Cross-cutting Policy Research Articles

The Limits and Possibilities of Third Sector Europeanization

Policy-making on the third sector as a subject of policy in the Member States of the European Union is primarily a matter for domestic (national and sub-national) public authorities, working in collaboration with the third sector itself and other policy actors. However, over the past 25 years, the European Union (EU) collectively has increasingly taken an interest in this sphere. Most of this activity has been low visibility and ‘soft’ in character, with implemented initiatives not involving direct, mandatory or ‘hard’ intervention in domestic policy communities by the EU. But it has involved significant commitments of EU financial resources and periods of sustained multi-level collective policy effort. It therefore merits attention from scholarly and policy viewpoints. Drawing on the findings of a major multi-country study of horizontal third sector policy (i.e. cross-cutting policy pertaining to the sector as a whole), this article interprets this phenomenon through the lens of the ‘Europeanization’ literature. This literature is sensitive to the possibility that policy linkages between the EU and other pan-European institutions and country-level policy communities can be significant and consequential even if they do not involve primary law-making or administrative fiat on the part of the originating bodies. The article reviews the extent to which Europeanization, understood in three related but distinctive ways, has proceeded over the past quarter of a century and discusses the causes and consequences of this process. The article shows that overall, relatively modest and very uneven progress towards third sector Europeanization can be said to have proceeded on this account. It reviews why this has tended to be the case and also discusses the conditions under which third sector European policy has managed to proceed relatively effectively and productively.

Symposium on ‘Intervention policies for deprived households’ Policy initiatives to address low-income households' nutritional needs in the UK

Members of low-income households in the UK are more likely to have patterns of food and nutrient intakes that are less inclined to lead to good health outcomes in the short and long term. Health inequalities, including the likelihood of child and adulthood obesity, have long been documented in the UK and show little sign of improving so far, despite 10 years of attention from a government that has committed itself to addressing them. Following the Acheson Inquiry into Inequalities in Health (1998) in England a number of initiatives to tackle inequalities in food and diet were established, both nationally and within the devolved nations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Nevertheless, until recently, there has been no overall strategic policy addressing the food and nutritional needs of low-income households. The present paper reviews how the problems have been constructed and understood and how they have been addressed, briefly drawing on recent evaluations of food and nutrition policies in Scotland and Wales. The contemporary challenge is to frame cross-cutting policy initiatives that move beyond simple targeting and local actions, encompass a life-course approach and recognise both the diversity of households that fall into 'low-income' categories and the need for 'upstream' intervention.

Towards a Political Ecology of Oil in Post-communist Georgia: the conflict over the Kulevi Oil Port Development

Since 1998 the growing importance of the Caspian Sea's oil reserves for the international markets has put a new pressure on Georgia's energy transit capacities. One of the new transit facilities – the Kulevi Oil Terminal located on the country's ecologically-sensitive central Black Sea coast - has emerged as a controversial development evoking several cross-cutting environmental policy, economic and political conflicts at the international, national, and local levels. This paper explores and tracks the nature of this multi-level environmental conflict over land-use and reveals it to be a complex product of the interplay between social, political and economic power. From a political ecological perspective it is possible to interpret the controversy over Kulevi as a 'regional' conflict of interests between different land managers. Our analysis discloses the links between these conflicts and their triggers at different spatial scales with a view to articulating an emerging political ecology of oil for Georgia and the Caucasus. The paper reflects on how the threat of economic loss has forced environmentally unfriendly decisions in the region, causing internal problems and a derogation of the reputation of Georgia at the international arena. Several suggestions for resolution are offered, but their success depends on the contribution of the main players in the conflicts and their commitment to fulfill their obligations.Keywords: Georgia, Oil, Kulevi, Political Ecology

Building Bridges to the East: An EU Perspective on Asia's Place in the Global Economy

This paper sets out both the opportunities and challenges that the rapid pace of economic development presents for the European Union and for the global economy. It argues that there are important parallels between European attitudes towards Japan in the 1980s and those towards China today, but also highlights the overall importance of Asian growth for Europe's long-term success. It also examines the significant challenges posed by China's return to the centre of the economic stage and makes the case for open markets in both China and Europe. Finally, the paper sets out the EU's emerging response to globalisation, highlighting in the trade area the European Union's new 'global Europe' strategy. This strategy, while giving priority to the multilateral system and to the success of global trade talks, complements that approach with new, deeper bilateral relationships with Asia, as well as with cross-cutting policy action to ensure that the EU is equipped to compete in the global economy.

