Two Worlds of Europeanisation - Unpacking Models of Government Innovation and Transgovernmental Imitation

European Integration online Papers (EIoP), Vol. 9, No. 1

25 Pages Posted: 14 Jan 2005

See all articles by Jarle Trondal

Jarle Trondal

University of Agder - School of Management

Abstract

Whereas domestic public policy is increasingly penetrated by international organisations, domestic government institutions seem less adaptive. This puzzle triggers the following question: To what extent is the Europeanisation of domestic Research and Higher Educational policy (R&E policy) crafted by domestic government? Put more starkly, how intimate relationships exist between domestic government decision-making and domestic policy? The rationale of this article is to unpack two supplementary models of Europeanisation. First, a model of 'Europeanisation by innovation' derived from an organisation theory perspective emphasises a tight coupling of ministerial decision-making and R&E policy. Secondly, a model of 'Europeanisation by imitation' derived from a network approach advocates a loose coupling of government decision-making and R&E policy through transgovernmental processes of imitation. Reporting from the area of R&E policy and based on survey data on civil servants in the Norwegian Ministry of Research and Education (MRE) (N = 190), this study indicates that Norwegian R&E policy has become Europeanised whilst the decision-making processes of MRE has become only moderately Europeanised. The analysis merely indicates a partial de-coupling of MRE decision-making and the Europeanisation of R&E policy. The Europeanisation of Norwegian R&E policy seems only partly steered and forged by the domestic top ministerial leadership, and partly affected by the import of policy models from international governmental organisations.

Keywords: Educational policy, EEA-agreement, European Commission, Europeanisation, governance, leadership, network approach, Norway, OECD, organization theory, RTD policy, sovereignty, UNESCO, political science

Suggested Citation

Trondal, Jarle, Two Worlds of Europeanisation - Unpacking Models of Government Innovation and Transgovernmental Imitation. European Integration online Papers (EIoP), Vol. 9, No. 1, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=648607

Jarle Trondal (Contact Author)

University of Agder - School of Management ( email )

Servicebox 422
N-4604 Kristiansand
Norway
+47 48 17 64 93 (Phone)
+47 38 14 10 61 (Fax)

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