Europeanization and multi-level governance in south-east Europe: the domestic impact of EU cohesion policy and pre-accession aid

Abstract

This article considers the extent to which European Union (EU) cohesion policy and related pre-accession instruments are contributing to the development of more compound polities in south-east Europe and, specifically, promoting multi-level governance. In this respect, the article has two points of departure: the first is the argument by Schmidt (2006) that the EU is a highly compound polity that tends to pull member states in this direction; the second is the considerable literature that links EU cohesion to the promotion of multi-level governance. In addressing the core question, we draw on the new institutionalist strand of the Europeanization literature to offer insights into the domestic responses to EU incentives and pressures.