European Policy Analysis
Evidence that the European Commission did not act as a policy entrepreneur shows in the policy solution that was eventually formulated . Moreover , the proposal does not seem to serve the Commission ’ s needs or interests . The literature on agencification would underline that the creation of an independent agency presents reputational elements for the Commission . While being a convincing explanation for agencification in general , it is limited in the case of the ECDC and not supported by evidence : the ECDC is a discreet agency . As demonstrated by the limit of its competences , the ECDC reflects the Member states ’ preferences more than the Commission ’ s needs and interests in seeking reputational gains . The recombination of ideas is , however , in line with the assumption that the proposal was an “ immediate action [ is ] motivated more by the need to avoid higher costs rather than the need to reap more benefits ” as defined by Zahariadis in his definition of consequential coupling and search for fit ( Zahariadis 2003 , 72 ). The proposal of the Commission is thus the work of a bricoleur and not the pet solution of a policy entrepreneur who links her solution to the SARS crisis .
As a type of coupling in the MSA , bricolage shows that after framing the problem and with a process goal , the Commission acting as a bricoleur created a bespoke solution that was a new arrangement of elements . In creating a bespoke solution , the Commission made an arbitration between the different advantages of policy ideas and paid attention to the ripeness of policymakers , which led to a swift adoption and implementation of the Regulation .
Conclusion
The creation of the ECDC has been for long time interpreted in the light of the SARS crisis ; however , our process tracing has shown that this crisis is a catalyst rather than the genesis of this agency . By showing that the ECDC is the result of a bricolage , this paper empirically proved that the traditional explanation found in the literature on the ECDC must be refined . Empirical elements such as the swiftness of the decision-making process and the hybrid features of the ECDC find stronger explanatory leverage in the process of policy formulation by bricolage than in the reaction to the crisis .
The creation of the ECDC was the contingent result of the Commission framing a problem due to events that had a limited impact on the European continent and looking for the solution that would fit this ambiguous context . No agent championing a solution could couple the streams . No policy entrepreneur emerged as the “ hero ” with a solution to a “ crisis .” This paper empirically confirmed an important property of bricolage : the bricoleur is an agent who frames the problem and sets her own goals : the consequential search for fit . This new take on agency in the MSA is a response to criticisms that underline that ambiguity of preferences clashes with the existence of a policy entrepreneur with a clear personal agenda ( Zohlnhöfer and Rüb 2016 ). In bricolage , the agent does not have clear preferences on how to solve the problem . The micro-foundations of the bricolage are that preferences regarding solutions are secondary ; the issue of problem solving is at the core of this type of agency .
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