The Europeanisation of development policy

Abstract

Despite the growing academic interest in the development policy of the European Union (EU) and the booming literature on Europeanisation, the impact of Europe on national development policies has largely been overlooked. By exploring member state interactions with and through the EU level across a number of different issues, this study looks to herald a new research agenda. The picture emerging from the empirical evidence is that of modest degrees of Europeanisation. In fact, resistance to Europe can be attributed to different (f)actors, some operating at the domestic level (e.g. established cultural and normative structures, different types of veto players) and others related to the existence of several groupings with alternative policy prescriptions (e.g. Nordic donors, like-minded countries, former colonial powers). Even where there are signs of convergence (or divergence), they may be due to other influences rather than pressures coming from the EU.