Trends of Europeanization in social welfare politics

Abstract: Fritz W. Scharpf (2000 and 2002) defines the term Europeanization as the progressive shift of governmental tasks to the European level. According to this understanding he identifies four modes of Europeanization. Further, he recognizes theestablishment of minimum standards and the open method of co-ordination as specific modes of Europeanization. This paper first relates the welfare political goals and problems of both named methods of Europeanization in social welfare politics, thendescribes the political processes which accompany them, and subsequently tests whether Scharpf's analysis can be affirmed.;