The Impact of European Employment Strategy in Greece and Portugal: Europeanization in a World of Neglect

By focusing on three key areas of employment policy, public employment services, gender equality policies and flexicurity in Greece and Portugal, this book provides a model to explore how European Employment Strategy (EES) can influence the domestic employment policy of EU member states.

Through the use of empirical evidence, this book shows that despite Greece and Portugal sharing numerous characteristics that inhibit Europeanization, the empowerment of domestic policy entrepreneurs and - when these were absent or lacked access to power - European Social Fund financial conditionality has allowed for this process to occur.

Soft power can therefore be wielded in the world of neglect without policy learning, which is considered the main 'soft' Europeanization mechanism.

Contents:

+ 1. Introduction
+ 2. The European Employment Strategy and National Employment Policies
+ 3. Theoretical Framework
+ 4. Public Employment Service's Reform in Greece: Following the EU Money?
+ 5. Reforming the Portuguese PES: Europeanization through Soft Law Empowerment?
+ 6. Tracing the Europeanization of Greek Employment Policy (GEP) with Regard to Gender Equality Promotion: Following the ESF Money?
+ 7. Gender Equality Promotion in Portuguese Employment Policy: Europeanization through Domestic Empowerment
+ 8. Incorporating Flexicurity in Greek Employment Policy: from a Promising Start to a Melancholic End
+ 9. Conclusions