210145 SE EC: The EU's regulatory policies (engl.) (2018W)

Why did EU member-states gradually rescind control over their economic borders through tariffs, quotas, and regulatory trade-barriers, when they created the EU? Why did they open up the provision of formerly public services to private competition? How can we account for the paradox that the implementation of a liberal market regime went hand in hand with increasing regulatory activity at the EU level?

This seminar examines how political science research has grappled with these and related questions. We will explore the EU’s role in the liberalization of trade and public services in Europe, the tensions between the creation of a European single market and social regulation at the member-state level, and the relation between privatization and the creation of new regulatory agencies. Theories of European integration will help us to understand the actors, forces and political conflicts behind liberalization and (re)regulation as well as their outcomes.

The first four sessions of the course provide a short overview and introduction of the EU's main institutions and decision-making processes. The subsequent main part deals with the substantive issues surrounding market-regulating EU policy.