Monitoring and evaluating the CAP: a (post-) exceptionalist policy arrangement?

In this article, we contribute to the literature on (post-)exceptionalism by analysing and explaining the development of a specific policy sub-arrangement of the European Union's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP): its monitoring and evaluation (M&E) arrangement. As M&E have become common in many policy sectors, this arrangement seems an example of common policy being integrated in the CAP, reflecting non-exceptionalism. To answer the question to what extent M&E policy ideas are indeed integrated in the CAP we adopt a policy arrangement approach and analyse the interaction of institutions and ideas found in the broader EU M&E and CAP policy arrangements during two reforms of the CAP. We conclude that general ideas on M&E have been incorporated in the CAP M&E arrangement, but only to a limited extent. Existing institutions (and resulting interests) of the broader CAP arrangement prevent a full integration of these ideas. This leads to the general conclusion that the M&E sub-arrangement in the CAP is characterized by post-exceptionalism.

Automated summary

This article contributes to the literature on (post-)exceptionalism by analyzing and explaining the development of the monitoring and evaluation arrangement in the European Union's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). The study finds that while policy ideas on monitoring and evaluation have been integrated into the CAP, they are limited by the existing institutions and interests of the broader CAP arrangement.