5th RTD Framework Programme

The Department of Political Science of the Budapest University of Economic Sciences and Public Administration (BUESPA) takes part in a three year project, which contains six countries (Ireland being the project leader, Greece, Finland and Estonia, Hungary and Slovenia) and is funded by the European Commission under the Fifth Framework Programme.

The focus of this policy relevant research project is on processes of small-state Europeanisation in three existing member states and three candidate states. The project is comparative, theoretical and empirical. The comparative component encompasses three EU member states and three candidate countries. They joined/are joining the EU after its foundation period and have adapted/are adapting policy systems to the Union’s institutional, legal and policy acquis. The study’s theoretical approach is "institutionalist" drawing its framework from the growing social science literature on the role of institutions and processes of institutional change. Notwithstanding the complex, multifaceted nature of Europeanisation, the project focuses on organisational structure and process adaptation. In order to analyse these, the empirical research has two inter-related phases.

Phase 1 addresses the macro-management of EU business by the "core executive" in the six selected states. In the case of member countries the research focuses on how central governments have adapted to policy making in the European Union. In the case of candidate countries, as they are not yet full members, the emphasis is on the analysis of macro-level EU accession management institutions and the preparations for EU membership.

Phase 2 builds on the findings of the macro-analysis of Phase 1 by analysing two policy sectors – one distributive and one regulatory – across different levels of government. These two policies are: Regionalisation and Environment.