The Open Method of Coordination on Pensions: Does it de-politicise pensions policy?

The present study shows that three conflict dimensions (institutional, competence-based and ideological) are managed through two strategies: ‘participation control’ tends to structure the access to the process; ‘common knowledge production’ through reasoning and discursive decision-making tends to emphasize the role of experts. The eclectic use of both strategies confirms the hybrid nature of the OMC and the permanent tension between its supposed post-regulatory nature and the progressive specialization and control of information that tend to exclude stakeholders and the large audience the process should mobilize.