European administrative networks during times of crisis: Exploring the temporal development of the internal market network SOLVIT

European administrative networks (EANs) are an increasingly prominent form of European Union (EU) governance. Although these networks are typically portrayed as important and flexible forms of organization, we lack knowledge of their temporal dimension, including their development in times of crisis...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Regulation & governance 2024-10, Vol.18 (4), p.1395-1410
Main Authors: Schrama, Reini, Martinsen, Dorte Sindbjerg, Mastenbroek, Ellen
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Brexit
COVID-19
Crises
crisis
European administrative networks
internal market
International law
Markets
network interaction
Networks
Citations: Items that this one cites
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:European administrative networks (EANs) are an increasingly prominent form of European Union (EU) governance. Although these networks are typically portrayed as important and flexible forms of organization, we lack knowledge of their temporal dimension, including their development in times of crisis. This paper provides a first analysis of network interaction as it unfolds before and during times of severe crisis for the EU internal market. Specifically, we examine interactions in the EU internal market network SOLVIT. This network offers member states both a formalized procedure for the bilateral resolution of cases of alleged misapplication of EU law, and an informal network for general discussions on internal market topics and SOLVIT‐related matters beyond specific case‐resolution. Based on unique three‐wave survey data, we develop a continuous‐time model (stochastic actor‐oriented model) to analyze the evolution of SOLVIT's informal interactions over time. In explaining these developments, we reflect on the importance of two crises: the exit of a central SOLVIT member (the United Kingdom), which drove informal interactions to a great extent, and COVID‐19, which led to great sudden uncertainty and challenges for the implementation of internal market law. Our results show that the network is remarkably stable and despite, or rather because of, these crises, has become denser over time.
ISSN:1748-5983
1748-5991
DOI:10.1111/rego.12585