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Beyond the social dimension : a study of policy focus of the European Commission from 1995-2010

Derks, Klaas (2011) Beyond the social dimension : a study of policy focus of the European Commission from 1995-2010.

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Abstract:This bachelor’s thesis will examine the policies of the European Commission in the period from 1995 until 2010 in order to determine whether or not there has been a shift in the amount of attention the European Commission paid to social policy as well as economic policy. The main research question will be: To what extent has the focus of the European Commission changed between 1995 and 2010 with regards to social policy and with regards to economic policy? The Commission will be subject of this study, because the Commission is the main agenda-setter of the EU and therefore is the principle actor that can influence the policies on this subject. Two document types, White Papers and Work Programmes, are selected to determine the level of policy focus for social policy and for economic policy using terms derived from the Treaties as indicators for both policy fields. The White Papers and Work Programmes are chosen because they show what the Commission will be focussing on during a year (in the case of Work Programmes) and which topics the Commission is actually working on (in the case of White Papers). To find out whether or not changes in both policy fields have indeed occurred, the Work Programmes and White Papers will be analysed using a critical discourse analysis approach, supplemented with computerised content analysis. This combination of methods will lead to a quantitative analysis as well as a qualitative analysis of the developments in policy focus of the Commission in the fields of social and economic policy.
Item Type:Essay (Bachelor)
Faculty:BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences
Subject:88 social and public administration
Programme:European Studies BSc (56627)
Link to this item:https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/61555
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