Policy Learning in Greece and Southern Europe - The Case of EU Soft Law

The book explores the challenges which policymakers and organizations face while learning from ideas and policies implemented elsewhere. Drawing on empirical evidence from Greece, Spain and Italy in the context of EU soft law, it demonstrates how administrative, political and institutional conditions can act as obstacles for learning. It will appeal to scholars of public policy and public administration, practitioners and a broader audience interested in the mechanisms behind policy learning. 

List of contents

Chapter 1-Introduction.- Chapter 2-Towards an Analysis of Policy Learning in Southern Europe.- Chapter 3-The presence of no learning in Greece.- Chapter 4- Blocked learning: the norm in Greece.- Chapter 5-Signs of instrumental, organizational and political learning in Greece.- Chapter 6- Variations of policy learning across Spain and Italy.- Chapter 7- Conclusion.- Chapter 8- Bibliography.

About the author

Thenia Vagionaki is a Research Fellow at Princeton University, USA. Her work has been published in outlets such as the Journal of European Public Policy, Policy & Politics, and West European Politics.

Summary

The book explores the challenges which policymakers and organizations face while learning from ideas and policies implemented elsewhere. Drawing on empirical evidence from Greece, Spain and Italy in the context of EU soft law, it demonstrates how administrative, political and institutional conditions can act as obstacles for learning. It will appeal to scholars of public policy and public administration, practitioners and a broader audience interested in the mechanisms behind policy learning. 

Product details

• Authors: Thenia Vagionaki
• Publisher: Springer, Berlin
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 25.08.2025
• EAN: 9783031860133
• ISBN: 978-3-0-3186013-3
• No. of pages: 223
• Dimensions: 148 mm x 17 mm x 210 mm
• Weight: 410 g
• Illustrations: XVII, 223 p. 2 illus., 1 illus. in color.
• Series: International Series on Public Policy
• Subjects: Social sciences, law, business > Political science > Politics and business; Internationales Recht, Sozialwesen und soziale Dienste, Kommunal-, Regional- Landes und Lokalregierung, Southern Europe, Vergleichende Politikwissenschaften, Social Policy, Public Policy, European law, Comparative Public Policy, policy learning, EU soft law governance, EU compliance