EU-NormCon researcher, Diego Badell (UAB-IBEI), publishes the article ‘Too big to fail? The dynamics of EU influence and fiscal consolidation in Italy and Spain (2008–2016)‘ in the journal Public Management Review. The article analyses the influence of the EU in the adoption of fiscal consolidation policies in Italy and Spain.
Abstract: The article studies the dynamics of fiscal consolidation and public sector reforms in Italy and Spain under the EU governance that took shape as a reaction to the Eurozone crisis. We show how three types of EU pressure – fiscal and economic coordination rules, conditionality, and back-room diplomacy have operated in conjunction. We also show that Italy was more willing than Spain to resist EU pressure. Based on a Two-Level Game framework, we argue that this can be explained by the greater opposition to European integration that has developed in Italy compared to Spain.