pioneers revisited: broadening the pioneers concept in EU environmental policy

1. Duncan Liefferink Mark Wiering Sietske Veenman Radboud University Nijmegen, The Netherlands pioneers revisited:broadening the pioneers concept in EUenvironmentalpolicy

2. Overview • Former research: oldtheoryon pioneers in EU environmentalpolicy • Updating the pioneers approach: other countries, other actors • A new approach to environmental pioneers in Europe • Conclusions

3. Old theory Pioneers in EU environmentalpolicy in the 1990s (Liefferink and Andersen 1998): • focus onstates • twodimensions: • purposefulorincremental leader • direct pushing (in Brussels) or indirect effect via internalmarket

4. Old theory Four types of environmental pioneers: Source Liefferink and Andersen 1998

5. Updating the pioneers approach • Former pioneers states no longer pioneers • changes at EU level (EU-27, co-decision etc) • domestic changes (right wing governments, populist parties, implementation problems, etc) • Other actors as pioneers: • sub-national governments • private actors

6. Otheractors as pioneers Some hypotheses: • constructive pushing: • ‘default’ strategy for Member States • more difficult for most other actors • pushing-by-example / defensive forerunner: • more likely for cities, companies etc.: •  diffusion, learning, eventually regulatory change? • opting 0ut: • difficult for other actors

7. Other actors as pioneers Pioneers employ at least three mechanisms • influencing the policy-making process in Brussels (direct) • via the internal market (indirect) • through knowledge transfer: communication and learning

8. A new approach to environmental pioneers in Europe

9. Conclusions • Types of pushers/forerunners also applicable to other actors • Three different mechanisms: regulatory process, market and communication & learning (knowledge transfer) • May involve several policy levels: MLG • And… needs further elaboration!!