michelle Egan | American University (original) (raw)

Papers by michelle Egan

International Politics

Brexit has led to major changes in UK trade policy after decades of collective trade agreements a... more Brexit has led to major changes in UK trade policy after decades of collective trade agreements and regulatory alignment with the European Union. Following the 2016 UK referendum on EU membership, the idea of ‘Global Britain’ was touted as the central goal in securing policy autonomy and regulatory independence with respect to trade, rooted in a strong sense of liberalization unencumbered by the perceived constraints of European membership. This article suggests that the UK’s role conception as a global trading (and finance) state has been revived by Brexit. Yet the performance of this role has been mixed. Role adaptation is far from complete, and evidence from the postreferendum period suggests that the post-Brexit economy has failed to fulfil the optimistic expectations of the those who favoured Brexit. In trade, the UK has been buffeted by the post-Brexit relationship with the EU and the changing demands of the global political economy.

Territory, Politics, Governance

Edward Elgar Publishing eBooks, Jan 24, 2023

Frontiers in Political Science

In developing an extensive network of trade agreements, the European Union has pushed for liberal... more In developing an extensive network of trade agreements, the European Union has pushed for liberalization commitments that impinge on the competencies of subnational jurisdictions. This raises new challenges in federal systems as the emerging multilevel character of trade politics means subnational authorities could increasingly demand a say in the negotiation or ratification of these trade agreements. To address the tension between subnational regulatory autonomy and collective problem-solving in trade negotiations, Europe needs to avoid suboptimal trade outcomes where actions of contestation by subnational jurisdictions on the grounds of regulatory encroachment can undermine or veto collective agreement. Using the cases of Belgium and Germany, this article illustrates how the growing subnational contestation around trade agreements requires greater coordination and consensus to avoid domestic gridlock in their ratification. The article suggests normative ideas for the EU to address...

JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies, 2016

In this article we investigate how well the single market functions in practice by examining barr... more In this article we investigate how well the single market functions in practice by examining barriers to trade in goods markets and we discuss efforts to improve the governance of the single market. We use two unique datasets of specific trade obstacles to empirically examine which barriers continue to undermine EU cross-border trade, and whether non-judicial remedies have provided some degree of effective informal market governance in tackling trade impediments. Based on four hypotheses on country, industry and policy variables we test the probability of removing trade barriers in the pre-litigation phase of infringement proceedings rather than by Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) decisions. We then assess the usage and effectiveness of the informal mechanism Solvit to resolve trade obstacles in the single market. We conclude that informal mechanisms operate in the ‘shadow of hierarchy’ as judicialization remains the last resort option when informal co-operation does not achieve the desired goals.

Governance and Politics in the Post-Crisis European Union, 2020

Michelle Egan and Jacques Pelkmans provide an overview of the TBT chapter in TTIP and the various... more Michelle Egan and Jacques Pelkmans provide an overview of the TBT chapter in TTIP and the various issues between the US and the EU in this area, which in turn requires extensive expositions of domestic regulation in the US and the EU. TBTs, outside heavily regulated sectors such as chemicals, automobiles or medicines (which have separate chapters in TTIP), can be caused by divergent (voluntary) standards, technical regulations and conformity assessment. Indeed, in all three the US and the EU have long experienced frictions with considerable trading costs. The 1998 Mutual Recognition Agreement about conformity assessment only succeeded in two out of six sectors. The US and European standardisation traditions differ and this paper explains why it is so hard, also economically, to realise convergence. However, the authors reject the unproductive ‘stand-off’ between US and EU negotiators on standardisation and suggest to clarify the enormous economic ‘installed base’ of prominent US sta...

Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Politics

The internal market is the workhorse of European integration, promoting the free movement of good... more The internal market is the workhorse of European integration, promoting the free movement of goods, capital, services, and factors of production to ease cross-border barriers. Research has focused on the evolution and expansion of market integration, drawing on a variety of empirical and theoretical approaches to understand the interests, institutions, and ideas that have shaped an “ever closer economic union.” Yet as the economy has changed from manufacturing to services, the internal market has shifted in scope to encompass a more heterogeneous set of issues where the core rules and legal commitments have generated increased differentiation in market practices and regulatory alignment. Scholarship on the single market has diminished, in part, due to the fragmentation of policy initiatives, often not attributed to the single market. As the European economy has undergone profound structural changes, the legislative agenda has expanded to new policy areas that reflect the need for mo...

