E. Barcevicius & T. Weishaupt 
Assessing the Open Method of Coordination 
Institutional Design and National Influence of EU Social Policy Coordination

Based on the findings of a large-scale, comparative research project, this volume systematically assesses the institutional design and national influence of the Open Method of Coordination in Social Inclusion and Social Protection (pensions and health/long-term care), at the European Union level and in ten EU Member States.

Table of Content

1. Institutional Design and National Influence of EU Social Policy Coordination: Advancing a Contradictory Debate 2. Tracing the Social OMC from its Origins To Europe 2020 3. Is the Social OMC Fit for Purpose? Adequacy and Institutional Design, 2006-2010 4. An OMC for all Policies: is Belgium (still) the Best Pupil in the Class? 5. The Social OMC in France: the Realm of the Happy Few? 6. The Social OMC in Germany: Slow but Steady? 7. The Social OMC in Denmark: European Ideas Meet Domestic Politics 8. The Social OMC in the UK: Beyond Cheap Talk? 9. The Social OMCs at Work: Identifying and Explaining Variations in National Use and Influence

About the author

Vicki Donlevy, Policy and Research Division of Ecorys, UK Caroline de la Porte, University of Southern Denmark Helene Schönheinz, University of Salzburg, Austria Bart Vanhercke, European Social Observatory, Belgium