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The implementation of administrative burden reduction policy: Mechanisms and contexts in the study of Europeanization

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Comparative European Politics Aims and scope

Abstract

The article analyzes how Administrative Burden Reduction has been implemented in Germany, France, Italy and Spain. Using an institutional processualist approach we show how this policy instrument has been implemented differently in these countries depending on the concatenation of mechanisms activated by the interplay between agency and structure. The article thus contributes both to the Europeanization literature and to the institutional processualist approach, which has so far only been applied to single country cases.

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Acknowledgements

This article is the result of a common undertaking. However, the sections ‘Theoretical Background’, ‘Research Design’ and ‘Germany: A progressive consolidation of the technocratic approach’ can be directly attributed to Fabrizio Di Mascio. Sections ‘France: A shift towards the populist approach’, ‘Italy: A mix of technocracy and populist in a fragmented context’, and ‘Spain: An ineffective selective approach driven by exogenous impulses’ can be directly attributed to Alessandro Natalini. Sections ‘Introduction’, ‘European Action Program as a key context factor’ and ‘Discussion and Conclusions’ can be directly attributed to Francesco Stolfi.

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Correspondence to Fabrizio Di Mascio.

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Di Mascio, F., Natalini, A. & Stolfi, F. The implementation of administrative burden reduction policy: Mechanisms and contexts in the study of Europeanization. Comp Eur Polit 15, 264–285 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1057/cep.2015.16

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