Constructing Maastricht’s Third ‘C’: A Study of the Ideational Causality of Policy Coherence for Development in the EU

Abstract: This thesis examines the evolution of Policy Coherence for Development (PCD) in the EU. The overarching purpose is to give an example of ideational causation in the EU, and concretely, to illustrate how a norm can cause changes to policy and to policymaking. It is argued that the PCD concept is essentially a norm, because it provides a guideline for how to prioritize between differing and often conflicting policy objectives. The PCD norm is traced from its official ‘birth’ at the High Level OECD DAC meeting in 1991 to its current status, while an attempt is made to single out changes made to process (policy-making) and outcome (policies). Changes made to two central EU policies, namely the CAP and the CFP, are investigated, as to explore whether an effect of PCD can be observed. Moreover, the evolutionary stage of the PCD norm is determined according its ‘norm life cycle’.