Suchergebnisse

Substantial theoretical, conceptual and empirical advances have been made in research on the implementation of EU policies during recent years. However, our findings have remained ambivalent and our theoretical insights disparate. It therefore seems high time to address some methodological issues and to raise awareness of the limits of the various approaches and of the data commonly used. We highlight the challenges of operationalizing and of choosing adequate indicators for the dependent variable (compliance). We also discuss the promises and perils of different types of data used in the field, such as official statistics on notifications and infringements published by the European Commission.

Substantial theoretical, conceptual and empirical advances have been made in research on the implementation of EU policies during recent years. However, our findings have remained ambivalent and our theoretical insights disparate. It therefore seems high time to address some issues that cause concern in this type of research and to raise awareness of the limits of the various theoretical approaches and of the data commonly used. This relates to the challenges of operationalising and of choosing adequate indicators for the dependent variable (compliance). We also discuss promises and pitfalls of different types of data used in the field, such as official statistics on notifications and infringements published by the European Commission as well as mass surveys. ; Die EU-Implementationsforschung hat in den letzten Jahren wesentliche theoretische, konzeptuelle und empirische Fortschritte gemacht. Die Ergebnisse sind jedoch ambivalent und unsere theoretischen Erkenntnisse noch immer disparat. Es scheint deshalb an der Zeit einige Problemfelder dieses Forschungszweigs zu benennen und die Sensibilität für die Reichweite verschiedener methodischer Ansätze und Arten von Daten zu vergrößern. Dies gilt für die Operationalisierung der Kernkonzepte und für die Wahl angemessener Indikatoren, um die abhängige Variable (Rechtsbefolgung) zu erklären. Darüber hinaus diskutieren wir die Vor- und Nachteile der verschiedenen Arten von Daten, die von den meisten Studien genutzt werden. Es handelt sich um offizielle Statistiken über Notifizierungen und Vertragsverletzungsverfahren, die die EU Kommission veröffentlicht, und um Umfragedaten.

The article provides a detailed analysis of the employment situation of older workers (55- 64 years) in the EU member states. Using European Labour Force Survey data we systematically discuss the variation in the employment of older workers along the dimensions of gender, sectoral distribution, type of employment, training and flexible work arrangements. We show that and where Germany has to do some catching up if it wants to create a favourable employment context for this age group. Highlighting country differences we draw the conclusions that this labour market challenge can be characterised to a large extent as a gender problem, that labour market policy for an ageing workforce must start much earlier than just with older people and that their employment situation can to a great extent be sought in the general economic parameters and especially in the degree of employment growth in the service sector. ; Der Beitrag analysiert die Beschäftigungssituation älterer Menschen (55-64 Jahre) in den EU-Mitgliedsländern. Auf der Basis von European Labour Force Survey Daten diskutieren wir systematisch die Ländervarianz in den Kategorien Geschlecht, Sektoren, Art der Beschäftigung, Aus- und Weiterbildung sowie flexible Arbeitsorganisation. Wir zeigen, dass und wo Deutschland Nachholbedarf hat, einen positiven Beschäftigungskontext für diese Altersgruppe herzustellen. Mit Blick auf die Unterschiede zwischen den Ländern stellen wir fest, dass diese Arbeitsmarktherausforderung in starkem Maße als Gleichstellungsproblem charakterisiert werden kann, dass Arbeitsmarktpolitik für eine alternde Bevölkerung nicht erst mit den Alten beginnen darf und dass die Beschäftigungssituation Ältere wesentlich durch wirtschaftliche Parameter bestimmt wird, besonders durch das Beschäftigungswachstum im Dienstleistungssektor.

Whereas governments had previously designed early exit policies to unburden labour markets, they have come increasingly to regard them as problematic. We investigate the reasons for this policy reversal, focusing on two key actors: governments and trade unions. Our mixed-methods approach entails two major steps: first, we embed approaches to policy reform in a common framework to show the empirical relevance of the two major actors in most OECD countries. We find that both government ideology and union representativeness matter. In a second step, we investigate reform processes in two countries in more detail. Belgium and the Netherlands have much in common as regards government and interest groups but differ in terms of the reversal of early exit policies. We see that both the configuration of electoral and welfare state institutions have shaped the specific strategic environment of the two actors in both countries.

