States of Liberalization

Mitchell P. Smith

Description

As economic competition is introduced into areas formerly served by public sector monopolies, to what extent do governments lose discretion over their use of the public sector? States of Liberalization examines the impact of the European Union's rigorous single-market competition policy on the abilities of Western European governments to use the public sector to achieve political objectives. Examining several politically contentious sectors, including government purchasing of goods and services, postal services, and public sector financial institutions, Mitchell P. Smith explores and explains the scope and the limits of this transformation. While European economic integration and the application of European Community competition policy have substantially infused competition into public services, the process has been more modest, and more deliberate, than a simple reading of Europe's potent market-making mechanisms would predict.

List of Tables
Acknowledgments

1. Introduction

2. European Integration as Market-Making

3. Explaining Europeanization

4. European Community Competition Policy and the Public Sector

5. Government Purchasing: The Persistence of Protectionism

6. Delayed Delivery: Postal Services Liberalization in Comparative Context

7. Challenging the Social Market Economy? European Community Competition Policy and Germany’s Public Law Banks

8. Liberalization and Its Limits

Notes
Bibliography
Index
SUNY series in Global Politics

Sujets

• Political economy
• Western Europe
• History of Europe
• Central
• National

Informations

• Publié par: State University of New York Press
• Date de parution: 01 février 2012
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780791482834
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

S TAT E S O F L I B E R A L I Z AT I O N

S U N Y S E R I E S I N G L O B A L P O L I T I C S

James N. Rosenau, editor

A complete listing of books in this series can be found at the end of this volume.

S TAT E S O F L I B E R A L I Z AT I O N Redefining the Public Sector in Integrated Europe

M I T C H E L L P. S M I T H

STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK PRESS

Published by State University of New York Press, Albany

© 2005 State University of New York

All rights reserved

Printed in the United States of America

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For information, address State University of New York Press, 194 Washington Avenue, Suite 305, Albany, NY 12210-2384

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Smith, Mitchell P., 1960– States of liberalization: redefining the public sector in integrated Europe / Mitchell P. Smith. p. cm.—(SUNY series in global politics) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-7914-6543-8 (alk. paper) 1. Europe—Economic integration. 2. Competition—European Union countries. 3. European Union countries—Social policy. 4. European Union countries—Politics and government. I. Title. II. Series.

HC241.S555 2005 337.1'42—dc22

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

2004066246

c o n t e n t s

List of Tables

Acknowledgments

Chapter 1 Introduction

Chapter 2 European Integration as Market-Making

Chapter 3 Explaining Europeanization

Chapter 4 European Community Competition Policy and the Public Sector

Chapter 5 Government Purchasing: The Persistence of Protectionism

Chapter 6 Delayed Delivery: Postal Services Liberalization in Comparative Context

Chapter 7 Challenging the Social Market Economy? European Community Competition Policy and Germany’s Public Law Banks

Chapter 8 Liberalization and Its Limits

Notes

Bibliography

Index

SUNY series in Global Politics

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t a b l e s

Table 1.1 States of Liberalization

Table 3.1 Sources of Liberalization in Europe’s Single Market

Table 3.2 Interactions Between the Single Market Project and National Government Policy Preferences

Table 4.1 European Community Law: Infringement Cases by Origin

Table 5.1 Public Tender Notices in EU Official Journal

Table 8.1 Political Mobility of Capital and Sectoral Liberalization

Table 8.2 Responses of Public Sector Monopolists to Liberalization Pressures

Table 8.3 Liberalization and Participation Expansion

Table 8.4 Factors Mediating States of Liberalization

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a c k n ow l e d g m e n t s

This project has developed over the course of several years, and was pos- sible only with the support of numerous institutions and individuals. Early portions of the research were supported by a European Union Fulbright Fellowship of the Council for International Educational Exchange. I am grateful to the Centre for European Policy Studies in Brussels for hosting me during this period, and for providing infrastructural support, a dynamic place to work in the heart of Brussels, and a valuable opportunity to inter- act with policy makers from EU institutions. Dan Kelemen offered impor- tant insights during several discussions of the ideas behind the project. I benefited greatly from participation in the 2000–01 European Forum, “Between Europe and the Nation-State,” at the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies of the European University Institute. The directors of the Forum, Stefano Bartolini, Thomas Risse, and Bo Stråth, lent a robust intel- lectual energy to the program. Lisa Conant provided trenchant comments as discussant of an early presentation of the argument in the European Forum seminar series. I gained from interaction with the other participants, including Daniele Caramani, Simona Piattoni, Frans Van Waarden, Thomas Vesting, and Carolyn Warner. The intellectually fertile environ- ment of the Centre fostered tremendous progress on the manuscript, de- spite the stunning views from the Villa la Fonte that at times threatened to lure me into a blissful Tuscan trance. I am grateful to the University of Oklahoma for financial support that made it possible to spend seven months in Florence. Support from the President’s International Travel Fellowships funded a highly productive re- search visit to Brussels and Düsseldorf in spring 2001. During this visit, along with several others, officials of the institutions of the EU, including members of Commissioners’ cabinets; officials of the Permanent Represen- tations to the Council of Germany, of France, and of the Netherlands; and especially members of the European Commission’s DGs for Competition and Internal Market, gave their time and knowledge. I deeply appreciate their willingness to share their understanding of the European integration