Organised by Polforsk (Danish Political Science Research School) and the Council for European Studies (CES) research network “European Integration and Global Political Economy” in collaboration with the PhD prize initiative of the journal Comparative European Politics
Workshop theme
Following the financial and economic crisis that became manifest from 2007 onwards, EU socio-economic governance is in a process of fundamental transformation, with far-reaching implications for the so-called ‘European social model’. The austerity programmes implemented by the Member State level have initiated unprecedented changes in welfare state provisions, while at the European level there are significant policy developments under the framework of the Europe2020 strategy for competitiveness, but also, and arguably more importantly, in the context of the acute crisis of the Eurozone and the concomitant treaty for a European Fiscal Compact.
This doctoral workshop will give young researchers the opportunity to engage in cutting edge discussions to facilitate the progression of their thesis work. The workshop is organised under the auspices of the research network of the Council for European Studies (CES) “European Integration and Global Political Economy”. This link will provide a unique opportunity for PhD researchers to engage with international peers, and to explore common grounds and differences in conducting research on EU socio-economic governance.
· The first objective of the workshop is to identify and map concrete developments in socio-economic governance at the European level, including, for instance, social protection such as pensions and health care, labour market policies, labour law, but also education, gender equality and structural cohesion.
· The second aim is to focus more closely on concomitant changes in governance in these areas, both in terms of substance as well as content and mode. The Community Method, various types of policy co-ordination, which increasingly has a coercive element, but also the increasingly important role of the European Court of Justice (ECJ), the role of expert groups (most recently e.g with regard to the Monti II debate), the strengthening of the executive dimension of EU governance as embodied by the European Commission, and also the growing contestation of these developments, as evidenced e.g. by the pan-European Action Days organised by civil society organisations in May 2012. The intergovernmental push behind many unpopular decisions will also be discussed.
· Third, the workshop aims to discuss how these changes at the EU level are related to national strategies for reduction of public debt and the consequences these have for popular legitimacy of the EU.
· Finally, next to these substantive themes, the workshop also aims to provide a platform for methodological discussion of how to study the changing trajectories of socio-economic governance across a range of analytical strategies. PhD students are encouraged to highlight the choices they have made with regard to methodological questions in their doctoral or post-doctoral research.
Senior staff
Ben Rosamond (University of Copenhagen); Magnus Ryner (King’s College London, tbc); Caroline de la Porte (Syddansk University); Claes Belfrage (University of Liverpool); Laura Horn (Roskilde University)
Participants and workshop contributions
The workshop is aimed at doctoral and early career researchers in political science, public administration, international relations, sociology, European law, EU Studies and other interdisciplinary studies.
Accommodating different stages of progression, papers could include research designs, empirical chapters and critical reflections on methodological problems. Students will be required to present their research in thematised sessions. In addition to having read each other’s work, students will be expected to have read a list of key texts prior to the workshop to optimise collective learning. Themes of the workshop are anticipated to be social and economic policy reform, institution-building, policy governance, legitimation and impact processes, and methodological issues.
Students will receive 2 ECTS points for their presentations and participation in workshop, provided they have a written contribution and that they participate in the entirety of the workshop.
Organisation and Schedule
The workshop will take place at the University of Roskilde, just 20 minutes outside Copenhagen. The two day workshop will feature keynote lectures by senior staff in the mornings, and intensive and discussion panels in the afternoons for doctoral students to receive both feedback and supplementary supervision. Participants are invited to a workshop dinner on 29 November.
Funding for this workshop is kindly provided by Polforsk, the Danish Political Science Research School. We will not be able to cover participant’s travel/accommodation costs, but will assist participants in finding accommodation for the workshop.
Deadline for submission of abstracts (250-500 words, including institutional affiliation and contact details) is 24 September 2012. You will be notified of acceptance by 30 September 2012. Papers must be submitted by 15 November 2012.
For more information and submission of applications, contact Laura Horn (lhorn@ruc.dk ).