PhD Student - Holly Snaith

Details

email : h.snaith@sheffield.ac.uk

Thesis Title: Can European monetary and fiscal governance be conceptualised as a case of multi-level governance?

Start Year: 2009

Supervisors

Colin Hay

Ian Bache

Research Topic

My thesis explores the utility of viewing the management of economic policy in the European Union as a case of Multi-Level Governance. The 1992 process has initiated the transference of significant competences in economic management beyond the nation state. The recipients of these new powers are public bodies, such as the European Commission, Council and Parliament, and non-governmental bodies such as the European Central Bank. Equally, drawing the locus of economic management above the nation state suggests, according to currency area theories, that the region will replace the nation as the primary unit of economic consideration. This would suggest, prima facie, multi-level governance relationships taking place within the sphere of economic management.

I consider the degree to which this policy area can be conceptualised as a case of multi-level governance. In order to do this, I examine the existing MLG literature to identify the most relevant indicators of multi-level statehood to determine whether the current architecture can be reasonably classified as `multi-level¥. I also justify the case for using MLG literature instead of potentially more obvious contenders (such as two-level game theories), in order to establish the credibility of believing that MLG can lend a unique analytical approach to the case study. In doing so, I also explore the degree to which MLG literatures take implicit account of considerations associated with narrowly sectoral economic policy literatures (such as fiscal federalism). Secondly, I conduct primary research, via documents and interviews, to determine how far actors and institutions within the sector take account of multi-level considerations. The intent of this approach is to distinguish between multi-level governance as a policy architecture or condition of statehood, and multi-level governance as a practice and theoretical case.

Research Questions

• Does the creation and management of economic policy exhibit multi-level characteristics?
• How can MLG theory inform an account of this?
• Do monetary and fiscal policy exhibit different modes of governance, and if so, are they compatible?

Research interests

The Euro, multi level governance, monetary policy making, comparative European politics, fiscal politics, Central Banks, new institutionalism, domestic political economy and macroeconomics, regionalism, the nation state and cleavage formation, Optimal Currency Area theory

Teaching

POL 112: British Politics (Module Tutor, Spring Semester 2011)
POL 229: Political Analysis: Research Design and Data Analysis (Module Tutor, Autumn Semester, 2010)
POL109: Comparing Modern Polities (Module Tutor, both Semesters, 2009-10)
POL220: Political Analysis: Approaches and Methods (Module Tutor, Spring Semester, 2010)

Office Hour: Thursday 13:00-14:00 (Elmfield Room 1:41)

Conference Papers

• 'It's the economy, stupid: building and institutionalist conception of multi-level governance' JCME conference, University of Salford, 18th February 2011
• 'Equalities policy under the coalition: time for a new approach?' Public Administration in an Age of Austerity: The Future of the Discipline, Aston Centre for Europe, 11th May 2011
• 'Does Optimal Currency Area theory suggest the need for greater multi-level governance in the Eurozone?' UACES conference: New Frontiers in European Studies, University of Surrey, 30th June 2011
• ‘Building a new (constructivist) institutionalist conception of Multi-Level Governance within European monetary policy’, CEPSA conference: Multilevel Politics: Intra- and Inter-level Comparative Perspectives, University of Vienna, 27th-29th October 2011

Professional Affiliations

University Association of Contemporary European Studies (UACES)

Research Cluster Membership

Responses to the Crisis
Transformation of the State
(Formerly Governance & Public Policy and Political Economy)

Other work

• 2020 Public Services Hub at the RSA (2011)
  Public Services Academy Intern. The Hub continues the work of the 2020 Commission on Public services. I worked on overarching research projects with a general theme of progressive public service reform, and contributed to the day-to-day operations of the 2020PSH team under the supervision of Dr Henry Kippin and Ben Lucas.
• The University of Sheffield (2010)
  Research assistantship to Professor David Richards and Professor Martin Smith. Researched diffuse water pollution and the governance issues embedded in the implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive. Six week assistantship, culminating in the production and presentation of a policy report to a joint committee of members of the Politics, Engineering and Town Planning departments. The project is ongoing and has been presented at the 2011 CIWEM conference by Professor David Lerner of URSULA.
• The University of Birmingham (2008)
  Administrative Assistant, Department of Political science and International Studies. Provided cover for the undergraduate administrator, part time for three months.

Previous Education

• MA Research Methods in Politics and International Relations (University of Sheffield)
• BA Political Science (University of Birmingham)