EUROPE 2000 AND NATIONAL REGULATION DISCOURSES.

This paper is the introduction to a TESG ‘dossier’ on regulation and discourse in Europe. Regulation is explained as a set of social adjustments motivated by the economy, or its crises, but not always clearly related to its performance. By way of supplement to the other papers in this issue, special attention is paid to the Netherlands. Regulation hi the Netherlands is a product of self-regulation and balancing induced by the comparative weakness' of the different social and political actors (interest groups). Finally some conclusions are drawn about the reactions to the neo-liberal challenge in the countries dealt with in this special issue: the UK, Germany, France and the Netherlands. The author argues that the differences in regulatory discourse reflect differences in political tradition and culture in these countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]