Open Method Of Coordination Research Articles

Financial Sustainability Above All Else? Drivers and Types of Pension Reform Recommendations in EU Socio‐economic Governance

AbstractThe average age of the population and the ratio of workers to pensioners in the European Union (EU) are rising, putting increasing pressure on the long‐term sustainability of pension systems. To counteract this development, a large number of pension reform recommendations (PRRs) have been issued within EU socio‐economic governance. In this article, we analyse the extent to which PRRs are consistent with the three main objectives of the open method of coordination (OMC), which emphasise (i) financial sustainability, (ii) benefit adequacy and (iii) modernisation with respect to gender equality. Using an original dataset, we code 438 PRRs from 2011 to 2023 and analyse the extent to which these are consistent with the three main objectives of the OMC. Our results show that PRRs are primarily focused on financial sustainability, to the detriment of adequacy and modernisation, and that they are driven solely by sustainability concerns.

Informality as a resource: A systems-theoretical take on the open method of coordination in education

Several authors have underlined that processes of Europeanisation of education emerge despite the European Union’s lack of formal power in this area. This article argues on the contrary that its lack of power precisely enables the EU to open up a range of possibilities for its involvement in this sector, among which the ET2020 Working Groups (WG) of the Open Method of Coordination (OMC). Based on observations of WG meetings and interviews with key actors, and using Niklas Luhmann’s systems-theory, we aim to show how the distance separating the ET2020 WG from the formal circuits of European decision-making acts as a resource for the development of a European discourse on education. Alongside the ordinary legislative procedure based on voting and implementing collectively binding decisions, the alternative political circuit of the OMC is based on the irritation of a set of education sector stakeholders through the creation and dissemination of reports of ‘good practices’. In doing so, the ET2020 Working Groups illustrate how politics transforms itself and redefines its boundaries when it is structured at the European level rather than at the level of the nation-state.

Linking compliance and policy learning

This article analyzes the link between compliance and policy learning. It argues that member states that tend to comply with EU regulations are also more prone to learn from EU soft law instruments, such as the Open Method of Co-ordination (OMC). To empirically demonstrate this argument, the article offers evidence from two illustrative case studies, Greece and Spain, based on insights from semi-structured interviews conducted with EU and national experts. The evidence shows that in Greece, compliance is problematic and learning – via EU soft law – remains mostly blocked. In Spain, where compliance is stronger, learning is more instrumental and political in nature. By focusing on the critical period before and right after the 2008 financial crisis, the article explains the different trajectories of these two Southern European countries with respect to their EU obligations through the lens of policy learning.

The OMC, Intelligent Accountability and the Monitoring of National Tax Authorities

EU governance is not straightforward. Novel supranational methods of checking compliance with the panoply of EU Membership responsibilities therefore are needed. The open method of co‐ordination (OMC) – inappropriately named given that ‘coordination’ is at best the result of second order effects – is one such example of a distinctly supranational method of holding Member States to account. This article argues that the OMC should be used in respect of the collection of taxes due by large taxpayers. In doing so, the article argues that tax collection practices should be monitored at the EU level. It further defends the use of the OMC by demonstrating that OMC initiatives can engender a desirable form of accountability, namely ‘intelligent accountability’.

New Governance in the European Union: Omc

The main purpose of this paper is to study the new governance in the European Union: the open method of coordination (hereinafter: OMC). Some of the main features of the OMC are: an instrument of spreading the best practices of achieving the EU's main goals; to help member states develop their policies; creating a calendar for achieving project goals: short, medium and long term; translating European guidelines into national and regional policies specifying objectives and measures; as well as periodic monitoring and evaluation. The main value of the OMC is all involvement in decision-making: European Union institutions, civil society, interest groups, media, etc., through the OMC play a role in the process of drafting public policies and monitoring and evaluating implementation. The OMC aims to complement the 'democratic deficit' of EU institutions, especially in the education policy, employment policies and social welfare policies. We have used two methods for research of the paper. The first, the method of research of scientific and academic literature related to the European Union. Second, the case study of individual cases for displaying the new governance format: OMC in the European Union. The result of the research is to understand what new governance in the European Union is, when it comes to expression of this form of governance, who are the main actors in implementing new governance, when it has started to apply, etc. The conclusion of the paper is that the new governance in the European Union: the OMC has transformed the decision-making process as well as the process of drafting policies, strategies and legislation within the EU.
 
