EU PEACE funding: The policy implementation deficit
Knox C. OConnor K. Ketola M. Carmichael P.
Summer 2023John Wiley and Sons Inc
European Policy Analysis
2023#9Issue 3290 - 310 pp.
This article explores the intersection of policy implementation, conflict/peacebuilding, and the role of the EU PEACE program in Northern Ireland (NI). Conflict societies see a great investment of external funds, attempting to promote conflict resolution. Specifically, this article analyses the fourth wave of such funding in NI to examine why the EU PEACE program has not fully brought about its intended policy outcomes. Using Matlands conflict-ambiguity model of policy implementation, we identify how EU funds can be skewed to support local political interests. Simultaneously, the EU PEACE program continues to adhere to strict implementation criteria that makes little sense given the local context. Therefore, contrary to its objectives, the implementation of EU funding can compound rather than ameliorate divisions in postconflict NI. Instead of prescribing strict implementation criteria, EU policy could focus on improving the administrative capacity and discretion of local administration in devising locally relevant implementation strategies.
administrative capacity , European Union , Northern Ireland , policy implementation , postconflict
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Graduate School of Public Policy, Nazarbayev University, Astana, Kazakhstan
School of Applied Social and Policy Sciences, Ulster University, Belfast, United Kingdom
School of Social and Political Science, Edinburgh University, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Graduate School of Public Policy
School of Applied Social and Policy Sciences
School of Social and Political Science
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