Towards a ‘Europe of Flows’? Discourse, Power and Space in the Development of a Transnational High-Speed Rail Line in the European Union Thesis submitted by Diego Garcia Mejuto for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Planning Studies The Bartlett School of Planning University College London (UCL) Declaration I, Diego García Mejuto, confirm that the work presented in this thesis is my own. Where information has been derived from other sources, I confirm that this has been indicated in the thesis. London, 24 May 2015 2 Abstract The aim of this thesis is to contribute to the understanding of European integration through a focus on the politics surrounding transnational highspeed rail infrastructure. Although it has been argued that a discourse on the creation of a ‘Europe of Flows’ has become dominant in policy development, the spatial conflicts that this type of infrastructure involves and the wide array of political actors concerned cast doubts on the smooth development of such a space. The thesis aim is pursued through a critical approach that considers policy problems as socially constructed, seeks to reveal the power struggles in policy-making, and places space at the centre of the study of politics. Thus, an analytical framework that combines discourse analysis, social and political theories of power and a spatiallynuanced approach informed by human geography debates on scale and relationality was adopted and applied to the case of a cross-border and EU-relevant highspeed rail line in the Spanish Basque Country. The case study first demonstrates the existence of a hegemonic discourse on transport infrastructure development, which accommodated a variety of concerns according to different scalar frames and was produced and reproduced in state, private sector and mainstream media discursive arenas. Proponents of an alternative construction based on the notion of proximity unsuccessfully struggled to challenge the former from other, minor arenas. Although those actors practicing the hegemonic discourse supported the high-speed rail line, the continuing prevalence of nationstate actors and power arenas largely prevented the timely development of a truly trans-European link, in spite of the efforts of both EU institutions and several transnational networks of association. Overall, the thesis illustrates how transnational high-speed rail infrastructure policymaking shapes, rather than a frictionless ‘Europe of Flows’, a hybrid European space that results from complex struggles for discursive hegemony and effective influence in the policy process. 3 Table of contents Declaration .................................................................................................................. 2 Abstract ....................................................................................................................... 3 Table of contents ........................................................................................................ 4 Acknowledgments .................................................................................................... 10 List of tables and figures ......................................................................................... 13 List of acronyms, abbreviations and terms ........................................................... 14 Note on the use of Spanish and Basque terms and quotations ............................. 17 1 Introduction ......................................................................................................... 18 1.1 Framing the problem .............................................................................................. 20 1.1.1 European integration and transnational highspeed rail: towards a ‘splintered’ European space ............................................................................................................. 21 1.1.2 The democratic nature of transnational infrastructure politics in the context of European integration: relevance and normative implications of the research study ..... 23 1.2 Framing the research .............................................................................................. 26 1.2.1 Existing scholarship: an emphasis on EU policy and technical assessments .. 26 1.2.2 A critical perspective: research aim and questions ......................................... 28 1.3 Overall approach .................................................................................................... 30 1.3.1 An analytical framework based on discourse, power and space ..................... 31 1.3.2 A single case study of an unusual case of transnational highspeed rail infrastructure ................................................................................................................. 32 1.4 Outline of the thesis ................................................................................................ 34 2 Transnational high-speed rail infrastructure development in the European Union ......................................................................................................................... 36 2.1 Rationales around transnational highspeed rail infrastructure ............................ 37 2.1.1 The influential yet contested EU rationale ...................................................... 38 2.1.2 The role of ideas in gathering support for policy: a ‘Europe of Flows’ discourse ....................................................................................................................... 41 2.1.3 Alternative and dominant rationales: towards rationale convergence? ........... 44 2.2 The role of actors in the policy process .................................................................. 46 4 2.2.1 Transnational highspeed rail development: key features ............................... 47 2.2.2 The increasing relevance of nonnationstate actors ....................................... 48 2.2.3 Nonstate actors: the role of the private sector and civil society .................... 51 2.3 Space in transnational high-speed rail policy-making ........................................... 53 2.3.1 Regulating transnational flows: territoriality vs. relationality ........................ 53 2.3.2 Attitudes to transnational high-speed rail development: a spatial understanding ................................................................................................................ 56 2.4 Conclusion and research questions ........................................................................ 58 3 Understanding transnational infrastructure policy-making: an analytical framework ................................................................................................................. 61 3.1 Policy-making as discursive struggle ..................................................................... 63 3.1.1 Discourse in policy studies ............................................................................. 63 3.1.2 Discourse analysis as an approach in policy studies ....................................... 66 3.1.3 Hajer’s discourse analytical approach ............................................................. 67 3.2 Policy-making as power struggle ............................................................................ 71 3.2.1 A focus on behaviour: the ‘community power debate’ ................................... 72 3.2.2 The role of agency and structure in the exercise of power .............................. 74 3.2.3 Episodic agency power: an operationalization ................................................ 76 3.3 The spatiality of policy-making ............................................................................... 79 3.3.1 A conceptualization: between relationality and scale ..................................... 80 3.3.2 A spatialization of Hajer’s discourse analytical approach .............................. 83 3.3.3 A topological understanding of the exercise of power .................................... 86 3.4 Conclusion: a three-dimensional analytical framework ......................................... 89 4 Methodology ......................................................................................................... 93 4.1 Research strategy .................................................................................................... 93 4.1.1 Single-case study research .............................................................................. 94 4.1.2 Selection of the case ........................................................................................ 95 4.2 Research methods ................................................................................................... 98 4.2.1 The analytical framework and sources of evidence ........................................ 98 4.2.2 Collection, analysis and validation of data ................................................... 100 4.2.3 Reflexive remarks on the methods used ........................................................ 102 4.3 Conclusion ............................................................................................................ 104 5 5 Development of a transnational high-speed rail line (1986-2006) ................. 105 5.1 Rail infrastructure planning and development in the Spanish nation-state .......... 106 5.2 Origins within a changing Spanish context (1986-1989) ..................................... 108 5.2.1 A new plan for the Spanish railway network and the Basque response ........ 110 5.2.2 The introduction of the UIC gauge and