IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/eeupol/v10y2009i2p281-304.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Problems of Operationalization and Data in EU Compliance Research

Author

Listed:
  • Miriam Hartlapp

    (Social Science Research Center Berlin, Germany, hartlapp@wzb.eu)

  • Gerda Falkner

    (Austrian Academy of Science, and University of Vienna, Austria, gerda.falkner@oeaw.ac.at)

Abstract

Substantial theoretical, conceptual and empirical advances have been made in research on the implementation of EU policies during recent years. However, our findings have remained ambivalent and our theoretical insights disparate. It therefore seems high time to address some methodological issues and to raise awareness of the limits of the various approaches and of the data commonly used. We highlight the challenges of operationalizing and of choosing adequate indicators for the dependent variable (compliance). We also discuss the promises and perils of different types of data used in the field, such as official statistics on notifications and infringements published by the European Commission.

Suggested Citation

  • Miriam Hartlapp & Gerda Falkner, 2009. "Problems of Operationalization and Data in EU Compliance Research," European Union Politics, , vol. 10(2), pages 281-304, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:eeupol:v:10:y:2009:i:2:p:281-304
    DOI: 10.1177/1465116509103370
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1465116509103370
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/1465116509103370?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. König, Thomas & Luetgert, Brooke, 2009. "Troubles with Transposition? Explaining Trends in Member-State Notification and the Delayed Transposition of EU Directives," British Journal of Political Science, Cambridge University Press, vol. 39(1), pages 163-194, January.
    2. Giuseppe BERTOLA & Tito BOERI & Sandrine CAZES, 2000. "Employment protection in industrialized countries: The case for new indicators," International Labour Review, International Labour Organization, vol. 139(1), pages 57-72, March.
    3. Kaeding, Michael, 2006. "Determinants of Transposition Delay in the European Union," Journal of Public Policy, Cambridge University Press, vol. 26(3), pages 229-253, December.
    4. Bernard Steunenberg, 2006. "Turning Swift Policy-making into Deadlock and Delay," European Union Politics, , vol. 7(3), pages 293-319, September.
    5. Thomson, Robert & Torenvlied, René & Arregui, Javier, 2007. "The Paradox of Compliance: Infringements and Delays in Transposing European Union Directives," British Journal of Political Science, Cambridge University Press, vol. 37(4), pages 685-709, October.
    6. Treib, Oliver, . "Implementing and complying with EU governance outputs," Living Reviews in European Governance (LREG), Institute for European integration research (EIF).
    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. Carsten Hefeker & Michael Neugart, 2016. "Policy deviations, uncertainty, and the European Court of Justice," European Journal of Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 42(3), pages 547-567, December.
    2. Robert Thomson, 2010. "Opposition through the back door in the transposition of EU directives," European Union Politics, , vol. 11(4), pages 577-596, December.
    3. Emanuela Bozzini, 2023. "Laggard by Design: The Case of the Implementation of the EU Directive on the Agricultural Use of Sewage Sludge in Italy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(24), pages 1-18, December.
    4. Stine Aakre & Jon Hovi, 2010. "Emission trading: Participation enforcement determines the need for compliance enforcement," European Union Politics, , vol. 11(3), pages 427-445, September.
    5. Thomas König & Lars Mäder, 2013. "Non-conformable, partial and conformable transposition: A competing risk analysis of the transposition process of directives in the EU15," European Union Politics, , vol. 14(1), pages 46-69, March.
    6. Gerda Falkner, 2010. "Compliance with EU Social Policies in Old and New Member States: Different Worlds, Different Remedies," Working Papers of the Vienna Institute for European integration research (EIF) 6, Institute for European integration research (EIF).
    7. Bernard Steunenberg, 2010. "Is big brother watching? Commission oversight of the national implementation of EU directives," European Union Politics, , vol. 11(3), pages 359-380, September.
    8. Daniel Finke, 2020. "At loggerheads over state aid: Why the Commission rejects aid and governments comply," European Union Politics, , vol. 21(3), pages 474-496, September.
    9. Henrik Scheller & Annegret Eppler, 2014. "European Disintegration – non-existing Phenomenon or a Blind Spot of European Integration Research? Preliminary Thoughts for a Research Agenda," Working Papers of the Vienna Institute for European integration research (EIF) 2, Institute for European integration research (EIF).
    10. Asya Zhelyazkova & Nikoleta Yordanova, 2015. "Signalling ‘compliance’: The link between notified EU directive implementation and infringement cases," European Union Politics, , vol. 16(3), pages 408-428, September.
    11. Lauren Peritz, 2018. "Obstructing integration: Domestic politics and the European Court of Justice," European Union Politics, , vol. 19(3), pages 427-457, September.

