Papers by Paul Stephenson
European Journal of Risk Regulation
In its evaluation cycle, the European Commission emphasises the importance of good data and the s... more In its evaluation cycle, the European Commission emphasises the importance of good data and the systematic involvement of a plurality of policy stakeholders, including citizens. Findings from European Union policy evaluation should inform further law-making, encourage learning and provide accountability. Transparent and inclusive formal procedures and tools are seen as essential for securing citizen participation in risk regulation; however, the Commission faces numerous challenges in securing engagement, particularly concerning the complexity of policy issues and the formal procedures for institutionalised consultations. Considering the Commission’s work from a proceduralist perspective, the article engages with Vivien Schmidt’s notion of “throughput legitimacy” to explore recent procedural innovations emerging since the Better Regulation agenda that have sought to enhance accountability, transparency, inclusiveness and openness, ensuring fairer and more balanced input on EU policy...
Journal of European Public Policy, 2013
In two decades since the Maastricht Treaty, multi-level governance (MLG) has developed as a conce... more In two decades since the Maastricht Treaty, multi-level governance (MLG) has developed as a conceptual framework for profiling the 'arrangement' of policy-making activity performed within and across politico-administrative institutions located at different territorial levels. This contribution examines the ways in which the MLG literature has been employed, effectively taking stock of applied research to date. It identifies five main uses of MLG and the different focus of emerging research over time. Considering the most recent scholarship, the contribution explores possible new directions for research, in light of global governance, culminating in a 'bird's eye view' of MLG over 20 years.
's book looks like a disaster movie. "FATAL" screams out to you in a massive sized font, its bold... more 's book looks like a disaster movie. "FATAL" screams out to you in a massive sized font, its bold white type against a yellow background. Behind the blood red skyline of tower blocks far off in the horizon: "ISOLATION." In the foreground, dark and brooding, the Eiffel Tower, with the view out west to the business district in La Défense. The dust jacket radiates heat. The city is burning.
Journal of Contemporary European Research, 2020
In 2014, newly elected Commission President Juncker pushed to create the European Fund for Strate... more In 2014, newly elected Commission President Juncker pushed to create the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI), the aim of creating jobs and stimulating growth. With guarantees offered by the fund and the involvement of the European Investment Bank, the plan was to use €21 billion to leverage €315 billion of investment in the European economy. The EFSI legislative process was very fast with legislation emerging in just a year, with the first EFSI regulation appearing in mid-2015. Using policy frame analysis, this article zooms in on the discursive patterns of the European Commission, European Parliament and Council, expecting to find transport infrastructure a key theme given the low investment levels in this sector after the financial crisis in 2008. Analysing key documents at two periods in time, and drawing on interviews with officials, it explores the arguments used to make the case for EFSI and how these changes over time, leading to the extension of EFSI through an am...
Journal of Contemporary European Research, 2017
The European Court of Auditors (ECA), established in 1977, is the external auditor of the EU budg... more The European Court of Auditors (ECA), established in 1977, is the external auditor of the EU budget. It was given full EU institutional status in 1993. The Treaty of Amsterdam reaffirmed its independence and extended its audit powers. Based in Luxembourg, it employs around 900 people, of whom less than half are auditors. The ECA is meant to carry out its audit tasks in close cooperation with the supreme audit institutions (SAIs) at the national level. Through its work, it shapes and adopts new audit standards that guide its practice. It is member of International Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI) (1953), a forum that brings together professional and technical experts worldwide through working groups and task forces. Drawing on Oliver Buntrock’s notion of ‘micro-institutionalisation’, this article examines how and why the ECA formally engages in standard-setting at the international level. Drawing on primary documents and interviews, it analyses socialization proce...
