European Policy Debate Research Articles

Regional Clusters of Innovative Activity in Europe: Are Social Capital and Geographical Proximity the Key Determinants?

Finding proper policy instruments to promote productivity growth features prominently on the Lisbon agenda and is central in many national as well as European policy debates. In view of the increased mobility of high-skilled workers in Europe, ongoing globalization and increased interregional and international co-operation, location patterns of innovative activity may be subject to drastic changes. A proper understanding of location patterns of innovative outputs can enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of national and European innovation policies. Building on the literature on the knowledge production function the aim of this paper is to explain the observed differences in the production of innovative output across European regions. Our main research question is whether geographical proximity and social capital are important vehicles of knowledge transmission for the production of innovative output in Europe. Several other variables are used to control for structural differences across European regions. We find support for the hypothesis that both social capital and geographical proximity are important factors in explaining the differences in the production of innovative output across European regions.

Are tradable green certificates a cost-efficient policy driving technical change or a rent-generating machine? Lessons from Sweden 2003–2008

In the European policy debate, tradable green certificates (TGC) have been suggested to be a superior regulatory framework for promoting the diffusion of renewable electricity technologies. The purpose of this paper is to assess the performance of the Swedish TGC system, contributing to the European debate on the suitability of different types of frameworks. The expectations of the TGC system were that it would: (a) be effective in terms of increasing the supply of “green” electricity; (b) do this in a cost effective manner (from both a social and a consumer perspective); (c) generate an equitable distribution of costs and benefits and (d) drive technical change. So far, it has performed adequately in terms of effectiveness and social cost effectiveness. However, consumer costs have been substantially higher than expected, very large rents are generated and, at best, it contributes marginally to technical change. Thus, a TGC framework should be selected if the overriding concern is to minimize short term social costs of reaching a certain goal with a high degree of predictability. However, it cannot be expected to also drive technical change, keep consumer costs down and be equitable. Such trade-offs need to be revealed and not obscured by analysts.

Ideas and Social Policy: An Institutionalist Perspective

Since the beginning of the 1980s, historical institutionalism has emerged as one of the most influential theoretical perspectives in social policy studies. Although their work is insightful, most institutionalist scholars tend to relegate policy ideas to the back of their theoretical constructions dealing with welfare state development. The objective of this paper is to show how institutionalist scholarship can pay greater attention to ideational processes without abandoning its core assumptions about the structuring impact of political institutions and policy legacies on welfare state development. If institutions truly influence policy-making, policy ideas matter in and beyond the agenda-setting process. Related to existing policy legacies, perceived problems mesh with policy alternatives grounded in a specific paradigm. When stressing the need to reform, and promoting new alternatives, policy entrepreneurs draw on existing ideological repertoires to frame these alternatives. The ability to successfully frame policy alternatives can become a decisive aspect of the policy process. A discussion of recent European and North American policy debates illustrates these claims.

Agricultural change and restructuring: recent evidence from a survey of agricultural households in England

Despite widespread speculation about the likely future extent of agricultural restructuring in the UK, researchers and policymakers are surprisingly ignorant of the nature and extent of farm household adjustment in the period since the mid 1990s. Meanwhile, claims that agriculture is in crisis and on the threshold of radical structural change continue to receive widespread media attention. Critics point out that because European policy debates are constructed in ways which emphasise the vulnerability of farmers and their businesses, there is a lack of attention to the true status and economic sustainability of agricultural households themselves. This paper reports results from a recent survey of agricultural business restructuring within six English study areas selected to span a range of agricultural settings and designed to identify the different trajectories of change to be found there. It concludes that while there is some evidence of disengagement from mainstream agriculture and an increasingly diverse set of relationships between the occupation and management of land, commitment to remaining in agriculture remains strong amongst farming families. A substantial proportion of agricultural and agri-environmental assets seem likely to remain in the same hands for the foreseeable future.

