"Tackling social exclusion through OMC: Reshaping the boundaries of EU governance"

Armstrong, Kenneth A. (2003) "Tackling social exclusion through OMC: Reshaping the boundaries of EU governance" . In European Union Studies Association (EUSA) > Biennial Conference > 2003 (8th), March 27-29, 2003, pages 37, Nashville, TN.

Abstract

This [paper] explores the application of the open method of co-ordination (OMC) to the fight against poverty and social exclusion. Whereas other contributions to this volume examine OMC from the perspective of its problem-solving potential, the aim of this (paper] is to analyse the institutional aspects of the process by considering three levels of analysis: the systemic level of discourses, norms and values; the organisational, procedural and substantive levels of policy development; and the level of action interpreted in terms of the mobilization of civil society actors. The OMC process in this field is a prime example of the development of a "new mode of governance" in the EU repertoire which reshapes the boundaries of EU governance. It cuts across the law/politics boundary in the sense that, although "hard law" solutions of EU legislative action are excluded, nonetheless, OMC may itself stimulate domestic legal changes or be used as a means of giving effect to even fundamental legal norms. It cuts across the boundaries of national/EU governance by engaging both levels in a process of knowledge generation, policy innovation and mutual learning. And if successful, the process could make a significant contribution to the reshaping of the most important boundary: that between those socially, politically and economically included in due benefits of European integration, and those excluded.