Replication data for: The strategic nature of compliance: An empirical evaluation of law implementation in the central monitoring system of the EU

This compliance study models correct and timely implementation of policies in a multi-level system as a strategic game between a central monitoring agency and multiple implementers, and evaluates statistically the empirical implications of this model. We test whether compliance is determined by the anticipated enforcement decision of the monitoring agency, and whether this agency is responsive to the probability of enforcement success and the potential sanctioning costs produced by non-complying implementers. Compared to other monitoring systems, the centralized monitoring system of the EU is praised for exemplary effectiveness. Our findings, however, reveal that the monitoring agency refrains from enforcing compliance when the probability of success is low and the sanctioning costs are high. Our strategic model indicates a compliance deficit, even though the selective enforcement activities of the monitoring agency are almost always successful before court.