Domestic governance arrangements and Europeanization: The case of central-local relations in England, Ireland and Denmark

Research emphasizes the uneven impact of Europeanization. While different mechanisms of Europeanization, including minimalist framing mechanisms based on identifying best practice and peer review, can place adaptational impulses on national governments, an institutionalist perspective suggests that such initiatives are typically mediated through domestic traditions and that domestic governance arrangements can be resilient to change. This article examines such claims empirically by drawing on research into central-local mechanisms to involve local government in domestic deliberations on new EU environmental proposals in three member states. It finds that despite impulses arising from European peer review initiatives, national governance arrangements remain robust, with actors preferring to rely on established domestic routines rather than adopting approaches used elsewhere.