Research Article

MULTI-LEVEL GOVERNANCE OR MANAGERIAL DOMINANCE? A NEW PERSPECTIVE ON EU GOVERNANCE IN THE POST-MAASTRICHT ERA

Number: 70 September 5, 2025
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MULTI-LEVEL GOVERNANCE OR MANAGERIAL DOMINANCE? A NEW PERSPECTIVE ON EU GOVERNANCE IN THE POST-MAASTRICHT ERA

Abstract

This study analyses the post-Maastricht era multi-level EU governance through the lens of the Theory of Managerial Revolution, put forward by James Burnham in “The Managerial Revolution” and improved by Samuel T. Francis among others. The study contrasts managerialism with the multi-level governance (MLG) theory, which gained prominence following the Maastricht Treaty. Focusing mainly on the supranational level in European governance and its interactions with other levels, it is argued that the emerging managerial class/elite has been rising to a dominant position. The study employs a detailed literature review, presents a qualitative and theoretical discussion and links these to empirical facts such as the growing mass and scale of EU governance and the surging share of environmental policy in its external governance. The study first proposes a detailed theoretical framework on managerialism, presenting its differences from the proximate concept of technocracy. Then, the framework is applied to post-Maastricht EU governance in tandem with MLG. Although MLG envisions decentralization through dispersion of authority across multiple levels, it is argued that the real result has been quite the opposite, as the growth of mass and scale of EU governance and reliance on managerial expertise to guide the complex and strategic policymaking environment in the post-Maastricht era is argued to have led to centralization of power in the hands of a unified managerial elite. This phenomenon is better explained by the managerialism theory rather than the MLG theory. The study also employs securitization only as a secondary analytical lens contributing to understanding managerial practices. The unique theoretical discussion and findings of the study are expected to initiate a wider discussion in the scholarship on EU governance and European integration. Managerialism is offered as an alternative of complementary theoretical lens to MLG. The study focuses mainly on proposing a novel theoretical model. It is aimed to form as a basis for future research focusing on deeper empirical testing.

Keywords

References

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  5. Bache, I., Bartle, I and Flinders, M. (2022). “Chapter 40: Multi-Level Governance”, Handbook on Theories of Governance, (Ed: C. Ansell and J. Torfing), Edward Elgar Publishing, Cheltenham.
  6. Bacon, F. and Weinberger, J. (2016). New Atlantis and The Great Instauration, 2nd Edition, Wiley-Blackwell, New Jersey.
  7. Boin, C. (2010). “Friends of the EU: The Costs of a Taxpayer-Funded Green Lobby”, Bruges Group Conference, London.
  8. Burnham, J. (1941). The Managerial Revolution: What Is Happening in the World, John Day Company, New York.

Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

International Economic Foundation, European and Region Studies, International Foundation, International Politics

Journal Section

Research Article

Early Pub Date

August 29, 2025

Publication Date

September 5, 2025

Submission Date

December 3, 2024

Acceptance Date

May 8, 2025

Published in Issue

Year 2025 Number: 70

APA
Didin, Ö. (2025). MULTI-LEVEL GOVERNANCE OR MANAGERIAL DOMINANCE? A NEW PERSPECTIVE ON EU GOVERNANCE IN THE POST-MAASTRICHT ERA. Pamukkale Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi, 70, 303-316. https://doi.org/10.30794/pausbed.1595391
AMA
1.Didin Ö. MULTI-LEVEL GOVERNANCE OR MANAGERIAL DOMINANCE? A NEW PERSPECTIVE ON EU GOVERNANCE IN THE POST-MAASTRICHT ERA. PAUSBED. 2025;(70):303-316. doi:10.30794/pausbed.1595391
Chicago
Didin, Ömer. 2025. “MULTI-LEVEL GOVERNANCE OR MANAGERIAL DOMINANCE? A NEW PERSPECTIVE ON EU GOVERNANCE IN THE POST-MAASTRICHT ERA”. Pamukkale Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi, nos. 70: 303-16. https://doi.org/10.30794/pausbed.1595391.
EndNote
Didin Ö (September 1, 2025) MULTI-LEVEL GOVERNANCE OR MANAGERIAL DOMINANCE? A NEW PERSPECTIVE ON EU GOVERNANCE IN THE POST-MAASTRICHT ERA. Pamukkale Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi 70 303–316.
IEEE
[1]Ö. Didin, “MULTI-LEVEL GOVERNANCE OR MANAGERIAL DOMINANCE? A NEW PERSPECTIVE ON EU GOVERNANCE IN THE POST-MAASTRICHT ERA”, PAUSBED, no. 70, pp. 303–316, Sept. 2025, doi: 10.30794/pausbed.1595391.
ISNAD
Didin, Ömer. “MULTI-LEVEL GOVERNANCE OR MANAGERIAL DOMINANCE? A NEW PERSPECTIVE ON EU GOVERNANCE IN THE POST-MAASTRICHT ERA”. Pamukkale Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi. 70 (September 1, 2025): 303-316. https://doi.org/10.30794/pausbed.1595391.
JAMA
1.Didin Ö. MULTI-LEVEL GOVERNANCE OR MANAGERIAL DOMINANCE? A NEW PERSPECTIVE ON EU GOVERNANCE IN THE POST-MAASTRICHT ERA. PAUSBED. 2025;:303–316.
MLA
Didin, Ömer. “MULTI-LEVEL GOVERNANCE OR MANAGERIAL DOMINANCE? A NEW PERSPECTIVE ON EU GOVERNANCE IN THE POST-MAASTRICHT ERA”. Pamukkale Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi, no. 70, Sept. 2025, pp. 303-16, doi:10.30794/pausbed.1595391.
Vancouver
1.Ömer Didin. MULTI-LEVEL GOVERNANCE OR MANAGERIAL DOMINANCE? A NEW PERSPECTIVE ON EU GOVERNANCE IN THE POST-MAASTRICHT ERA. PAUSBED. 2025 Sep. 1;(70):303-16. doi:10.30794/pausbed.1595391

Cited By

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