    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. Asya Zhelyazkova & Nikoleta Yordanova, 2015. "Signalling ‘compliance’: The link between notified EU directive implementation and infringement cases," European Union Politics, , vol. 16(3), pages 408-428, September.
    2. Carlos Mendez & John Bachtler, 2017. "Financial Compliance in the European Union: A Cross-National Assessment of Financial Correction Patterns and Causes in Cohesion Policy," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 55(3), pages 569-592, May.
    3. Egert Juuse & Rainer Kattel, 2014. "Financial Regulation in Estonia," Working papers wpaper57, Financialisation, Economy, Society & Sustainable Development (FESSUD) Project.
    4. Asya Zhelyazkova & René Torenvlied, 2009. "The Time-Dependent Effect of Conflict in the Council on Delays in the Transposition of EU Directives," European Union Politics, , vol. 10(1), pages 35-62, March.
    5. Thomas König & Lars Mäder, 2013. "Non-conformable, partial and conformable transposition: A competing risk analysis of the transposition process of directives in the EU15," European Union Politics, , vol. 14(1), pages 46-69, March.
    6. Hartlapp, Miriam & Falkner, Gerda, 2008. "Problems of operationalization and data in EU compliance research," Discussion Papers, Research Unit: Labor Market Policy and Employment SP I 2008-104, WZB Berlin Social Science Center.
    7. Dimiter Toshkov, 2008. "Embracing European Law," European Union Politics, , vol. 9(3), pages 379-402, September.
    8. Koetter, Michael & Krause, Thomas & Tonzer, Lena, 2019. "Delay determinants of European Banking Union implementation," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 1-20.
    9. Ellen Mastenbroek & Tim Veen, 2008. "Last Words on Delegation?," European Union Politics, , vol. 9(2), pages 295-311, June.
    10. Daniel Finke, 2020. "At loggerheads over state aid: Why the Commission rejects aid and governments comply," European Union Politics, , vol. 21(3), pages 474-496, September.
    11. Joshua C Fjelstul, 2019. "The evolution of European Union law: A new data set on the Acquis Communautaire," European Union Politics, , vol. 20(4), pages 670-691, December.
    12. Stijn Voorst & Ellen Mastenbroek, 2019. "Evaluations as a decent knowledge base? Describing and explaining the quality of the European Commission’s ex-post legislative evaluations," Policy Sciences, Springer;Society of Policy Sciences, vol. 52(4), pages 625-644, December.
    13. Tanja A. Börzel & Tobias Hofmann & Diana Panke, 2011. "Policy Matters But How? Explaining Non-Compliance Dynamics in the EU," KFG Working Papers p0024, Free University Berlin.
    14. Michael Krug & Maria Rosaria Di Nucci & Lucas Schwarz & Irene Alonso & Isabel Azevedo & Massimo Bastiani & Anna Dyląg & Erik Laes & Arthur Hinsch & Gaidis Klāvs & Ivars Kudreņickis & Pouyan Maleki & G, 2023. "Implementing European Union Provisions and Enabling Frameworks for Renewable Energy Communities in Nine Countries: Progress, Delays, and Gaps," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(11), pages 1-29, May.
    15. Robert Thomson, 2010. "Opposition through the back door in the transposition of EU directives," European Union Politics, , vol. 11(4), pages 577-596, December.
    16. Ruud van Druenen & Pieter Zwaan & Ellen Mastenbroek, 2022. "Getting State Aid Approved by the European Commission: Explaining the Duration of Preliminary Investigations in the State Aid Notification Procedure," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 60(3), pages 545-561, May.
    17. Thomas König & Bernd Luig, 2012. "Party ideology and legislative agendas: Estimating contextual policy positions for the study of EU decision-making," European Union Politics, , vol. 13(4), pages 604-625, December.
    18. Stijn van Voorst & Ellen Mastenbroek, 2017. "Enforcement tool or strategic instrument? The initiation of ex-post legislative evaluations by the European Commission," European Union Politics, , vol. 18(4), pages 640-657, December.
    19. Kjell Erik Lommerud & Odd Rune Straume, 2012. "Employment Protection Versus Flexicurity: On Technology Adoption in Unionised Firms," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 114(1), pages 177-199, March.
    20. Goerke, Laszlo & Neugart, Michael, 2015. "Lobbying and dismissal dispute resolution systems," International Review of Law and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 50-62.

    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:sae:eeupol:v:10:y:2009:i:2:p:281-304. 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: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    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.