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TAMING THE ‘AWKWARD STATE’? THE CHANGING FACE OF EUROPEAN POLICY‐MAKING UNDER BLAIR
Author(s) -
JAMES SCOTT
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
public administration
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.313
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1467-9299
pISSN - 0033-3298
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-9299.2009.01757.x
Subject(s) - constructive , face (sociological concept) , european union , politics , state (computer science) , government (linguistics) , order (exchange) , process (computing) , public administration , core (optical fiber) , political science , policy making , political economy , economic system , economics , sociology , economic policy , law , computer science , finance , telecommunications , social science , linguistics , philosophy , algorithm , operating system
This paper analyses the important changes to the European Union (EU) policy‐making process within the UK core executive introduced by the Blair government between 1997 and 2007. Employing a strategic‐relational network framework, it sets out to map the changing face of policy‐making within the Whitehall EU network, and to evaluate and explain the impact of adaptation. The article argues that Labour's reform strategy has been double‐edged: day‐to‐day coordination of EU policy has become increasingly informal, ad hoc and delegated downwards to departmental players while the role of the centre has been greatly strengthened in order to provide more effective strategic direction and political leadership. Despite these seemingly coherent reforms, however, many critical features of the process have been potentially detrimental to the projection of a more constructive European policy.