IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/zbw/mpifgw/p0062.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

A new form of governance? Comparing the open method of coordination to multilateral surveillance by the IMF and the OECD

Author

Listed:
  • Schäfer, Armin

Abstract

The Open Method of Coordination (OMC) has received much attention in the recent EU-literature. The predominant view claims that the OMC is not only a new but also an effective policy-making instrument. This paper raises doubts about both claims by offering a comparison of soft law policy coordination in three international organizations. More specifically, this paper compares the European Employment Strategy - which was the first use of the OMC - to the Broad Economic Policy Guidelines of the EU, the OECD Economic Surveys, and the IMF Article IV Consultations. Based on expert interviews, it seeks to demonstrate that these procedures are forms of multilateral surveillance that do not differ in kind. Such a comparative analysis of the OMC refutes claims to its novelty. Having compared the four procedures, a more general model of multilateral surveillance consisting of six elements is generated that facilitates further comparisons. This paper concludes that governments select voluntarist procedures mainly to secure their own competencies rather than to realize common goals. Effective problem-solving is therefore not necessarily the dominant objective of soft law.

Suggested Citation

  • Schäfer, Armin, 2004. "A new form of governance? Comparing the open method of coordination to multilateral surveillance by the IMF and the OECD," MPIfG Working Paper 04/5, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:mpifgw:p0062
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/41651/1/639580173.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Streeck, Wolfgang, 1999. "Competitive solidarity: Rethinking the European social model," MPIfG Working Paper 99/8, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies.
    2. Markus Jachtenfuchs, 2001. "The Governance Approach to European Integration," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 39(2), pages 245-264, June.
    3. Sam Laird, 1999. "The WTO’s Trade Policy Review Mechanism – From Through the Looking Glass," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 22(6), pages 741-764, August.
    4. Abbott, Kenneth W. & Snidal, Duncan, 2000. "Hard and Soft Law in International Governance," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 54(3), pages 421-456, July.
    5. Dermot Hodson & Imelda Maher, 2001. "The Open Method as a New Mode of Governance: The Case of Soft Economic Policy Co‐ordination," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 39(4), pages 719-746, November.
    6. Michael D. Bordo & Harold James, 2000. "The International Monetary Fund: Its Present Role in Historical Perspective," NBER Working Papers 7724, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    7. Iain Begg & Dermot Hodson & Imelda Maher, 2003. "Economic Policy Coordination in the European Union," National Institute Economic Review, National Institute of Economic and Social Research, vol. 183(1), pages 66-77, January.
    8. Eberlein, Burkard & Kerwer, Dieter, 2002. "Theorising the New Modes of European Union Governance," European Integration online Papers (EIoP), European Community Studies Association Austria (ECSA-A), vol. 6, April.
    9. Tanja Boerzel, 2003. "Shaping and Taking EU Policies: Member State Responses to Europeanization," Queen's Papers on Europeanisation p0035, Queens University Belfast.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. repec:bla:jcmkts:v:45:y:2007:i::p:343-365 is not listed on IDEAS

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Kaiser, Robert & Prange, Heiko, 2002. "A new concept of deepening European integration? The European Research Area and the emerging role of policy coordination in a multi-level governance system," European Integration online Papers (EIoP), European Community Studies Association Austria (ECSA-A), vol. 6, October.
    2. Citi, Manuele & Rhodes, Martin, 2007. "New Modes of Governance in the EU: Common Objectives versus National Preferences," European Governance Papers (EUROGOV) 1, CONNEX and EUROGOV networks.
    3. Smismans, Stijn, 2006. "New Modes of Governance and the Participatory Myth," European Governance Papers (EUROGOV) 1, CONNEX and EUROGOV networks.
    4. Zängle, Michael, 2004. "The European Union benchmarking experience. From euphoria to fatigue?," European Integration online Papers (EIoP), European Community Studies Association Austria (ECSA-A), vol. 8, June.
    5. Katharina Zimmermann, 2016. "Local Responses to the European Social Fund: A Cross-City Comparison of Usage and Change," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 54(6), pages 1465-1484, November.
    6. Tanja Börzel, 2010. "European Governance: Negotiation and Competition in the Shadow of Hierarchy," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 48(2), pages 191-219, March.
    7. Phulkerd, Sirinya & Sacks, Gary & Vandevijvere, Stefanie & Worsley, Anthony & Lawrence, Mark, 2017. "Barriers and potential facilitators to the implementation of government policies on front-of-pack food labeling and restriction of unhealthy food advertising in Thailand," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 101-110.
    8. Plotnikova, Evgeniya Vadimovna, 2012. "Cross-border mobility of health professionals: Contesting patients’ right to health," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 74(1), pages 20-27.
    9. David G. Victor, 2016. "What the Framework Convention on Climate Change Teaches Us About Cooperation on Climate Change," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 4(3), pages 133-141.
    10. Rana, Arslan Tariq & Kebewar, Mazen, 2014. "The Political Economy of FDI flows into Developing Countries: Does the depth of International Trade Agreements Matter?," EconStor Preprints 91501, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics.
    11. Randall Stone, 2013. "Informal governance in international organizations: Introduction to the special issue," The Review of International Organizations, Springer, vol. 8(2), pages 121-136, June.
    12. Matthias Mader & Moritz Neubert & Felix Münchow & Stephanie C Hofmann & Harald Schoen & Konstantin Gavras, 2024. "Crumbling in the face of cost? How cost considerations affect public support for European security and defence cooperation," European Union Politics, , vol. 25(3), pages 483-503, September.
    13. Picard, Pierre M. & Pieretti, Patrice, 2011. "Bank secrecy, illicit money and offshore financial centers," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 95(7), pages 942-955.
    14. Gonzalo Escribano, 2006. "Europeanisation without Europe? The Mediterranean and the Neighbourhood Policy," EUI-RSCAS Working Papers 19, European University Institute (EUI), Robert Schuman Centre of Advanced Studies (RSCAS).
    15. Michael Zürn & Alexandros Tokhi & Martin Binder, 2021. "The International Authority Database," Global Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 12(4), pages 430-442, September.
    16. Gabriele Spilker & Tobias Böhmelt, 2013. "The impact of preferential trade agreements on governmental repression revisited," The Review of International Organizations, Springer, vol. 8(3), pages 343-361, September.
    17. Sebastian Oberthür, 2019. "Hard or Soft Governance? The EU’s Climate and Energy Policy Framework for 2030," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 7(1), pages 17-27.
    18. Jakob de Haan & Helge Berger & David-Jan Jansen & Jakob de Haan, 2003. "The End of the Stability and Growth Pact?," CESifo Working Paper Series 1093, CESifo.
    19. Julia Rotter & Peppi-Emilia Airike & Cecilia Mark-Herbert, 2014. "Exploring Political Corporate Social Responsibility in Global Supply Chains," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 125(4), pages 581-599, December.
    20. Aura Gabriela SOCOL & Dorin MĂNTESCU, 2011. "Re-modeling the Romanian Fiscal Policy under the Terms of the Economic Crisis," Theoretical and Applied Economics, Asociatia Generala a Economistilor din Romania / Editura Economica, vol. 0(1(554)), pages 111-120, January.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:zbw:mpifgw:p0062. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/mpigfde.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.