Why Brexit Will Do Little to Change the Political Contours of the European Social Dimension

Integration within the European social dimension, understood as the EU’s competence in the field of employment and social policy, has been fraught with obstacles. Divisions between the EU’s Member States have limited integration and resulted in a complex and piecemeal system of governance that is lo...

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Main Author: Paul Copeland
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Cogitatio 2019-09-01
Series:Politics and Governance
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.cogitatiopress.com/politicsandgovernance/article/view/2126
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spelling doaj-acbe9d516d4e464ba58cac5d080c1dac2020-11-24T21:48:32ZengCogitatioPolitics and Governance2183-24632019-09-0173303910.17645/pag.v7i3.21261141Why Brexit Will Do Little to Change the Political Contours of the European Social DimensionPaul Copeland0School of Politics and International Relations, Queen Mary University of London, UKIntegration within the European social dimension, understood as the EU’s competence in the field of employment and social policy, has been fraught with obstacles. Divisions between the EU’s Member States have limited integration and resulted in a complex and piecemeal system of governance that is low down on the EU’s list of priorities. The UK is often regarded as a major obstacle limiting the scope of integration in the field and this is not without good reason. Historically, the UK has formed coalitions to block policy negotiations within the European Council and has pushed for minimal neoliberal obligations in the field. The UK’s departure from the EU could result in a step-change for the European social dimension. However, as this article will argue, the UK’s departure from the EU will do little to alter the current dominance of a neoliberal market-led ideology, as it currently transcends the political agency of the UK.https://www.cogitatiopress.com/politicsandgovernance/article/view/2126BrexitEuropean integrationEuropean social dimensionEuropean Unionneoliberalismsocial policyUnited Kingdom
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Paul Copeland
spellingShingle Paul Copeland
Why Brexit Will Do Little to Change the Political Contours of the European Social Dimension
Politics and Governance
Brexit
European integration
European social dimension
European Union
neoliberalism
social policy
United Kingdom
author_facet Paul Copeland
author_sort Paul Copeland
title Why Brexit Will Do Little to Change the Political Contours of the European Social Dimension
title_short Why Brexit Will Do Little to Change the Political Contours of the European Social Dimension
title_full Why Brexit Will Do Little to Change the Political Contours of the European Social Dimension
title_fullStr Why Brexit Will Do Little to Change the Political Contours of the European Social Dimension
title_full_unstemmed Why Brexit Will Do Little to Change the Political Contours of the European Social Dimension
title_sort why brexit will do little to change the political contours of the european social dimension
publisher Cogitatio
series Politics and Governance
issn 2183-2463
publishDate 2019-09-01
description Integration within the European social dimension, understood as the EU’s competence in the field of employment and social policy, has been fraught with obstacles. Divisions between the EU’s Member States have limited integration and resulted in a complex and piecemeal system of governance that is low down on the EU’s list of priorities. The UK is often regarded as a major obstacle limiting the scope of integration in the field and this is not without good reason. Historically, the UK has formed coalitions to block policy negotiations within the European Council and has pushed for minimal neoliberal obligations in the field. The UK’s departure from the EU could result in a step-change for the European social dimension. However, as this article will argue, the UK’s departure from the EU will do little to alter the current dominance of a neoliberal market-led ideology, as it currently transcends the political agency of the UK.
topic Brexit
European integration
European social dimension
European Union
neoliberalism
social policy
United Kingdom
url https://www.cogitatiopress.com/politicsandgovernance/article/view/2126
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