 Received: 26 October 2021 / Accepted: 15 December 2021 / Published: 5 January 2022

The ‘Muting’ of the Stability and Growth Pact

AbstractThis article proposes the “muting” of the SGP, the framework of rules that the EU has implemented since the coming into being of the European Monetary Union in the fiscal domain. It is argued herein that the system is far from being credible, from the perspective of the law-as-credibility paradigm. Therefore, the legal condition of the SGP should be “muted”. Three proposals to legally mute the SGP are examined in this article. The Open Method of Coordination is used as a useful model that could be followed from now on in the EU fiscal field. The gains in terms of legal credibility would argue in favour of the muting of the SGP and its correlative conversion into an OMC-like system.

WHAT IS NEW IN THE EU COHESION POLICY?

Based on the review of regulations and press releases of EU institutions, the content of changes in the cohesion policy in 2021–2027 was revealed in comparison with the period 2014– 2020. The conclusion is made about the preservation of a significant role of the cohesion policy in the EU’s activities and high volume of its allocations from the EU Budget. The author sees an element of novelty in the synthesis of well-known methods and principles of supranational regulation of the socio-economic development of the EU territories – the budget method, the principle of financial conditionality and the open method of coordination. Particular attention is paid to the decision to reorient a third of the allocations of European regional policy funds for programs of transition to a circular and climate-neutral economy in 2021–2027. The explanation of such strong link between the goals of regional policy and the ecological and climatic goals of the EU is proposed. Namely, the success of the «Europe 2020» Strategy only in terms of climate benchmarks, according to the author, gives to the official Brussels a reason to see the potential to increase the effectiveness of regional policy.

The Significance of the Open Method of Coordination （OMC） in the Development of EU Social Policy: Why has the OMC been introduced into EU social policy?

The development of EU social policy is characterized by the introduction of new policy tools. Beginning with the application of Community-method, EU social policy has adopted Social Dialogue at the Treaty of Maastricht, and the Open Method of Coordination （OMC） with the launch of Lisbon Strategy. Why has EU social policy necessitated these new tools? Focusing on the introduction of the OMC into EU policy toolbox and on the operation of the OMC on Social Inclusion, this article attempts to shed a light on the significance of the OMC in the development of EU social policy.

The EU Health Technology Assessment and the Open Method of Coordination: A Relation with Potential in the Context of Network Governance

The open method of coordination (OMC)—a tool which was formalized in the early 2000s—has generated the interest of both the researchers and practitioners in the context of the new EU governance. This article is examining the literature of both network governance and OMC, with the focus particularly on one main question: is OMC a useful instrument in health policies in order to achieve concrete results by outlining norms and legislation where EU exercise limited power? Analyzing a field in which the EU competence is limited—given the budgetary implications of medicines reimbursement—from the results of the existing collaboration within EUnetHTA, we will observe the added value in this particular case of the OMC application, and the possible consequences in shaping the supranational competences. Given that the EU, with some exceptions provided by the Treaties, may only exercise actions to support, coordinate or complement the action of the Member States in the health policy, the OMC proves to be a useful tool, both from the perspective of the Member States but especially of the supranational level.

