European Integration and Pension Policy Change: Variable Patterns of Europeanization in I taly, the N etherlands and B elgium

This article investigates how E uropean welfare states respond to reform pressures arising from E uropean integration. We focus on the field of public pensions and examine the impact of two institutional variables that mediate the impact of reform pressures: the extent of public pension provision and the number of national political veto points. We argue that, all else equal, member‐states with few veto points and a relatively small public pension sector are the most likely cases of policy change in response to E uropeanization, whereas member‐states with a high number of veto points and extensive public pension commitments are the least likely candidates for policy change. We test these arguments in four cases of E uropeanization in three countries ( B elgium, the N etherlands and I taly).