More than one agent? Authority expansion and delegation dynamics in the EU
Speaker: (opens in a new window)Anastasia Ershova (Queen’s University Belfast)
Wednesday, November 27, 14:00–14:45 (Irish time)
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Abstract: Recent studies focus on the issue of authority transfer towards supranational institutions. While examining the opportunities and obstacles for expanding the Union’s competences, this literature overlooks the effects of adopting ambitious policies on its implementation mode. This paper argues that the costs associated with the expansion of EU authority and opportunities for blame-shifting drive the delegation choice and define the amount of relative discretion for the agent. The proposals for expanding EU authority increase the likelihood of the exclusively supranational implementation path being selected by the principals, while undermining the appeal of the national path. In contrast, striving to preserve the opportunity for blame-shifting while maintaining some degree of control over implementation, the EU principals increasingly turn to the joint delegation where the Commission and the National administrations cooperate. Yet, even within the partner-like relationship of joint implementation national agents enjoy a broader discretionary leeway.
About the speaker: (opens in a new window)Anastasia Ershova is a lecturer in public policy at Queen’s University Belfast. Her ongoing research focuses on EU policy responsiveness to public demands under the condition of politicization. In her papers, she also investigates factors and conditions affecting the EU Commission's discretionary powers during policy implementation across the member states.