Peer review of labour market programmes in the European Union: what can countries really learn from one another?

Bernard H. Casey † · Michael Gold

98 citations0/0 files storedJournal of European Public Policy

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Policy Transfer and Learning European Union Policy and Governance Global Educational Policies and Reforms

Abstract

This article analyses attempts to promote the diffusion of labour market programmes across the member states of the EU. Under a peer review procedure, member states are encouraged to host visits from other countries to review policy approaches and policy measures whose success they wish to publicize. The article examines the extent to which reviewers feel that they have learnt and whether they consider any aspects of the programmes they have examined to be transferable. Whilst there is evidence at EU level of policy convergence through the adoption of certain labour market targets, there is little evidence either of systematic learning or of significant efforts at emulation. Some explanations for failure on the first count might be found in more general impediments to organizational learning. Some explanations for failures on the second count might be found in perceptions of major cultural and institutional differences between countries. Proposals are made for improvement of the peer review procedure, but reservations remain about whether it does not remain about it being a relatively exclusive process. This paper stems from research carried out under a grant (L216252008 – National Action Plans: policy transfer and social learning in the EU) from the ESRC as part of its ‘Future of Governance’ programme (http://www.futuregovernance.ac.uk). A preliminary version of the paper was presented by Michael Gold to the BUIRA annual conference in July 2003. A subsequent version was presented by Bernard Casey at seminars on ‘policy learning’ organized by the ESRC, and held at the HIS in Vienna and the CEU in Budapest in December 2003. School of Management, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham TW20 0EX, UK. Tel: 01784 443402. Fax: 01784 439854. email: m.gold@rhul.ac.uk

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References

1996Political Science and the Three New Institutionalisms 2000Learning from Abroad: The Role of Policy Transfer in Contemporary Policy‐Making 1996Who Learns What from Whom: A Review of the Policy Transfer Literature 1979Still Muddling, Not Yet Through 1991What Is Policy Convergence and What Causes It?2003Handbook of Organizational Learning and Knowledge 1999Understanding Policy Transfer: A Multi‐Level, Multi‐Disciplinary Perspective 1999Learning Lessons and Transferring Policy across Time, Space and Disciplines

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