抄録
The present paper analyses public service liberalisation in the EU from the perspective of ‘public service sector regimes.’ Processes of public service liberalisation have been explained on the one hand, from the perspective of transaction-based theory of integration in which supranational actors and institutions play a significant role. On the other hand, intergovernmentalist assumptions are also strongly supported. In light of these discussions, the purpose of this paper is twofold: to introduce the framework of public service sector regimes to this research field, and second, to assess the relevance of sector regimes to preference formation by member states, and to the relationship between member states and supranational organizations and rules. According to the two case studies covered in this article, namely the liberalisation of air transport and telecommunication services, the author finds that sector regimes can influence the preferences of member states to converge or to diverge, depending upon its scope (international or national), and shape the nature of relationships between member states and the Commission.