Journal of European Public Policy, 1998

... that they engage in both co-operation and competition within the multitude of committees that... more ... that they engage in both co-operation and competition within the multitude of committees that characterize standard-setting, they are keenly aware that technical expertise is crucial for problem-solving at this stage of the process (Eichener 1992; Bundgaard-Pedersen Page 10. ...

New Political Economy, 1999

Framing Convergence with the Global Legal Order, 2020

The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) is an effort by the United States and t... more The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) is an effort by the United States and the European Union to reposition themselves for a world of diffuse economic power and intensified global competition. It is a next-generation economic negotiation that breaks the mould of traditional trade agreements. At the heart of the ongoing talks is the question whether and in which areas the two major democratic actors in the global economy can address costly frictions generated by their deep commercial integration by aligning rules and other instruments. The aim is to reduce duplication in various ways in areas where levels of regulatory protection are equivalent as well as to foster wide-ranging regulatory cooperation and set a benchmark for high-quality global norms. In this volume, European and American experts explain the economic context of TTIP and its geopolitical implications, and then explore the challenges and consequences of US-EU negotiations across numerous sensitive a...

European Union Politics, 2019

This chapter charts the evolution of the Single Market project, from its original conception in t... more This chapter charts the evolution of the Single Market project, from its original conception in the 1950s, beginning with the Treaty of Rome and ending with the Single Market Act I and II. It explores the role of the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU) in promoting market access, the balance between different economic ideals, and regulatory strategies used to foster market integration. The chapter highlights the importance of the Single Market in seeking to promote competitiveness and growth as well as the diffusion of its regulations beyond its borders. It concludes by demonstrating how both traditional international relations theories of integration and newer approaches in comparative politics and international relations, can be used to shed light on the governance of the Single Market.

Politics and Governance

This article focuses on the European single market, which has been one of the central issues in t... more This article focuses on the European single market, which has been one of the central issues in terms of the impacts of Britain’s withdrawal from the EU. As the aim of the single market project is to open the internal borders of the EU to the free movement of goods, services, capital, and labor to create cross-jurisdictional markets, the economic and political effects of Brexit will be widespread, if not yet fully understood, outside the British polity. The article looks at the current state of the single market, then highlights the impact of British withdrawal on economic governance, focusing on different market freedoms, given the degree of trade interdependence and integrated supply chains that have evolved in response to changes in goods and services. One of the lessons from Brexit negotiations is the importance of distinguishing between different single market(s) when assessing the impact of British ‘exit’ on member states. The concluding section focuses on the political safegu...

The single market programme, launched by the European Commission in a 1985 white paper, put 1992 ... more The single market programme, launched by the European Commission in a 1985 white paper, put 1992 as a deadline for the completion of the single market. As Michelle Egan writes, twenty years on from the original 1992 deadline there still remain significant regulatory barriers between member states. While the Commission has proposed a number of new reforms to deepen the single market, the reforms will only be effective if they are fully embraced by member states.

Regional & Federal Studies

Politics Trove

This chapter focuses on the evolution of the single market project, from its original conception ... more This chapter focuses on the evolution of the single market project, from its original conception in the 1950s, beginning with the Rome Treaty and ending with the Single Market Act I and II. It first considers market integration in historical perspective before discussing the role of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) in promoting market access, the balance between different economic ideals, and the regulatory strategies used to foster market integration. It then analyses the importance of the single market in promoting competitiveness and growth, along with the politics of neoliberalism and the ‘1992 Programme’. It also explores the politics of regulated capitalism and whether the single market contributes to globalization. It concludes by explaining how both traditional international relations theories of integration and newer approaches in comparative politics and international relations can be used to shed light on the governance of the single market.