University of Twente Student Theses
The EU development policy regime of incoherence towards the pacific ACP countries with special reference to Fiji and Samoa: the EU and the ACP states: a new partnership?
Labs, Kristina (2008) The EU development policy regime of incoherence towards the pacific ACP countries with special reference to Fiji and Samoa: the EU and the ACP states: a new partnership?
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| Abstract: | This thesis will operationalise the following research question: To what extent is the EU able to actually implement the large array of foreign policy objectives in its current development policy towards the ACP states and create a coherent policy regime? This thesis is divided into five chapters. In the first chapter, a short introduction to the EU’s development policy towards the Developing World, especially towards the ACPs, is outlined and a short summary of the history of EU-ACP relations is given. In Chapter 2, the most relevant theories to the interactions of the policy actors in the EU’s development policy sector are explained and applied into practice. Chapter 3 illustrates the methodological design and refers to the main variables that might account for the level of incoherence in the EU development policy. Afterwards in Chapter 4 the EU’s foreign policy priorities in this policy area will be analysed and the extent these objectives are in a conflict with one another. To fully illustrate the reasons for policy incoherence, the results of the focused comparison conducted in Fiji and Samoa are summarised. Chapter 5 summarises the findings of the thesis and suggest policy recommendations for the future. This study uses the methodological design of a focused comparison between the Fiji Islands and Samoa over the time period of the year 2000 until the present time. This has enabled me to compare the results from a fairly high developed country with those of a less developed country in the Pacific. Case-specific Information on the government positions of the two cases Fiji and Samoa has contributed to the comprehensiveness of the analysis. The results of this thesis show up the various factors that could be of explanatory value for the fragmented nature of the EU development policy. As to be found in other EU policy areas as well, EU decision-making is largely determined by its dichotomous nature between the more supranationally oriented EU institutions (predominantly the European Commission) and the intergovernmental Council of Ministers. In the context of the EU development policy towards the ACP states, the thesis has identified the lack of coordination between the bilateral policies of the member states and the development policy pursued at the EU level as the major stumbling block to the effectiveness of EU policies towards the South. Concerning the ability of the EU to implement the foreign policy objectives in the development policy domain, it has been found that in spite of post-Lomé reforms of the EU’s development policy regime it has not yet managed to improve the situation of poverty and underdevelopment in the ACP countries, including the Pacific ACPs. |
| Item Type: | Essay (Bachelor) |
| Faculty: | BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences |
| Subject: | 89 political science |
| Programme: | European Studies BSc (56627) |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/59211 |
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