Competing policy dynamics in the European Union

This paper presents a unifying framework of policy dynamics to explain how much convergence versus variation exists in domestic policy outputs across member-states of the European Union (EU). Various “siloes” of EU research have proposed diverse theoretical and empirical frameworks on this question. We merge and advance this literature by incorporating both policymaking where EU institutions dominate policymaking and those where member-states dominate, as well as those where their interaction is critical. Drawing on multi-level governance, federalism and EU literature, we develop a typology of policy dynamics in the “EU policymaking space”. We outline facilitating and limiting conditions that make it more or less likely that policy dynamics will emerge or decline. Sector-specific policy dynamics will only have an impact if powerful, boundedly rational actors (governements, interests, NGOs) who have incentives, capacity and leverage advocate them as a vehicle for building coalitions to achieve their political, policy and institutional objectives.