Professor John Bachtler and Carlos Mendez have been awarded the prestigious Best Article Prize by the Journal of Common Market Studies, the leading journal on European integration issues.
Their article 'Who Governs EU Cohesion Policy? Deconstructing the Reforms of the Structural Funds' re-evaluates the influence of the European Commission and Member States on the implementation of Cohesion policy since 1989, questioning the so-called 're-nationalisation thesis' and presenting new insights into EU governance.
John Bachtler was presented with the award by Professor Mike Smith, JCMS Editorial Board member, at the Edinburgh Conference of the University Association of Contemporary European Studies on 2 September 2008. In presenting the award, Professor Smith said that 'this article challenges the bases of conventional wisdom in the realm of multi-level governance. It presents an exceptionally clear and coherent argument, and the authors' familiarity with the subject area shines through. It subjects the literature to systematic (re)evaluation, and does what a top-rank journal article should do, by opening up new questions, adding new evidence and suggesting new agendas.' Available to download here.