Policy Experiments, Failures and Innovations

Edited by Agnes Batory, Central European University, Andrew Cartwright, Center for Policy Studies, Central European University, Hungary and Diane Stone, European University Institute, Italy

'Bringing Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) into the EU meant transferring the EU - its laws, norms and institutions - into the CEE. Was it successful? This outstanding collection reveals a tortured tango of EU transfer and CEE response, in which a choreography of compliance is often contested, resisted or adapted to local needs and conditions. Innovative in theory, and rich in detail, the chapters provide a fresh and timely assessment of the Europeanization project, and its differing fortunes across the region.' --Leslie A. Pal, Carleton University, Canada'Policy Experiments, Failures and Innovation breaks new ground for the understanding of policy diffusion, transfer and change in the face of Europeanisation and globalisation. The volume presents a welcome analysis of policy developments in Central and Eastern Europe since European Union accession, while tracing many reforms in a wide range of policy areas to the pre-accession period. The chapters provide fascinating accounts of experimentation, re-interpretation, indigenisation, hybridisation and policy learning in Central and Eastern Europe a quarter of a century after the end of communism and more than a decade since accession to the European Union. Combining theoretical ambition and empirical depth, this volume is essential reading for scholars, students and practitioners with an interest in public policy in Europe and beyond.'--Jan Meyer-Sahling, University of Nottingham, UK'At last a book that makes sense of processes of policy diffusion and transfer in Central and Eastern European countries as they adapt to Europeanisation. Batory, Cartwright and Stone have written an invaluable contribution to our understanding of the complexities of European integration at the institutional level. Theoretically informed and empirically driven this is mandatory reading for public policy academics and analysts alike.'--Mark Evans, University of Canberra, Australia

• Contents:Foreword by Heather Grabbe1. Trial and Error: Policy Experiments, Failures and Innovations in Central and Eastern EuropeAgnes Batory, Andrew Cartwright and Diane Stone 2. When does Policy Diffusion Affect Policy Instability? Cases of Excessive Policy Volatility in Welfare Policies in East Central EuropeAchim Kemmerling and Kristin Makszin3. Learn from thy Neighbor: Emulation and Learning in Eastern European Mandatory Private Pensions ReformsDragos Adascalitei and Stefan Domonkos4. Translating Domestic violence norms in five countries of Central Eastern EuropeAndrea Krizsan5. National Roma Inclusion Policies in Central and Eastern Europe: Diverging Learning Paths with Residual Outcomes Violetta Zentai6. EU cohesion policy and the Eastern member states: A case of transnational policy convergenceGergő Medve-Bálint7. Euroregions -- Institutional transfer and reinterpreted norms in Central and Eastern EuropeSara Svensson8. Hungarian international development policy: a case for conflicted successAndrás Tétényi9. A resounding success or downright failure? Understanding policy transfer within the Bologna Process in Central and Eastern EuropeLiviu Matei, Daniela Craciun, Simona Torotcoi10. Reforming through Borrowing and Learning: Easy, but so Terribly DifficultB. Guy PetersIndex