Empirical Study: The Development of Space Policy in Europe

Abstract

This chapter provides an updated overview of the development of space policy in Europe to qualify to what extent ESA has changed institutionally in a subsequent fourth chapter. The development of space activities in Europe is considered a case study of institutional change. In line with Campbell (2004, p. 40) if we want to determine, how much institutional change has occurred in a particular setting, we need to examine all the relevant institutional dimensions over time. Thus, the development of European space activities is considered from the beginning of European space collaboration in 1959 until 2014. This is in line with Dudley and Richardson (1999), who perceive long-term historical policy studies as the only way to understand the development of institutional change (Horber, 2016b, p. 254). Moreover, in line with Thelen (1999, p. 400); Hall and Taylor (1996a); Conner (2010, p. iiix), the process of institutional foundation and selection can be linked to the process of institutional change. Accordingly, knowing how institutions were constructed “provides insights into how they might come apart” (Thelen, 1999, p. 400).