Building Bridges to the East: An EU Perspective on Asia's Place in the Global Economy

This paper sets out both the opportunities and challenges that the rapid pace of economic development presents for the European Union and for the global economy. It argues that there are important parallels between European attitudes towards Japan in the 1980s and those towards China today, but also highlights the overall importance of Asian growth for Europe's long-term success. It also examines the significant challenges posed by China's return to the centre of the economic stage and makes the case for open markets in both China and Europe. Finally, the paper sets out the EU's emerging response to globalisation, highlighting in the trade area the European Union's new 'global Europe' strategy. This strategy, while giving priority to the multilateral system and to the success of global trade talks, complements that approach with new, deeper bilateral relationships with Asia, as well as with cross-cutting policy action to ensure that the EU is equipped to compete in the global economy.

Implementing cross-cutting policy in New Zealand: health and safety for aircraft in operation

Cross-cutting policy issues have been defined as issues ‘involving or affecting the work of more than one agency or sector’ (Review of the Centre Advisory Group, 2001). It has not always been straightforward to make progress with these types of issues, partly because of the artificial boundaries created by legislative regimes, budget vote structures, agency administrative structures and differences in professional paradigms and boundaries. One method of implementing crosscutting policy that has been used in New Zealand is to designate an agency to administer a statute for a particular sector, where the act is normally administered by another agency. An example of this is the designation of the Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand (CAA) to administer the Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992 (HSE Act) for ‘aircraft in operation’.

Something for something Personal responsibility meets behavioural economics

Public Policy ResearchVolume 12, Issue 1 p. 22-29 Something for something Personal responsibility meets behavioural economics David Halpern, David Halpern David Halpern is a Senior Policy Advisor in the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit (PMSU) focusing on the development of long-term, cross-cutting policy for the Prime Minister. He has previously held positions at Cambridge University, Nuffield College Oxford, and the Policy Studies Institute. He is the author of Social Capital (Polity Press, 2004). 1Search for more papers by this author David Halpern, David Halpern David Halpern is a Senior Policy Advisor in the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit (PMSU) focusing on the development of long-term, cross-cutting policy for the Prime Minister. He has previously held positions at Cambridge University, Nuffield College Oxford, and the Policy Studies Institute. He is the author of Social Capital (Polity Press, 2004). 1Search for more papers by this author First published: 05 April 2005 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-540X.2005.00377.xCitations: 2 The author is writing solely in a personal capacity. This essay reviews the relevant literature and provides a contribution to discussion, it is not a statement of government policy. AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Citing Literature Volume12, Issue1March 2005Pages 22-29 RelatedInformation

Evaluating governance for local sustainability: online tools for self-assessment

The shift from 'top-down' government to 'bottom-up' governance represents a gradual but profound change in the ways that local governments are expected to behave in relation to its citizens. This shift has an impact on the quality and flow of information from government to citizens, and it also implies the need for this flow of information to be a two-way process. This article considers how the proposed shift implies the need for evaluation processes within a relatively new cross-cutting policy area – sustainable development. Firstly, this article defines the political reasons for changes in the approaches toward local policy evaluation. Secondly, it discusses the evaluation principles that are useful in analysing public policy processes at local government level (such as Local Agenda 21) and describes a specific pan-European online self-evaluation tool for local authorities. Finally, it discusses the potential benefits and obstacles of such a tool for two different groups of end-users – local governments and their communities, and the scientific and policy communities.

The UK Approach to Delivering Sustainable Development in Government: A Case Study in Joined-Up Working

The impact of the public sector on the overall quality of the environment and more generally towards sustainable development is significant. An essential part of the UK Strategy for Sustainable Development is the commitment to put `sustainable development at the heart of every government department`s work`. Sustainable development is one of several cross-cutting policy objectives currently being tacked by the UK government that require cooperation and coordination among many government and non-government actors. Various key mechanisms for achieving environmental policy integration or `putting sustainable development at the heart of government` are critically assessed-special Cabinet and Ministerial subcommittees, the House of Commons Environment Audit Committee, cross-cutting departmental units, and integrated policy appraisal. In the field of sustainable development, though, a key challenge for government is that effective delivery on cross-cutting objectives requires that the objectives themselves are clear, contained, internally consistent, and capable of implementation.

'I Travelled Among Unknown Men': basic skills tutors' perceptions of the National Probation Service as a foreign culture and the implications of this for cross-cutting policy

This article uses the case study of basic skills specialists' perceptions of the National Probation Service (NPS) as a foreign culture, to discuss some issues in developing and implementing cross-cutting policy on basic skills in the NPS. The article draws on three sources of qualitative data, collected as part of the evaluation of the NPS basic skills pathfinder. As educators, tutors experienced the following aspects of NPS culture as alien: its language, values and priorities, environment, and working with offenders. A typology of tutors as explorers, tourists and the stay-at-home type is used to present the extent to and ways in which tutors coped with the NPS. Possible implications of tutors' perceptions for policy development and research on basic skills in the NPS are discussed. The article concludes by relating the case study to broader issues in cross-cutting policy.