Europeanization of Youth Policy: Case Study of Finland and Norway

Abstract

This chapter argues that the European youth dimension has particular impact on domestic youth policies. It inquires how European integration appears in the youth policy and discovers causal relations between European and domestic policy changes. The authors analyse two cases, Finland and Norway. Both cases, on the one hand, have similar features of belonging to the Nordic states. On the other hand, they have different experiences of European integration. Process tracing and analytical narratives are the tools used in this research. The results show how further unification of youth policy standards at the European level may cause domestic changes which are not objectively required. Instead, it might be more efficient to diversify the youth policy agenda and leave more initiative for domestic youth policies. The research was conducted in the years 2014–2015, and it doesn’t consider actual situation.