Economic and political dependence on the EU as determinants of GDPR diffusion: assessing the external dimension of the Brussels Effect

dc.abstract.en	This thesis investigates the structural determinants of the De Jure Brussels Effect by evaluating the global diffusion of the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation via formal Adequacy Decisions. While existing international relations literature heavily privileges the market-enforced De Facto convergence of transnational corporations, it systematically neglects the official, treaty-driven alignment of foreign states, frequently bypassing the European Data Protection Board’s Adequacy Referential as an objective benchmark for legal equivalence. To bridge this empirical gap, this study integrates Anu Bradford’s Brussels Effect and Ian Manners’ Normative Power Europe frameworks, employing a configurational fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis. The model examines a targeted sample of N=21 jurisdictions, comparing 9 fully sovereign nations holding comprehensive adequacy decisions against a control group of 12 non-adequate OECD and G20 states. The empirical results fundamentally challenge market-deterministic assumptions, revealing that gross macroeconomic export dependence does not independently drive formal legislative convergence. Instead, regulatory alignment occurs through a specific 'Digital Diffusion Pathway' that combines high democratic maturity, formal trade ties, and domestic ICT sector integration. The analysis also reveals a notable asymmetry, yielding three separate paths to non-adequacy. Under Schrems I and II rulings, these factors create real institutional barriers for authoritarian or technologically isolated states. Ultimately, this shows that the EU cannot expand its data privacy influence without confronting its own strict normative standards.
dc.affiliation	Uniwersytet Warszawski
dc.affiliation.department	Wydział Nauk Politycznych i Studiów Międzynarodowych
dc.contributor.author	Kozdrój, Kacper
dc.contributor.promoter	Szymański, Adam
dc.contributor.reviewer	Szymański, Adam
dc.contributor.reviewer	Kaczorowska, Małgorzata
dc.date.defence	2026-07-16
dc.date.issued	2026
dc.date.submitted	2026-07-06
dc.identifier.apd	248531
dc.language	en
dc.language.other	pl
dc.publisher	Uniwersytet Warszawski
dc.rights	ClosedAccess
dc.subject.en	Brussels Effect
dc.subject.en	European Union
dc.subject.en	GDPR
dc.subject.en	Norm Diffusion
dc.subject.en	Regulatory Power
dc.title	Economic and political dependence on the EU as determinants of GDPR diffusion: assessing the external dimension of the Brussels Effect
dc.title.alternative	Zależność gospodarcza i polityczna od UE jako czynniki determinujące upowszechnianie się RODO: ocena zewnętrznego wymiaru „Efektu Brukselskiego”
dc.type	BachelorThesis