• Journal of International Area Studies (JIAS)
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.57-80
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• 2010

This study aims at the evaluation of procedural changes and policy outcome caused by the Open Method of Coordination(OMC) on Social Inclusion in the European Union. The policy instruments of the OMC introduced by the Lisbon Council can be divided into two groups: the outcome-oriented New Public Management(NPM) and the process-oriented Directly Deliberative Polyarchy(DDP). By considering the adoption process of the NPM instruments, it can be said that OMC could not be effective due to the vagueness of its objectives, the institutional barriers in decentralized decision-making, and the rejection of benchmarking by the Member States. The intended learning by deliberation and peer review as indicated by the normative DDP, is hard to achieve because they are not so reflexive due to relatively restricted and closed participation. We also cannot find any significant reduction of poverty after the long implementation of the OMC. Considering the higher recognition of poverty problem and expanding NGOs concerned with it, however, we may see some significant impact in the future.