Differential growth and how liberalization was achieved in the postal services sector

EU liberalization has a tendency to occur even in the most disputed policy areas. Drawing on two approaches, gradual institutional theories and differentiated integration, this contribution seeks to clarify how the EU achieved liberalization policy in the postal market. A qualitative study of the de...

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Main Author: Merethe Dotterud Leiren
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: UACES 2015-12-01
Series:Journal of Contemporary European Research
Subjects:
Online Access:https://jcer.net/index.php/jcer/article/view/706
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author Merethe Dotterud Leiren
author_facet Merethe Dotterud Leiren
author_sort Merethe Dotterud Leiren
collection DOAJ
description EU liberalization has a tendency to occur even in the most disputed policy areas. Drawing on two approaches, gradual institutional theories and differentiated integration, this contribution seeks to clarify how the EU achieved liberalization policy in the postal market. A qualitative study of the decision-making process of the Postal Directive suggests that differential growth, in particular related to time rules in existing legislation that ensure future re-negotiations and concessions that constrain resistance, have contributed to policy change in EU postal services. This occurred under the conditions of instability in the market due to an unclear line between who is allowed to compete where, social norms that made it politically costly to create barriers to further integration and longevity that created desires to put an end to a process.
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spelling doaj.art-ad4250f3fa25418097033bfcb69d82a22022-12-21T18:47:36ZengUACESJournal of Contemporary European Research1815-347X2015-12-01114Differential growth and how liberalization was achieved in the postal services sectorMerethe Dotterud Leiren0Institute of Transport Economics, Norwegian Centre for Transport ResearchEU liberalization has a tendency to occur even in the most disputed policy areas. Drawing on two approaches, gradual institutional theories and differentiated integration, this contribution seeks to clarify how the EU achieved liberalization policy in the postal market. A qualitative study of the decision-making process of the Postal Directive suggests that differential growth, in particular related to time rules in existing legislation that ensure future re-negotiations and concessions that constrain resistance, have contributed to policy change in EU postal services. This occurred under the conditions of instability in the market due to an unclear line between who is allowed to compete where, social norms that made it politically costly to create barriers to further integration and longevity that created desires to put an end to a process.https://jcer.net/index.php/jcer/article/view/706DifferentiationEuropean integrationLiberalizationPolicy changePostal services
spellingShingle Merethe Dotterud Leiren
Differential growth and how liberalization was achieved in the postal services sector
Journal of Contemporary European Research
Differentiation
European integration
Liberalization
Policy change
Postal services
title Differential growth and how liberalization was achieved in the postal services sector
title_full Differential growth and how liberalization was achieved in the postal services sector
title_fullStr Differential growth and how liberalization was achieved in the postal services sector
title_full_unstemmed Differential growth and how liberalization was achieved in the postal services sector
title_short Differential growth and how liberalization was achieved in the postal services sector
title_sort differential growth and how liberalization was achieved in the postal services sector
topic Differentiation
European integration
Liberalization
Policy change
Postal services
url https://jcer.net/index.php/jcer/article/view/706
work_keys_str_mv AT merethedotterudleiren differentialgrowthandhowliberalizationwasachievedinthepostalservicessector