Abstract
This chapter draws conclusions about the dynamics that drive customization and the conditions under which extensive or limited customization can contribute to successful implementation. Based on the results, I make recommendations for possible governance responses. I suggest refining frameworks of “adaptive implementation” in member state implementation by accounting for intermediate levels of ambiguity and the nature of the policy problem. These assertions await testing in other policy areas, countries, and multilevel systems. A research agenda for the study of customization in the European Union (EU) and beyond should track vertical policy change across all stages of the policy cycle and tackle the relevance of customization for better regulation, policy success, and the legitimacy of EU decision-making.
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Notes
- 1.
- 2.
My discussion of policy implementation literature remains selective and non-exhaustive. I will leave the elaboration of a more robust model for a future occasion.
- 3.
The focus here is, therefore, not in explaining why an adaptive implementation approach is chosen, but on the consequences of choosing an adaptive approach. For an excellent recent treatment of the former, see Dörrenbächer and Mastenbroek (2017).
- 4.
In my data, the degree of flexibility of the EU rule does not appear to be a decisive criterion in knowing whether the role of customization affects implementation success or failure. This is most likely due to the fact that at the time of practical implementation, the flexibility of the transposed domestic rule is more decisive than the flexibility of the original EU rule.
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Thomann, E. (2019). Customization, Adaptive Implementation, and the “European Experience”. In: Customized Implementation of European Union Food Safety Policy. International Series on Public Policy . Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-92684-1_7
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