implementation of the policy. To understand potential factors that may hinder, or stimulate, smooth implementation, we will focus on the current literature on EU compliance and the more traditional public administration literature on policy implementation. There are striking parallel developments in these literatures, which are worth to be further explored.

Timetable

See Timetable

Mode of instruction

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Assessment method

As part of this course, students need to analyze an implementation process in one of the EU member states. This assignment includes a description of the decision making process at the European level, the process of transposition in a member state and the subsequent implementation process. For this expert interviews and the consultation of sources available through the Internet are essential. The paper prepared will be presented in class. The main lecturer hopes to organize two longer sessions so that the results from the various studies can be compared.

Blackboard

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Reading list

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Registration

Enrollment via uSis

Contact information

Prof. Dr. B. Steunenberg

remarks