Policy transfer and territorial governance in the European Union Giancarlo Cotella, Umberto Janin Rivolin RSA Global Conference 2014 Cross-National Policy Transfer and Learning in Regional and Urban Policy 27-30 April 2014 Fortaleza (Brazil)
Policy transfer and territorial governance in the European Union 1. The research context: ESPON TANGO 2. Good practices, policy transfer and territorial governance 3. Europeanization and policy transfer 4. Three modes of spreading 5. Final remarks
1. The research context: ESPON TANGO Nordregio (Lead Partner) Delft University of Technology / OTB Research University of Newcastle upon Tyne Territorial Approaches for New Governance (Priority 1 Applied Research) Time frame: Inception Report Dec 2011 Interim Report June 2012 Draft Final Report / Draft Final Handbook June 2013 Final Report and Final Handbook Nov 2013 Centre for Regional Studies of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Civil and Geodetic Engineering
2. Good practices, policy transfer and territorial governance C3 B A3 C A1 C2 A2 B1 A B2 C1 B3
2. Good practices, policy transfer and territorial governance (Dolowitz & Marsh, 2000)
2. Good practices, policy transfer and territorial governance A further complexity: Territorial governance is not per se a policy Rather a complex process integrating several policies for the improvement of a place Even the best practices of territorial governance are a mix of more and less good features Can territorial governance be transferred? What can be transferred in territorial governance? ESPON TANGO s proposal: Identifying features of territorial governance within practices
2. Good practices, policy transfer and territorial governance Territorial governance is the formulation and implementation of public policies, programmes and projects for the development of a place/territory by 1) Integrating relevant policy sectors, 2) Co-ordinating the actions of relevant actors and institutions by considering in particular the multi-level interplay, 3) Mobilising stakeholder participation, 4) Being adaptive to changing contexts 5) Addressing the place-based/territorial specificities and characteristics. The project considers 1) to 5) as dimensions of Territorial Governance (TG) which provide added value to achieving territorial cohesion.
2. Good practices, policy transfer and territorial governance 12 Case Studies 158 features 67 abstract features 30 14 for dimension 1 (Integrating policy sectors) 42 13 for dimension 2 (Co-ordinating actions of actors and institutions) 34 11 for dimension 3 (Mobilising stakeholder participation) 27 15 for dimension 4 (Being adaptive to changing contexts) 25 14 for dimension 5 (addressing place-based/territorial specificities)
3. Europeanization and policy transfer How to transfer those features? ESPON TANGO focuses on Territorial governance in Europe A major opportunity: Europe allows a wider range of pathways for policy transfer As for institutional matters, policy transfer in the EU and Europeanization may be considered as two sides of the same coin (Wishdale et al, 2003)
3. Europeanization and policy transfer Territorial governance a policy process driving the spatial organisation of social life belonging in nature to artificial phenomena known as institutions its genesis and development should be thought as a cyclical evolutionary process of human trial and error based on: 1) the generation of variety (in particular, a variety of practices and rules); 2) competition and reduction of the variety (of rules) via selection; 3) propagation and some persistence of the solution (the system of rules) selected. (Moroni, 2010)
3. Europeanization and policy transfer (Janin Rivolin, 2012)
3. Europeanization and policy transfer (Cotella & Janin Rivolin, 2010)
4. Three modes of spreading A. Dialogic mode European policy affects domestic arrangements indirectly, by altering the beliefs and expectations of domestic actors (Knill & Lehmkuhl, 1999) cognitive logic, discursive integration (Böhme, 2002) ideas, principles, philosophy e.g. European territorial cooperation programmes and projects spontaneous and easier voluntary, based on lesson drawing single cases, minor spread
4. Three modes of spreading B. Operational mode European influence is confined to altering domestic opportunity structures, and hence the distribution of power and resources between domestic actors (Knill & Lehmkuhl, 1999) economic conditionality methods, techniques, know-how e.g. UPP, Urban initiative, territorial employment pacts rather complex all Member States involved direct and targeted
4. Three modes of spreading C. Institutional mode European policy-making may trigger domestic change by prescribing concrete institutional requirements [ ]; EU policy positively prescribes an institutional model to which domestic arrangements have to be adjusted» (Knill & Lehmkuhl, 1999) legal conditionality rules, codes, laws e.g. sustainable development longer but enveloping process coercive on all Member States most powerful but difficult to apply
4. Three modes of spreading
4. Three modes of spreading 1. Preliminary ideas for better territorial governance (15 features) 2. Practices that improve territorial governance (15 features) 3. Techniques and methods for better territorial governance (10 features) 4. The importance of the rules of the game (15 features) 5. Last reminders and warnings
5. Final remarks A toolbox for those concerned with territorial governance in Europe Overcoming complexities of policy transfer through a pragmatic approach, founded on the institutional nature of territorial governance Casting further light on European territorial governance as an evolutionary process based on articulated forms of policy transfer between the EU and the Member States Relevant for policymaking insofar as it distinguishes various opportunities to spread good territorial governance in Europe Deeper analysis of the relationship between possible policies/actions and specific place-based issues might improve the understanding of processes of filtering out and in
Cross-National Policy Transfer and Learning in Regional and Urban Policy Thank you for the attention! Giancarlo Cotella, giancarlo.cotella@polito.it Umberto Janin Rivolin, umberto.janinrivolin@polito.it