The micro-politics of the Open Method of Coordination: NGOs and the social inclusion process in Sweden

The Open Method of Coordination (OMC) challenges national political settings in various ways. The Swedish welfare state is characterized by principles of universalism and a strong connection between welfare and work. Comparative research has demonstrated that the European Employment Strategy (EES) fits very well with this social-democratic welfare regime (Jacobsson 2005; López-Santana 2006). But the translation of the OMC on social inclusion into the Swedish policy context has encountered various barriers and met, at least initially, with less enthusiasm. In Sweden, policy makers tend to view the EU’s social inclusion policy as selective, thereby deviating from the universalistic principles of the Swedish welfare state. Some social NGOs have expressed similar concerns, while others have approached the OMC on social inclusion (OMC/Inclusion) as a new opportunity structure, i.e. as a means of establishing contacts with national policy makers and possibly challenging the position of other privileged actors. Much current work on OMC processes tends to look at the policy level and

ask questions about learning, yet fails to study policy and politics in conjunction. In order to understand the national reception of the OMC, this chapter takes seriously both the institutional context of implementation and the micro-politics of the OMC/Inclusion in Sweden, i.e. actor responses and inter-actor relationships. The chapter demonstrates that although the OMC/ Inclusion has had limited direct influence on the policy content of national reforms, it has been an important catalyst in establishing new patterns of cooperation among social NGOs in the Swedish welfare state. First, we show how the enactment of the OMC/Inclusion has contributed

to new forms of institutionalized consultation and cooperation between ministries and social NGOs. Second, we show how this OMC has contributed to new patterns of cooperation and/or conflict among social NGOs. Third, we investigate which factors still hamper the successful implementation of the OMC in Sweden.