Governance of the European social dimension

Paul Copeland

Chapter 4 in Handbook of European Union Governance, 2025, pp 54-66 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: This chapter analyses the evolution and governance within EU employment and social policy, more commonly known as the European social dimension. The process of European integration has developed a complex web of governance that complements economic integration as well as member-state welfare and employment regimes. By applying a political sociology lens to the policy field, the chapter draws attention to the role of power and politics within governance arrangements—an aspect all too often overlooked. The argument made is that integration within the European social dimension is something of a third-order priority for the EU, with economic considerations taking primacy over those of the field. Meanwhile, developments within the European social dimension are also dependent on, and symbiotically linked to, economic integration. Nevertheless, governance arrangements are fluid, and the recent integration momentum within the European social dimension suggests a potential shift in the status and hierarchy of this policy domain.

Keywords: EU employment and social policy; European social dimension; Governance arrangements; Governance instruments; Welfare state (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
ISBN: 9781803925172
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