Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Europeanization: A Critical Realist Perspective

  • Chapter
Research Design in European Studies

Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in European Union Politics ((PSEUP))

Abstract

Establishing causality in Europeanization research has been at the centre of methodological issues surrounding Europeanization literature (Exadaktylos and Radaelli, Chapter 2 in this volume). However, methodology is organically intertwined with the ontological and epistemological assumptions of the researcher (Hay, 2007: 117–118). Therefore, this chapter takes a deeper approach to the issue of establishing causality by acknowledging the meta-theoretical underpinnings of methodology by outlining a critical realist approach.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Archer, M. (1995) Realist Social Theory: The Morphogenetic Approach (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press).

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Archer, M. (1998) ‘Introduction: Realism in the Social Sciences’, in M. Archer, R. Bhaskar, A. Collier et al. (Eds.), Critical Realism: Essential Readings (London: Routledge), pp. 189–206.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bache, I. (2008) Europeanization and Multilevel Governance: Cohesion Policy in the European Union and Britain (Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield).

    Google Scholar 

  • Bache, I. and Jordan, A. (2006) ‘The Europeanization and Domestic Change’, in I. Bache and A. Jordan (Eds.), Europeanization of British Politics (Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan).

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Bhaskar, R. (1998a) ‘General Introduction’, in M. Archer, R. Bhaskar, A. Collier et al. (Eds.), Critical Realism: Essential Readings (London: Routledge), pp. ix–1.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bhaskar, R. (1998b) ‘Societies’, in M. Archer, R. Bhaskar, A. Collier et al. (Eds.), Critical Realism: Essential Readings (London: Routledge), pp. 206–258.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bhaskar, R. (2008) A Realist Theory of Science (Abingdon: Routledge).

    Google Scholar 

  • Blaikie, N. (2003) Approaches to Social Inquiry (Cambridge: Polity Press).

    Google Scholar 

  • Börzel, T. (2005) ‘Europeanization: How the European Union Interacts with Its Member States’, in S. Bulmer and C. Lequesne (Eds.), The Member States of the European Union (Oxford: Oxford University Press), pp. 45–69.

    Google Scholar 

  • Buller, J. and Gamble, A. (2002) ‘Conceptualising Europeanization’, Public Policy and Administration, 17(4), 4–24.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bulmer, S. (2007) ‘Theorizing Europeanization’, in P. Graziano and M. Vink (Eds.), Europeanization: New Research Agendas (Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan), pp. 46–58.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bulmer, S. (2009) ‘Politics in Time Meets the Politics of Time: Historical Institutionalism and the EU Timescape’, Journal of European Public Policy, 16(2), 307–324.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bulmer, S. and Burch, M. (2005) ‘The Europeanization of UK Government: From Quiet Revolution to Explicit Step-Change’, Public Administration, 83(4), 861–890.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bulmer, S. and Lequesne, C. (2005) ‘The EU and Its Member States: An Overview’, in S. Bulmer and C. Lequesne (Eds.), The Member States of the European Union (Oxford: Oxford University Press), pp. 1–20.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bulmer, S. and Radaelli, C. (2005) ‘The Europeanization of National Policy’, in S. Bulmer and C. Lequesne (Eds.), The Member States of the European Union (Oxford: Oxford University Press), pp. 338–359.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carter, B. and New, C. (2004) ‘Introduction’, in B. Carter and C. New (Eds.), Making Realism Work: Realist Social Theory and Empirical Research (Abingdon: Routledge).

    Google Scholar 

  • Checkel, J.T. (2005) ‘International Institutions and Socialization in Europe: Introduction and Framework’, International Organization, 59(4), 801–826.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Checkel, J.T. (2006) ‘Tracing Causal Mechanisms’, International Studies Review, 8(2), 363–370.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Checkel, J.T. (2010) ‘Theoretical Synthesis in IR: Possibilities and Limits’ Simons Papers in Security and Development, no. 6, Simon Fraser University, School for International Studies. Available online at «http://www.sfu.ca/internationalstudies/PDFs/WP6.pdf», retrieved 5 February 2010.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cini, M. (2006) ‘Competition Policy’, in I. Bache and A. Jordan (Eds.), The Europeanization of British Politics (Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan), pp. 216–230.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cowles, M., Caporaso, J. and Risse, T. (Eds.) (2001) Transforming Europe: Europeanization and Domestic Change (Ithaca and London: Cornell University Press).

    Google Scholar 

  • Danermark, B. et al. (2002) Explaining Society: Critical Realism in Social Sciences (New York: Routledge).

    Google Scholar 

  • Exadaktylos, T. and Radaelli, C.M. (2009) ‘Research Design in European Studies: The Case of Europeanization’, Journal of Common Market Studies, 47(3), 507–530.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Giddens, A. (1986) The Constitution of Society (Berkeley, CA: University of California Press).

