ABSTRACT
The aspiration of this book has been to investigate the processes by which states adapt to different kind of scripts (e.g. ideas, rules, models, standards, and recipes). Our aim, first, has been to see how identities, strategies, and preferences were created. We believe that such formation processes are at the centre of adaptation to EU membership. Second, even though our specific focus has been on the European Union, we also want to learn about the wider ecology of governing forces and forms of governance. There are many kinds of script suppliers. We have also distinguished between three different forms of governance that are directed towards states: regulative, inquisitive, and meditative. Our third aim has been to study in detail the micro-processes by which scripts are understood, interpreted, and (sometimes) followed. The objective has also been to investigate the nature of the adaptation processes in three specific states: Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. These states started from a situation where they saw it as necessary to make a break with the recent past, and to reorient their paths of development. We have investigated the scope and direction of adaptation processes in four fields: public management policies (Chapter 5), labor market policies (Chapter 6), the parliamentary oversight of EU issues (Chapter 7), and the standardization of political parties (Chapter 8). We have also studied two general governance mechanisms – monitoring (Chapter 3) and twinning (Chapter 4) – and their use. We have noticed that these states have become more similar, in relation both to each other and to other European states. Sometimes, adaptations have mainly influenced official presentations and structural arrangements, but occasionally they have also made their mark on everyday practices. In this last chapter, we will return to some of the general theoretical discussions from the introductory chapter. States want to live up to obligations and rules in their environments. They desire legitimacy, and they try to gain this by loyalty to all kinds of models, rules, recipes, and standards. In our view, states are scripted actors rather than actors that single-handedly choose their own destiny. They act on behalf of strong ideas about everything from free markets and mass education to public management policies. In previous chapters, we have identified some of the forces (regulative, inquisitive, and meditative) that influence states, and have discussed the mechanisms by which adaptations are
realized. Although states generally desire to fit in and to become socially accepted, following all scripts at all times may be neither possible nor desirable. Part of the script of being a modern state, however, is also being able to present a unique position and defend national interests. This implies some kind of room for resistance, contestation, or neglect. In this chapter, we will discuss the extent to which it is possible for states to resist and stay unaffected by scripts. First, however, we will sum up some of the main points from the previous chapters.