ASSESSING THE ADEQUACY OF PENSION SYSTEMS IN GEORGIA AND EUROPE

For several decades, pension systems across the world have been undergoing reforms. The main reasons for this are demographic changes and increasing life expectancy. As life expectancy increases and the birth rate decreases, more people retire than are added to the workforce. To make these reforms more effective and ensure that they are based on the best benchmarks, the European Union (EU) has introduced the Open Method of Coordination (OMC) in the field of pensions. Pension system reform is on its way in Georgia since 2019, January. OMC evaluates pensions systems in terms of the three main objectives: adequacy, sustainability, and modernization of pensions. Our methodology is based on multivariate statistical analysis, and employs synthetic indicators for adequacy objectives, in case of Georgia and 27 EU countries, in the years 2010, 2015 and 2018. The article contributes to the existing literature on pension reforms through investigation of the convergence of EU27 and Georgia pension systems in terms of one of the OMC objectives, in order to evaluate the adequacy of the pension systems.

Harder soft governance in European climate and energy policy: exploring a new trend in public policy

ABSTRACT While various forms of soft governance have been long in the making, there is a growing introduction of new policy elements in order to ‘harden’ soft governance arrangements. These new forms of ‘harder’ soft governance (HSG) vary in the degree of hardness in different settings. This special issue aims to derive lessons for climate and energy policy on HSG by looking across other policy fields and institutions where such ‘hardening’ has emerged, including in climate policy monitoring, the EU Energy Union, the UNFCCC, the OECD, the Open Method of Coordination, the European Semester, and policy surveillance in transnational city networks. Bringing the contributions together, this introduction reviews soft governance approaches, including their hardening. It then develops a framework for diagnosing HSG, including indicators such as obligations, justification, precision, ‘blaming and shaming’ opportunities, the role of third party actors, bundling, enforcement by policy field coupling, and sanctions. The introduction then identifies driving factors of HSG, including the role of the EU Member States, a strong need for coordination, policy entrepreneurs and institutional opportunities. The lessons from this special issue provide a useful yardstick for the future development of climate and energy governance, and the use of HSG in other policy fields.

Trends of Modern Education Development in the European Educational Space

The article summarizes that the establishment and development of common language educational space of the EU were caused by an aggregated impact of external factors in the form of social, economic, and political processes within European integration as well as by intra-system factors. Both the institutional and legal base and the open method of coordination in the sphere of language education at the EU level create difficult intra-system and external ties, providing the integrity of the educational space. The creation of a common language educational space is based on conceptual frameworks determining the content of educational policy at European and national levels. Modern trends of higher education have been analysed through the multicultural aspect of society. The assumption about the appropriateness of continuous language training of students as the basis to form skills for intercultural communication has also been made. To check the credibility of results achieved during research and development works methods of mathematical statistics have been used. They included non-parametric methods of results comparison, which according to Kyveryalg are the most appropriate while professional analysis of pedagogical phenomena. It is explained by the fact that there is a limited number of quantity indicators obtained as a result of pedagogical studies (four levels of intercultural communication skills) in the science of pedagogy. The results proved the effectiveness of the developed methodology, which is based on the implementation of context-based learning techniques while learning a foreign language (English) by students.

La politique européenne de l’emploi au service de la compétitivité

La stratégie européenne pour l’emploi a été développée dans un contexte de forte critique de la construction européenne. Elle visait à rééquilibrer la construction communautaire en lui adossant un versant social. Le prescrit communautaire a été établi dans le cadre de la méthode ouverte de coordination et a progressivement été unifié autour d’un référentiel libéral de mise en concurrence. La crise de 2008 a subordonné cette politique aux impératifs de compétitivité et d’austérité budgétaire. Classification JEL : O52, D78, H 53, J48