    Google Scholar 

  • Goetz, K. (2009) ‘How Does the EU Tick? Five Propositions on Political Time’, Journal of European Public Policy, 16(2), 202–220.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hall, P. (2003) ‘Aligning Ontology and Methodology in Comparative Research’, in J. Mahoney and D. Rueschemeyer (Eds.), Comparative Historical Analysis in the Social Sciences (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press), pp. 373–404.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Haverland, M. (2005) ‘Does the EU Cause Domestic Developments? The Problem of Case Selection in Europeanization Research’ European Integration online Papers (EIoP), 9(2) available online at: http://www.eiop.at/eiop/pdf/2005–002.pdf

    Google Scholar 

  • Haverland, M. (2007) ‘Methodology’, in P. Graziano and M. Vink (Eds.), Europeanization: New Research Agendas (Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan).

    Google Scholar 

  • Hay, C. (2002) Political Analysis: A Critical Introduction (Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan).

    Google Scholar 

  • Hay, C. (2005) ‘Making Hay ... Or Clutching Ontological Straws: Notes on Realism, “As-If-Realism” and Actualism’, Politics, 25(1), 39–45.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hay, C. (2007) ‘Does Ontology Trump Epistemology: Notes on the Directional Dependence of Ontology and Epistemology in Political Analysis’, Politics, 27(2), 115–118.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hay, C. (2009) ‘Your Ontology, My Ontic Speculations... On the Importance of Showing One’s (Ontological) Working’, Political Studies, 57(4), 892–898.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hay, C. and Rosamond, B. (2002) ‘Globalisation, European Integration and the Discursive Construction of Economic Imperatives’, Journal of European Public Policy, 9(2), 147–167.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hollis, M. and Smith, S. (1991) Explaining and Understanding in International Relations (Oxford: Clarendon Press).

    Google Scholar 

  • Jessop, B. (2005) ‘Critical Realism and the Strategic-Relational Approach’, New Formations, 56, 40–53.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jessop, B. (2008) State Power (Cambridge: Polity Press).

    Google Scholar 

  • Jupille, J. (2006) ‘Knowing Europe: Metatheory and Methodology in European Union Studies’, in M. Cini and A. Bourne (Eds.), Palgrave Advances in European Union Studies (Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan), pp. 209–232.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kurki, M. (2006) ‘Causes of a Divided Discipline: Rethinking the Concept of Cause in International Relations Theory’, Review of International Studies, 32(2), 189–216.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ladrech, R. (1994) ‘Europeanization of Domestic Politics and Institutions: The Case of France’, Journal of Common Market Studies, 32(1), 69–88.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lavenex, S. (2001) ‘The Europeanization of Refugee Policies: Normative Challenges and Institutional Legacies’, Journal of Common Market Studies, 39(5), 851–874.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McAnulla, S. (2005) ‘Making Hay with Actualism: The Need for a Realist Concept of Structure’, Politics, 25(1), 31–38.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Olsen, J. (2002) ‘The Many Faces of Europeanization’, Journal of Common Market Studies, 40(5), 921–952.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Olsen, W. (2004) ‘Methodological Triangulation and Realist Research: The Indian Exemplar’, in B. Carter and C. New (Eds.), Making Realism Work (Abingdon: Routledge).

    Google Scholar 

  • Overton, W. (1998) Metatheory and Methodology in Developmental Psychology (Philadelphia, PA: Temple University).

    Google Scholar 

  • Radaelli, C. (2003) ‘The Europeanization of Public Policy’, in K. Featherstone and C. Radaelli (Eds.), The Politics of Europeanisation (Oxford: Oxford University Press), pp. 27–56.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Radaelli, C. and Pasquier, R. (2007) ‘Conceptual Issues’, in P. Graziano and M. Vink (Eds.), Europeanization: New Research Agendas (Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan), pp. 35–45.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sayer, A. (2000) Realism and Social Science (London: Sage).

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Wight, C. (2002) ‘Philosophy of Social Science and International Relations’, in W. Carlsnaes, T. Risse and B.A. Simmons (Eds.), The Handbook of International Relations (London: Sage Publications), pp. 23–52.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Woll, C. and Jacquot, S. (2010) ‘Using Europe: Strategic Action in Multi-level Politics’, Comparative European Politics, 8(1), 110–126.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Authors
  1. Ian Bache
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Simon Bulmer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Defne Gunay
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Copyright information

© 2012 Ian Bache, Simon Bulmer and Defne Gunay

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Bache, I., Bulmer, S., Gunay, D. (2012). Europeanization: A Critical Realist Perspective. In: Research Design in European Studies. Palgrave Studies in European Union Politics. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137005090_4

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation