THE ANALYSIS OF DEVOLUTION REFORMS BY THE LABOUR GOVERNMENT : THE IMPACT OF EUROPEANIZATION AND PROSPECT FOR MULTI-LEVEL GOVERNANCE

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In this research project, I examined major changes of regional governing structure in the United Kingdom. I paid particular attention to the concepts of Europeanization and Multi-Level Governance, which had been widely used to analyze various aspects of European Politics these days. Although devolution to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland could be seen as a response to growing sub-national identities within these nations, as well as an effort to resolve long running ethnic conflicts, the impact of Europeanization clearly played a significant part in terms of facilitating regional decentralization within the UK. The EU performed its role as an accelerator for regional decentralization in a number of ways. The structural funds of the EU provided a kind of political opportunity structures for various regions in the UK to enhance their influence. The EU contributed UK devolution by accepting regional actors like Scotland and Wales as legitimate partners in its Committee of the Regions. The UK devolution implemented by the Labour Government could be said as "asymmetrical devolution". It means different powers and competences were given to different regions, as opposed to giving same powers to all regions, which is "symmetrical devolution". On the one hand, asymmetrical devolution was essential in order to resolve each regions problems. But on the other hand, it also generated several difficulties for future governance in the UK. It might aggravate competition or antagonism between the regions, such as various English regions, Scotland and Wales. Moreover, future changes in political and economical environment may energize separatism within the peripheral regions like Scotland.