As part of the Lisbon Strategy of 2000 the Union set forth a new strategy for achieving the ambitious goals of becoming “the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world capable of sustainable economic growth with more and better jobs and greater social cohesion” until the year 2010. Through incorporation of iterative benchmarking processes to assess progress in achieving the objectives set forth by the EU on the national level, mutual learning among member states and mobilization of actors across many levels – EU, national and sub-national levels – the OMC represented a novel approach to governance in the EU. Because the environment in which the OMC is applied, the multiple actors it involves across multiple levels, as well as the challenge of correctly placing it among other soft-law measures and the existing tool set of the EU institutions the literature in OMC research is equally complex. Contributions to OMC research emanate from many researchers across different fields of science, such as economists, legal scholars, sociologists and political scientists that have brought forth analyses looking at the topic from various angles. These include the OMC as a New Mode of Governance, a form of Policy Learning and Europeanisation and as a motor of European Integration.
Taking this complexity into account and given the limited ability of this specific type of essay it seems necessary to concentrate on a few specific aspects. This work will thus limit its time frame – from the implementation of the Lisbon Strategy in 2000 until the overhaul it received with the introduction of ‘Europe 2020’ in 2010 at most – and discuss the case of the United Kingdom (UK) with regard to the possible impact the OMC has had on social policy and the way in which different levels of government and non-government actors have been involved. How has the Open Method of Co-Ordination influenced social policy in the United Kingdom and has it been able to involve a wider array of actors in the process?
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. The Lisbon Strategy and the Open Method of Co-Ordination
2.1. Understanding OMC
2.2. Policy, Politics and Polity – An Analytical Framework
2.3. The OMC in the United Kingdom
3. Conclusion
Research Objectives and Key Topics
This essay investigates the influence of the Open Method of Co-Ordination (OMC) on social policy in the United Kingdom within the timeframe of the Lisbon Strategy (2000–2010), specifically examining how the method facilitates the involvement of diverse government and non-government actors in political processes.
- The role and functioning of the OMC as a soft-law governance tool in the European Union.
- Analytical framework of policy, politics, and polity within the context of EU governance.
- Impact of the OMC on devolved administrations and social inclusion policy in the UK.
- Mechanisms of policy learning, uploading, and downloading between national and supranational levels.
- Challenges in mobilizing stakeholders and citizens in the fight against social exclusion.
Excerpt from the Book
2.2. Policy, Politics and Polity – An Analytical Framework
In accordance with Borrás and Jacobsson (2004) and MacPhail (2010) the approach used here will try to shed light on the impact of the OMC on three key dimensions. Namely the dimensions of policy, polity and politics. It is a key argument that the function of the OMC is in harsh contrast to existing applications of soft-law within the EU. This means that it is not primarily a legal process, but rather a political continuous process of controlling and evaluation incorporation a diverse set of actors.
Firstly, the policy dimension encompasses the learning processes of the OMC and the co-ordination of national policy change. The vision of the OMC was to implement two different strategic goals in order to achieve greater convergence and at the same time spread best practices among the member states. As a prerequisite a ‘mutual learning process’ is necessary to compare and coordinate changes in the national and sub state policies. This is only possible when the actors from different nationalities learn to know the each country’s specific national policies and structures. These achievements then have to be periodically reviewed with the aim of increasing the political commitment to reach the joint goals that have been determined (Trubek, Trubek 2005, pp. 110–112).
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter introduces the evolution of the European Union and the introduction of the Open Method of Co-Ordination as a novel governance tool to achieve the Lisbon Strategy's ambitious socio-economic goals.
2. The Lisbon Strategy and the Open Method of Co-Ordination: This section details the mechanisms of the OMC, provides an analytical framework based on policy, politics, and polity, and explores the empirical application and challenges of this method within the United Kingdom's devolved governance structure.
3. Conclusion: The concluding chapter synthesizes the research findings, highlighting that while the OMC has enabled some progress in social policy, its role in deeper European integration remains limited by national priorities and constitutional constraints.
Keywords
Open Method of Co-Ordination, Lisbon Strategy, European Union, Social Policy, United Kingdom, Governance, Policy Learning, Social Inclusion, Employment Policy, Soft Law, Subsidiarity, Devolved Administration, European Integration, Polity Development, Stakeholder Participation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this work?
This work examines the influence of the Open Method of Co-Ordination (OMC) on social policy in the United Kingdom, focusing on the period between the Lisbon Strategy's launch in 2000 and its 2010 overhaul.
What are the core thematic fields covered?
The study covers EU governance structures, the OMC's role in social inclusion and employment policy, the dynamics of policy learning, and the multi-level interaction between the UK government, devolved authorities, and European institutions.
What is the central research question?
The essay asks how the OMC has influenced social policy in the United Kingdom and whether it has succeeded in involving a wider array of actors in the political process.
Which scientific methodology is employed?
The author uses an analytical framework based on the dimensions of policy, politics, and polity, drawing on existing literature and case studies to evaluate the empirical effects of soft-law mechanisms.
What topics are discussed in the main part?
The main part explains the OMC principles, defines an analytical model for assessing governance, and provides a detailed analysis of how the OMC interacts with British employment and social inclusion policies.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
Key terms include Open Method of Co-Ordination, Lisbon Strategy, UK social policy, governance, multi-level polity, and policy learning.
How does the author define the 'policy' dimension of the OMC?
The policy dimension is defined by learning processes and the coordination of national policy changes through benchmarking, peer review, and the diffusion of best practices.
Does the OMC lead to a formal transfer of power to the EU?
No, the OMC is a soft-law method that operates under the principle of subsidiarity and does not involve a transfer of formal competences from the national to the European level.
What are the main findings regarding the UK's participation?
The study finds that while the UK is effective at 'uploading' reports and policies, 'downloading' or adopting EU-level OMC processes for domestic learning is a lower priority compared to national political processes.
What does the author conclude about the OMC and European Integration?
The author concludes that because OMC processes are largely constrained within nation-state boundaries, there is little evidence that the OMC acts as a major driver for a new step in European Integration.
- Quote paper
- Christian Horch (Author), 2014, The Open Method of Coordination. The Lisbon Strategy in the United Kingdom, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/385651
