Article Gold Open Access 2025

Connecting internal and external dynamics in European intersectoral policy coordination–the case of education and employment

Journal of European Integration
Journal · Vol. 47 · Issue 3 · pp. 423-443
Abstract

Intersectoral policy coordination has garnered considerable attention in the study of the European Commission (EC) over the past few decades. Within the EC, a logic of hierarchy and a logic of policy portfolios coexist, often leading to a conflictual and complex relationship. While the literature has extensively explored the internal dynamics of the EC, there has been less focus on the role of external dynamics in influencing intersectoral policy coordination. This paper addresses this gap by examining the case of European policy coordination in education and employment and how both internal and external dynamics can hinder or facilitate policy coordination within the EC. Based on the analysis of interviews with EC actors and various EU policy documents, the paper discusses how these internal and external dynamics have affected policy coordination, highlighting elements of both positive and negative coordination. © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Keywords

Author Keywords

policy coordination EU policymaking European Commission intersectoral policy coordination siloisation

Index Keywords

Author Affiliations
Swiss Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training, Zollikofen, Switzerland
Department of Social Sciences, University of Luxembourg, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
Hertie School, Berlin, Berlin, Germany
Funding & Acknowledgements
No funding information
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