Europeanisation and cultural variation in policymaking: the case of the EU Positive Energy Districts initiative

Ackrill, R ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0739-1812, 2025. Europeanisation and cultural variation in policymaking: the case of the EU Positive Energy Districts initiative. Journal of Common Market Studies. ISSN 0021-9886 (Forthcoming)

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Abstract

EU-wide policymaking can potentially involve considerable variety in the styles of policy implementation response across member states. This is one manifestation of Europeanisation: how EU membership impacts member states. This variety across member states has been sustained, as EU policymaking expands into new policy areas, alongside developments in experimentalist modes of governance. In this study we offer new insights into Europeanisation, by exploring the issue of national culture as developed by Geert and Gert Jan Hofstede. We analyse how cultural variation can have a profound impact on preferred local policymaking styles, demonstrating how a culturally-sensitive lens highlights different policy means being adopted to achieve common policy goals. To explore this empirically, we analyse interview data from experts in renewable energy systems development, specifically around how they perceive the implementation approaches for the relatively new concept of Positive Energy Districts (PEDs), in Amsterdam, Lisbon and Vienna. We develop an analytical framework drawing together key enabling elements of PEDs with different implicit cultural models. We find that expert insights into PED development align with the theoretical lens of cultural variation. We conclude that cultural variation can have a significant impact on how member states respond to and implement EU-level policy goals.

Item Type:	Journal article
Publication Title:	Journal of Common Market Studies
Creators:	Ackrill, R.
Publisher:	Wiley
Date:	9 April 2025
ISSN:	0021-9886
Identifiers:	Number Type 10.1111/jcms.13769 DOI 2426557 Other
Divisions:	Schools > Nottingham Business School
Record created by:	Jeremy Silvester
Date Added:	04 Jul 2025 09:28
Last Modified:	04 Jul 2025 09:28
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/53879

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