‘Fast-Forward’ Europeanization: Welfare State Reform in Light of the Eurozone Crisis

Abstract

(108) in the past 15 years, the focus has shifted to Europeanization and how the EU has been changing the polity, policy and politics of the member state (Ladrech 2010; FEatherstone and Radaelli 2003). Policy convergenc, divergence, and inertia  (policy transmformation, adjustment and continuity) have been observed with domestic mediating factors as explanatory factors for the outcome of Europeanization (Graziano, 2011, Ladi 200). ..The current crisis reveals that when MS are not converging, in the presence of increasing, multiple led policy constraints, Europeanization (from the EU I guess) becomes more persistent.  This is what we call 'fast-forward Europeanization.'  We discuss European recipe for welfare state reform....Europeanization of welfare policies has been fast-forwarded because of the budgetary crisis  and the cost of containment requirements percolating in EU institutions.  (!?)