Decoupling practical and legal compliance: Analysis of member states’ implementation of EU policy

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articlepeer-review

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Decoupling practical and legal compliance: Analysis of member states’ implementation of EU policy. / Zhelyazkova, Asya; Kaya, Cansarp; Schrama, Reini Margriet.

In: European Journal of Political Research, 19.06.2016.

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articlepeer-review

Harvard

Zhelyazkova, A, Kaya, C & Schrama, RM 2016, 'Decoupling practical and legal compliance: Analysis of member states’ implementation of EU policy', European Journal of Political Research. https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-6765.12154

APA

Zhelyazkova, A., Kaya, C., & Schrama, R. M. (2016). Decoupling practical and legal compliance: Analysis of member states’ implementation of EU policy. European Journal of Political Research. https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-6765.12154

Vancouver

Zhelyazkova A, Kaya C, Schrama RM. Decoupling practical and legal compliance: Analysis of member states’ implementation of EU policy. European Journal of Political Research. 2016 Jun 19. https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-6765.12154

Author

Zhelyazkova, Asya ; Kaya, Cansarp ; Schrama, Reini Margriet. / Decoupling practical and legal compliance: Analysis of member states’ implementation of EU policy. In: European Journal of Political Research. 2016.

Bibtex

@article{9cf603ef700d4d12ae2da49f10c97ce5,
title = "Decoupling practical and legal compliance: Analysis of member states{\textquoteright} implementation of EU policy",
abstract = "Despite the vast literature on policy implementation, systematic cross‐national research focusing on implementers{\textquoteright} performance regarding different policy issues is still in its infancy. The European Union policies are conducive to examining this relationship in a comparative setting, as the EU member states need to implement various EU directives both legally and in practice. In this study, a first attempt is made to analyse the relationship between legal conformity and practical implementation and the conditions for practical deviations in 27 member states across issues from four policy areas (Internal Market, Environment, Justice and Home Affairs and Social Policy). In line with existing approaches to EU compliance, it is expected that the policy preferences of domestic political elites ({\textquoteleft}enforcement{\textquoteright}) affect their incentives to {\textquoteleft}decouple{\textquoteright} practical from legal compliance. Instead, administrative and institutional capacities ({\textquoteleft}management{\textquoteright}) and societal constraints ({\textquoteleft}legitimacy{\textquoteright}) are likely to limit the ability of policy makers to exert control over the implementation process. The findings suggest that practical deviations arise from policy makers{\textquoteright} inability to steer the implementation process, regardless of their predispositions towards internationally agreed policies. The results have strong implications for the effective application of international rules in domestic settings, as they illustrate that political support for the implementation of {\textquoteleft}external{\textquoteright} policy does not ensure effective implementation in practice.",
author = "Asya Zhelyazkova and Cansarp Kaya and Schrama, {Reini Margriet}",
year = "2016",
month = jun,
day = "19",
doi = "10.1111/1475-6765.12154",
language = "English",
journal = "European Journal of Political Research",
issn = "0304-4130",
publisher = "Wiley-Blackwell",

}

RIS

TY - JOUR

T1 - Decoupling practical and legal compliance: Analysis of member states’ implementation of EU policy

AU - Zhelyazkova, Asya

AU - Kaya, Cansarp

AU - Schrama, Reini Margriet

PY - 2016/6/19

Y1 - 2016/6/19

N2 - Despite the vast literature on policy implementation, systematic cross‐national research focusing on implementers’ performance regarding different policy issues is still in its infancy. The European Union policies are conducive to examining this relationship in a comparative setting, as the EU member states need to implement various EU directives both legally and in practice. In this study, a first attempt is made to analyse the relationship between legal conformity and practical implementation and the conditions for practical deviations in 27 member states across issues from four policy areas (Internal Market, Environment, Justice and Home Affairs and Social Policy). In line with existing approaches to EU compliance, it is expected that the policy preferences of domestic political elites (‘enforcement’) affect their incentives to ‘decouple’ practical from legal compliance. Instead, administrative and institutional capacities (‘management’) and societal constraints (‘legitimacy’) are likely to limit the ability of policy makers to exert control over the implementation process. The findings suggest that practical deviations arise from policy makers’ inability to steer the implementation process, regardless of their predispositions towards internationally agreed policies. The results have strong implications for the effective application of international rules in domestic settings, as they illustrate that political support for the implementation of ‘external’ policy does not ensure effective implementation in practice.

AB - Despite the vast literature on policy implementation, systematic cross‐national research focusing on implementers’ performance regarding different policy issues is still in its infancy. The European Union policies are conducive to examining this relationship in a comparative setting, as the EU member states need to implement various EU directives both legally and in practice. In this study, a first attempt is made to analyse the relationship between legal conformity and practical implementation and the conditions for practical deviations in 27 member states across issues from four policy areas (Internal Market, Environment, Justice and Home Affairs and Social Policy). In line with existing approaches to EU compliance, it is expected that the policy preferences of domestic political elites (‘enforcement’) affect their incentives to ‘decouple’ practical from legal compliance. Instead, administrative and institutional capacities (‘management’) and societal constraints (‘legitimacy’) are likely to limit the ability of policy makers to exert control over the implementation process. The findings suggest that practical deviations arise from policy makers’ inability to steer the implementation process, regardless of their predispositions towards internationally agreed policies. The results have strong implications for the effective application of international rules in domestic settings, as they illustrate that political support for the implementation of ‘external’ policy does not ensure effective implementation in practice.

U2 - 10.1111/1475-6765.12154

DO - 10.1111/1475-6765.12154

M3 - Journal article

JO - European Journal of Political Research

JF - European Journal of Political Research

SN - 0304-4130

ER -

ID: 197849788