This article surveys the evolution of multi-level audit governance in the European Union. It trac... more This article surveys the evolution of multi-level audit governance in the European Union. It traces sixty-five years of financial control, from the work of a single auditor at the European Coal and Steel Community (1952) to the creation of the Audit Board of the European Communities (1959-1977), and from the establishment of an independent European Court of Auditors (1977) to audit the newly established EU budget, to the setting up of a European Anti-Fraud Office (1999). The article addresses the challenges of securing effective cooperation between audit bodies at the national and supranational level. It also analyses how the Community’s external auditor started to ‘hold to account’ EU policies and traces the tensions and inter-institutional conflict that arose between the Court and the Commission and Council. Using an analytical approach set out by Tommel (2016) that recognises different ‘modes of governance’, it identifies the main phases and turning points that have shaped audit ...
Politische Vierteljahresschrift
Although systematic policy evaluation has been conducted for decades and has been growing strongl... more Although systematic policy evaluation has been conducted for decades and has been growing strongly within the European Union (EU) institutions and in the member states, it remains largely underexplored in political science literatures. Extant work in political science and public policy typically focuses on elements such as agenda setting, policy shaping, decision making, or implementation rather than evaluation. Although individual pieces of research on evaluation in the EU have started to emerge, most often regarding policy “effectiveness” (one criterion among many in evaluation), a more structured approach is currently missing. This special issue aims to address this gap in political science by focusing on four key focal points: evaluation institutions (including rules and cultures), evaluation actors and interests (including competencies, power, roles and tasks), evaluation design (including research methods and theories, and their impact on policy design and legislation), and fi...
Journal of European Public Policy
ABSTRACT This article examines the institutionalization of Community governance in the area of au... more ABSTRACT This article examines the institutionalization of Community governance in the area of audit in the period prior to the establishment of the European Court of Auditors. Drawing on the literature on institutionalism and early supranational governance, it puts forward an original framework for analysing institutional dynamics that distinguishes between the institutional and the organizational/individual level, and between political and social space both inside and outside the institution. It provides a way of identifying the functions of institutions-in-the-making and distinguishing the locations of actor interactions. It then applies this framework and expectations to a longitudinal analysis of the Audit Board of the European Communities, based on the close reading of the minutes of more than 200 meetings over two decades. It argues that the rule system and normative order of the Board, as well as Community audit arrangements more broadly, resulted from various patterns of intra- and inter-institutional interaction that brought resistance, conflict and contestation.
Analyzing the European Union Policy Process, 2011
Analyzing the European Union Policy Process, 2011
Analyzing the European Union Policy Process, 2011
Cuadernos Europeos de Deusto, 2014
The Context and Challenges of Reforming the Court. 1. The College and the Chambers. 2. The Skills... more The Context and Challenges of Reforming the Court. 1. The College and the Chambers. 2. The Skills and Qualities of Members.-III. Collegiality and the Process of Appointing Members.-IV.
Cre d it: Euro p e an Parliame nt (Cre ative Co mmo ns BY NC ND) EU policy evaluation should make... more Cre d it: Euro p e an Parliame nt (Cre ative Co mmo ns BY NC ND) EU policy evaluation should make greater use of interpretative, qualitative research methods. Blo g Admin How should the EU's policies be evaluated? Using the case of EU Cohesion Policy, Julian Hörner and Paul Stephenson outline some of the main theoretical principles that underline EU policy evaluation. They write that positivist approaches and quantitative research methods tend to be dominant, in part due to the pressures on European institutions to demonstrate the added-value of policies. Despite this, there may be benefits to adopting more interpretative and qualitative approaches, even if these are more difficult to administer.
Journal of Contemporary European Research, May 13, 2010
Beginning in 1982 with arguments over the British contribution to the EC budget and ending in 200... more Beginning in 1982 with arguments over the British contribution to the EC budget and ending in 2004 with the negotiation of the EU constitutional Treaty, A Stranger in Europe describes and analyses the substantive and political problems in 'wrestling' with the institutional changes implied by Treaty Reform from the Single European Act (SEA) onwards. It seeks to 'paint a picture' of the issues affecting UK prime ministers and their French or German counterparts and, subsequently, account for why they took certain decisions. In the preface, Wall states clearly what the book is not: an extensive political history, an exhaustive story of civil service life, or a juicy blow-by-blow account as others have dared write. Despite some of the constraints imposed by the Official Secrets Act, the book is, nonetheless, a highly personal, 'worm's eye view' of politics, negotiation and decision-making inside government, drawing on 35 years inside the British Diplomatic Service.