The European Union: A Politically Incorrect View

In this paper, we present our view of the recent evolution of European integration. We first briefly describe the main features of the institution and decision making process in the European Union, with particular attention to the debate between federalists and super nationalists. We then identify two key issues in the process of European integration: 1) an emphasis on “institutional balance” based on a complex web of institutions with overlapping jurisdiction; 2) A conflict between a dirigiste versus a more laissez faire approach to government. We argue that the first problem leads to a lack of clarity in the allocation of powers between European institutions, confusion in the allocation of prerogatives between national governments and EU institutions, and lack of transparency and accountability. The dirigiste culture also manifests itself in an abundant production of verbose rhetoric, which in our view is far from innocuous and direct set the European policy debate in the wrong direction. We then study how these problems play out in 4 important areas: employment policies, culture and scientific research, foreign and defense policies, and fiscal policy. Finally, we study the implications of the recently proposed European Constitution a potential solution of these two problems.

The European Union: A Politically Incorrect View

In this paper, we present our view of the recent evolution of European integration. We first briefly describe the main features of the institution and decision making process in the European Union, with particular attention to the debate between federalists and super nationalists. We then identify two key issues in the process of European integration: 1) an emphasis on institutional balance based on a complex web of institutions with overlapping jurisdiction; 2) A conflict between a dirigiste versus a more laissez faire approach to government. We argue that the first problem leads to a lack of clarity in the allocation of powers between European institutions, confusion in the allocation of prerogatives between national governments and EU institutions, and lack of transparency and accountability. The dirigiste culture also manifests itself in an abundant production of verbose rhetoric, which in our view is far from innocuous and direct set the European policy debate in the wrong direction. We then study how these problems play out in 4 important areas: employment policies, culture and scientific research, foreign and defense policies, and fiscal policy. Finally, we study the implications of the recently proposed European Constitution a potential solution of these two problems.

Skilling the Unskilled: Access to work-based learning and the lifelong learning agenda

European and national policy debates are emphasising the need to establish a culture of lifelong learning in order to promote workers' adaptability and employability. The emphasis on the need for individuals to take responsibility for their own learning fails to address patterns of inequality in access to work-based learning. Unskilled workers are least likely to receive formal training in the workplace and they are often those whose experience of formal schooling has been poor and are unlikely to access learning outside the workplace on their own initiative. The article has a dual focus: on the nature of work which is considered to have a low skill content and on the individuals who occupy these positions in the organisation of production because of their low level of educational qualification and/or their status as subordinate members of society. The extent to which access to learning is seen as linked to problems faced by the individual or the context of the work environment has consequences for the ways in which patterns of inequality in access are reproduced or can be challenged. It examines contemporary changes in the nature of unskilled work and its consequences for managers' and trade unions' training strategies. This forms the background for an assessment of the likely impact of the Labour government's policy on learning opportunities for adults in the workplace, based on a reading of the report of the National Advisory Committee for Continuing Education and Lifelong Learning (Fryer, 1997) and the Green Paper 'The Learning Age: a rennaissance for a new Britain' (DfEE, 1998).

Drugs on Prescription – The Swedish Experiment of 1965–67 in Retrospect

The programme of prescribing amphetamines and opiates to drug users in Stockholm carried out from 1965 to 1967 has frequently been referred to in the European drug policy debate. In this article, originally presented at the Conference on Drug Use and Drug Policy in Amsterdam in September 1996, the programme is described with regard to design, setting and outcome. The relevance of the programme for the general policy debate is discussed and a comment is given on the programme’s impact on the Swedish drug epidemic and Swedish drug policy.

Macroeconomic Effects of Active Labour Market Programmes in a Union Wage- Setting Model

The recent Western European policy debate on unemployment has emphasized the benefits of active labor market programs. The authors analyze the effects on wage pressure and equilibrium employment in a union wage-setting framework. Programs are wage-reducing to the extent that they help maintain effective labor-force participation but they may also weaken insider incentives for wage restraint as the disutility of layoffs becomes smaller. Targeting the long-term unemployed is crucial for the success of active labor market policy since the welfare effects on the laid-off then are more heavily discounted and employment opportunities are redistributed from insiders to outsiders. Copyright 1995 by Royal Economic Society.

Voice, Choice and the Question of CMI Democracy in the Swedish Welfare State

Although economic issues of cost containment and service productivity continue to dominate European health policy debate, important political and normative issues remain on the agenda as well. Drawing upon the Swedish case, this paper explores the broader questions of democratic control over welfare-state-supplied human services. It suggests that 'civil' as against 'political', 'social' or 'economic' democracy should guide the organization of human services generally and health services in particular. The paper concludes that the concept of 'civil democracy' can provide a useful policy model in political and normative as well as in economic terms.