"Ältere Menschen sind in Europa in sehr unterschiedlichem Umfang erwerbstätig. Dieser Beitrag zeigt diese Unterschiede auf, diskutiert mögliche Gründe dafür und testet die Theorie mit einem einfachen statistischen Modell. Es werden vorbildliche Beispiele 'aktiven Alterns' aus der europäischen Praxis vorgestellt." (Autorenreferat)

"Ältere Menschen sind in Europa in sehr unterschiedlichem Umfang erwerbstätig. Dieser Beitrag zeigt diese Unterschiede auf, diskutiert mögliche Gründe dafür und testet die Theorie mit einem einfachen statistischen Modell. Es werden vorbildliche Beispiele 'aktiven Alterns' aus der europäischen Praxis vorgestellt." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

Im Rahmen eines Projektverbundes am Max-Planck-Institut für Gesellschaftsforschung wurde die Umsetzung der zentralen arbeitsrechtlichen EU-Richtlinien der 1990er Jahre in allen 15 EU-Mitgliedstaaten erstmals empirisch untersucht. Anhand dieses Datenmaterials wird im vorliegenden Beitrag diskutiert, welche Möglichkeiten die Europäische Kommission hat, die von ihr formulierten Politiken - auch gegen den Willen eines Nationalstaates - zu implementieren und in welcher Weise sich diese Rechtsdurchsetzung im Spannungsfeld von nationalen und supranationalen Interessen gestaltet. Die Handlungsräume der EU werden dabei ebenso hinsichtlich der nationalen Bestimmungen und administrativen Ressourcen wie auch in Bezug auf einen möglichen Wechsel der Durchsetzungspolitik und eine geschickte Nutzung subnationaler Interessen analysiert. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass die supranationale Ebene mit Hilfe der Vertragsverletzungsverfahren durchaus ein rechtliches Instrument besitzt, um das nationale Spiel der Mitgliedstaaten lenken zu können, auch wenn dazu in der Praxis der politische Wille noch fehlt. (ICI)

The database on the European Commission provides an overview of the European Commission's historical development from the start of the first Hallstein Commission in 1958 to the Juncker Commission in 2018. It was part of the multi-annual project 'Position formation in the EU Commission' (PEU) at the WZB Berlin Social Science Center and is now continued at Freie Universität Berlin.


With the rise in scale and scope of the European Commission, research and literature on the nature of the institution has increased considerably. What is yet still missing is structured information how the European Commission developed in its organizational and staff composition over a longer period of time and what sectoral patterns emerge. This newly established and comprehensive database attempts to close this gap.


The database provides three different perspectives on the Commission: information on the Commission staff ('Persons Data' and 'Persons Positions'), on the administrative structure and size of the Directorates-General ('DG Data') and a localization of policies in the administrative structure of the EU Commission ('DG nomenclature').


'Persons Data' and 'Persons Positions' list available information about all 400 persons who have been active as Commissioners or Directors-General from 1958 to 2018. This includes details about names, dates of birth, gender, nationality, party affiliation, DGs, Commissions, dates of entry and exit for all positions a person served in at the EU Commission as well as information regarding a person's professional background and further career. 'Persons Data' and 'Persons Positions' provide an historical overview, and allow comparisons primarily on the staff composition of Commission DGs.


'DG Data' provides an overview to the administrative structure of the different Commission DGs. It gives details about all Directorates-General of the Juncker Commission, including official name, personnel numbers, names and number of units (Units) and the name and number of directorates they each compromised in previous Commissions. This perspective inspires comparing changes in portfolio organisation and salience during the integration process.


'DG Nomenclature' deals with shifts in the Commission's portfolios over the history of EU Integration. Neither the names nor the responsibilities of individual portfolios in the Commission have been constant. This section thus enables to understand the administrative positioning of each portfolio over the course of history.


To compose the database a multitude of sources were evaluated and included. The collected data primarily stem from official organigrammes of Commission constellations taken from the institution's website and its Historical Archives in Brussels, Fabio Franchino's dataset on Commission portfolios since 1958, and CVs provided mainly by the Commission or personal websites.

European economic integration creates unintended consequences for national public administrations. This article offers a conceptual and empirical analysis of how these challenges are met. First, three challenges are identified: a reduced capacity to offer services to citizens who move freely, increasing administrative burdens, and negative externalities for all parts from a single states' administrative failure. Second, a conceptual framework is developed that links each challenge to a most likely response in form of modes of administrative cooperation. Third, the framework is illustrated by an empirical analysis of the coordination of social security systems, labor inspectorates, and posted workers. The case studies show that horizontal administrative cooperation is developed stepwise over time and in line with the theoretical framework. In sum, we can sustain that horizontal administrative cooperation is a relevant additional integration dynamic that buffers unintended effects of market integration on formally independent but increasingly interdependent member state executive bodies.

European economic integration creates unintended consequences for national public administrations. This article offers a conceptual and empirical analysis of how these challenges are met. First, three challenges are identified: a reduced capacity to offer services to citizens who move freely, increasing administrative burdens, and negative externalities for all parts from a single states' administrative failure. Second, a conceptual framework is developed that links each challenge to a most likely response in form of modes of administrative cooperation. Third, the framework is illustrated by an empirical analysis of the coordination of social security systems, labor inspectorates, and posted workers. The case studies show that horizontal administrative cooperation is developed stepwise over time and in line with the theoretical framework. In sum, we can sustain that horizontal administrative cooperation is a relevant additional integration dynamic that buffers unintended effects of market integration on formally independent but increasingly interdependent member state executive bodies.