Journal of Contemporary European Research, 2009
In the sweltering temperatures of August 2003 there were over 15,000 fatalities in France, the ma... more In the sweltering temperatures of August 2003 there were over 15,000 fatalities in France, the majority among the elderly. The heatwave (canicule) was the greatest natural catastrophe in Europe for 50 years. Political mismanagement contributed to the death toll and government initially sought to blame medical services. However, other politico-cultural, societal and psychological factors may have contributed to the failure to protect those citizens most vulnerable. This article identifies 20 obstacles ("pathogens") to ensuring effective response in the face of environmental or weatherrelated threats, distinguishing between state-institutional and individual-community barriers, most of which have a cultural dimension. These factors require greater consideration by policy-makers to improve preparedness for environmental threats in the EU. The case raises questions about crisis management and how best to reduce risk for elderly populations, illustrating the limits of the state in offering social protection through institutionalised solidarity mechanisms, and recognises calls to strengthen community capacity.
Journal of Contemporary European Research, Jan 7, 2013
The regulations granting the establishment of EU agencies were meant to ensure institutional inde... more The regulations granting the establishment of EU agencies were meant to ensure institutional independence in order to insulate everyday decision-making from political pressure, vested interests and political short-termism. However, recent events, including managerial resignations and the introduction of new rules concerning conflicts of interest, have brought renewed attention to the autonomy/independence debate. This article goes beyond the traditional de jure/de facto dichotomy of approaches to approaching the question of independence to consider perceptions of agency staff. It seeks to gauge the opinions of members of the European Medicine Agency's Management Board with regard to agency autonomy, distinguishing between four types of independence: legal, financial, administrative, decision-making. It draws on data collected using questionnaires, and interpreted using the expert evaluation method, to rank the importance given to types of independence among subsets of stakeholders overseeing the EMA.
Space Policy, 2012
This paper traces the way in which the European Commission has framed and reframed the issue of E... more This paper traces the way in which the European Commission has framed and reframed the issue of EU satellite navigation over 20 years. It investigates how the EU's agenda-setter has 'talked about' space policy, with a particular focus on Galileo, and how its own institutional discourse e as revealed in its communications throughout the agenda-setting stage of Galileo's 'definition' phase e evolved in the 1990s through the use of 'frame sets'. In so doing, it illustrates the ways in which, over time, the EU's executive has 'projected' the issue of independent satellite navigation capabilities as being politically and economically desirable for Europe, and has sought to persuade decision makers of its cross-policy relevance and potential economic, social and security benefits. The article deconstructs official documents and engages in a close-up analysis of policy formulation, to identify nascent, evolving and mature frames in the definition of Galileo.
South European Society and Politics, 2009
Parliamentary European Affairs Committees (EACs) are the most important specialised body for scru... more Parliamentary European Affairs Committees (EACs) are the most important specialised body for scrutinising European Union (EU) matters. Despite a central position in domestic policy-making, their role is often limited. In Spain, the pre-eminence of the executive over ...
Public Management Review, 2013
A heatwave in 2003 caused 15,000 deaths in France. This article examines the impact of the public... more A heatwave in 2003 caused 15,000 deaths in France. This article examines the impact of the public health crisis on French public management, considering how government actors across various state institutions, including central and decentralized tiers of public administration, have been engaged in reform. It studies how these actors in the post-crisis reform process established responsibility and drew lessons. The paper shows that solidarity was used discursively in a game of political blameshifting and experimentation. It also points to the politics behind the framing of crisis enquiries.
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Papers by Paul Stephenson