UNESCO'S MISSION IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF TRANSNATIONAL HIGHER EDUCATION

The article is devoted to the characterization of the constitutive influence of UNESCO on the transnational higher education formation at the end of the XX - the beginning of the XXI century, in particu-lar, to substantiate strategies for its development and quality assurance at the global and regional levels. Based on the study of a wide source base, UNESCO's role in the development of transnational higher educa-tion is uncovered though it has been firmly included in the structure of the international relations system in the field of internationalization of higher education as the institution of global educational policy of global scale. It is revealed that the main directions of the international organization’s activity in the development of transnational higher education are: statistical data collection and classification; harmonization of the termi-nology apparatus; deepening knowledge of transnational higher education issues; development of recom-mendations for the transnational higher education management, ensuring its quality; creation of infor-mation exchange centers; forecasting and developing strategies for its development. It was established that on the international level, on the basis of the method of open coordination, the leading institutions of global regulation of education development have agreed and adopted normative documents on the quality assur-ance of transnational higher education, the unifying characteristics of which are: the basic principle of mu-tual trust between countries and respect for the diversity of higher education systems; quality management of transnational educational services; ensuring the detection of dishonest providers; recommendation focus on the activities of stakeholders: government, higher education institutions, educational services providers, student organizations, quality assurance and accreditation institutions, institutions for recognition of quali-fications and diplomas, professional associations of teachers, researchers, etc.

Governance and the Transformation of European Private Law

The Europeanization of European Private Law (EPL) is an ongoing process that has gained momentum with the communautarization of judicial cooperation in civil and commercial matters with the Amsterdam Treaty. Attention needs to be given to the governance structure of EPL. Europeanization of private law can be achieved through a new approach involving innovative modes of governance in EPL. This article sets out to argue that the further Europeanization of EPL requires a multi-level mode of governance, confirming the traditional supra-national Community Method mode of governance in EPL with the introduction of intra-governmental innovative methods in EPL such as the Open Method of Coordination (OMC) and soft-law. The innovative modes, together with the traditional mode of governance, can take forward the development of EPL so that it can better serve the needs of the European legal community into the future.

While We Are Waiting for the Superbug: Constitutional Asymmetry and EU Governmental Policies to Combat Antimicrobial Resistance

AbstractThis article analyses how constitutional asymmetry in EU health policy affects EU‐governmental initiatives to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR). AMR has been viewed as one of the biggest threats to public health that will arise during the next two to three decades, both within the EU and globally. During the last decade the EU has taken a number of initiatives to combat AMR. The article finds that constitutional asymmetry in health policy has a major influence on how EU‐AMR policies are developed and implemented. Policies relating to promotion initiatives (like selling pharmaceuticals in the EU) are implemented through hard law types of governance (directives and regulations), while policies more directly aiming at reducing the consumption of antimicrobials are implemented through soft law initiatives (open methods of coordination).

“HORIZON 2020”: ENHANCEMENT OF INNOVATIVENESS IN UKRAINE

The aim of the article is to study some aspects of the participation of Ukraine in the European innovation programmes, particularly in the Framework programme for research and technological development and to consider factors that contribute to the attractiveness of these programmes for Ukraine and possible risks associated with the implementation of EU policies in the field of science in Ukrainian reality. The methodological basis of research constitute the historical and logical and systematic approaches in the study of patterns of innovation development in the context of economic growth and increase competitiveness. Actuality of this theme is explained by the creation of the global information society, the incipience of the new technological production method and by wide development of innovative cooperation between countries. Such collaboration, as a rule, promotes comprehensive expansion of trade, mutual investing in national production complexes, wide integration. The results of the analysis. Basic features, components and the role of European framework programme for research and innovation “Horizon 2020” for European Research Area’s creating were analyzed. Ukraine’s involvement in the process of international scientific and technical integration and economic component of Ukraine's participation in European framework programme for research and innovation “Horizon 2020” were investigated. The main priorities of national innovation policy were defined and measures concerning Ukraine’s innovative potential activation and improvement through participation in European innovative programmes were proposed. International innovative programs will promote adaptation of the country to the EU norms and standards, increase mobility of Ukrainian experts, researchers and educators in the European space, speed up European integration. Full participation in the Framework Programme “Horizon 2020” projects would attract countries to the advanced technology of its scientific potential, additional financing of the Ukrainian research organizations and institutions involved in joint projects. Scientific novelty of the research results consists of predicting a possible increase innovation potential of the economy of Ukraine based on the study of international innovation programmes as a factor of integration of Ukraine into the EU. The practical significance of the results consists of importance of theoretical propositions, conclusions and recommendations for practical application of these results in the learning process, the development and improvement of certain legislative acts of Ukraine and to justify special measures for government agencies to address the problems associated with the innovative development of Ukraine. Conclusions and directions of further researches. The practical result of international cooperation Ukraine should be achievement standards of innovative progress inherent in the developed world. These standards are primarily related to the rationalization of energy consumption and using natural resources, technology standards, legal protection of intellectual property, international quality standards, certification of products and services. With appropriate adaptation in Ukraine, it is possible to use the EU strategic instruments, in particular the "open method of coordination", which will enable Ukraine to study the experience of other countries, as well as exchange of innovative practices. In the future, it is worth exploring the ways of adaptation and implementation of EU strategic tools in Ukraine, which will provide the basis for the implementation of the programme initiatives of the “Europe 2020” Strategy.

