Participatory Gains and Policy Effectiveness: The Open Method of Co‐ordination Information Society

This article provides empirical findings on the relationship between the open method of co‐ordination and participation ( OMC ). Empirically, it draws on within‐case analysis to examine how participation, venues and outcomes have varied in different domains of information society policy. This is a challenging case for claims about the participatory effects of the OMC because it is not a policy originally designed to address social policy concerns or unemployment problems. The main conceptual argument is that the OMC is a political opportunity structure that distributes participatory gains. The article examines this opportunity structure by separating out the dimensions of ‘procedure’ and ‘outcomes’ and including ‘transparency’ as a moderating variable. The findings point to participatory effects in all but one case, although not for the same actors and at the same level ( E uropean U nion or national/sub‐national).