Making use of Europe: An investigation of the activities of Swedish regional representatives in Brussels

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In this thesis I investigate the potentials for regional authorities to make use of Europe and discuss in what ways these efforts can initiate Europeanization of a top-down, horizontal, and cyclical nature. The empirical material that the analysis is based upon was gathered during my participant observation period at the City of Malmö EU office. Both working practically with European affairs and conducting interviews with other regional representatives provided me an opportunity to receive a first-hand experience of the way Swedish local and regional representatives are working to receive advantages from their presence in Brussels. The network governance concept is in the thesis introduced to explain how policy making is organized and in the light of these observations I reflect on to what extent the regional presence and activities in Brussels is leading to a process of Europeanization. The findings suggest that there are many ways in which the Swedish regional representatives are able to receive advantages from their presence in Brussels. The thesis also reveals various ways in which the regions become influenced by Europe, espe...