Experimental governance in China’s higher education: stakeholder’s interpretations, interactions and strategic actions

ABSTRACT The state-university’s interaction and relationship has long been a key focus of scholarly discussion. A distinct strategy in China’s higher education is policy experimentation (PE), which allows indigenous policy innovations to be generated at local institutions and incorporated into national policymaking. The PE approach allows power negotiation among various stakeholders in creating a strategy space for reform. Through case studies, the paper examines those complicated processes enabled and shaped by stakeholders’ perceptions, behaviours and strategic actions. It proposes three types of rationales for using PE as mission-driven, problem-driven and administration-driven. The university uses ‘bargaining and persuasion’ and ‘formation of advocacy coalition’ in negotiating with the state whereas the state communicates with the university through ‘documentary politics’ and ‘open method of coordination’. Thus, PE can be regarded as a new way of HE governance in effectively mediating the state authority and university power in building consensus for China’s HE development.

Inštitucionálne zázemie mládežníckej politiky Slovenska: priestor pre europeizáciu?

Youth policy of the Slovak Republic in the present is in development process of a new strategy for youth. At the national level, the policy is made by interdepartmental and interdisciplinary cooperation accommodated by the Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport of the Slovak Republic. In a process of policy making, the Ministry cooperates also with different actors on local and regional levels as well as on the European level. European Union develops its own youth policy in the form of Youth Strategy 2019-2027.Youth policy is, however, only a weak competence of the EU, while every country develops its own policy on the national level. Thereby it is important to focus on the level of influence of the EU through Europeanization on the Slovak youth policy, and on the question, whether there is any Europeanization during policy process at the national level at all. The aim of this work was to analyse the process of agenda-setting and policy formulation during the policy process of youth policy making under the responsibility of the Ministry and to investigate possible influence of Europeanization on this phase of a policy cycle. By using qualitative data analysis and process-tracing method we were able to find some evidence of possible Europeanization in early phases of the policy-process. On the other side, we found limitations of an EU influence on that process mainly as a result of non-binding nature of the open method of coordination.

‘Best practice as a governing practice: producing best practice in a European Commission working group.’

ABSTRACT This paper argues that best practice is a powerful form of governing practice in education policy whose distinctiveness remains conceptually neglected in comparison to the burgeoning literature on governing by numbers. Moreover, the paper identifies how the practice of generating best practice knowledge remains under-explored and under-conceptualised: we know surprisingly little about how best practices come into being in international policymaking contexts. The paper seeks to address these two gaps by examining the production of best practice in the European education policy space through the Open Method of Coordination. Drawing on in-depth observation, interview, and document data the paper uses political discourse theory to analyse the frontstage and backstage interactions involved in generating best practices for governing school systems in a Working Group coordinated by the European Commission. Analysis identifies three dominant logics which underpin the production of best practice and reveals how these logics work to confine to the backstage of meetings specific practices which threaten to call into question the credibility of best practice. The paper highlights how best practice works as a distinctive form of governing practice which deserves further consideration in debates relating to the role of knowledge in transnational education governance.