- 12
- Episodes
- 2024
- First episode
About Making sense of EU
Welcome to Making sense of EU, a podcast where scientific research sheds light on the pressing issues of EU affairs. Making sense of EU is brought to you by the Institut d’études européennes of the Université libre de Bruxelles. ULB Podcasts, les podcasts de l'Université libre de Bruxelles Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
- Category
- education · news
- Language
- en
- Explicit
- No
- First episode
- 25 Mar 2024
- Latest episode
- 6 Jun 2024
Latest episodes
12 episodes in the feed.
6 Jun 2024
Making sense of the EU's Supranational Instruments
In this 7th and last episode of the RED-SPINEL season of Making Sense of EU, we are delighted to welcome both Professor Ramona Coman of the Institut d’études européennes (IEE) from the Université libre de Bruxelles, and Professor Daniel Kelemen of Georgetown University in Washington DC. To wrap up this first series of episodes exploring the nature of dissensus surrounding liberal democracy, we chose to focus our discussions on the relative efficiency and legitimacy of EU instruments specifically set up to strengthen both the rule of law and democratic principles. On the eve of the 2024 European elections, the time is ripe to take a step back and assess how EU actions over the past decade have impacted the relative health of liberal democracy and the Rule of Law in Europe. Building on the previous six episodes, the season’s finale will bring in two new elements: an expert American perspective on the challenges facing European liberal democracy and the rule of law, on the one hand; and a renewed focus on the institutions and instruments of the EU, on the other. As a result, this episode hopes to broaden the series' perspective as it introduces an extra-European point of view, while further homing in on how EU institutions in particular have fared in an environment characterized by ever-increasing dissensus. ULB Podcasts, les podcasts de l'Université Libre de Bruxelles. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
16 May 2024
Making sense of EU - Collective Research on Democracies in the run-up to the European elections
Welcome to the 6th episode of the 2nd "Making Sense of EU" season! As with the season's other episodes, this one is also dedicated to the RED-SPINEL (https://redspinel.iee-ulb.eu/) research project, and its analysis of the challenges facing liberal democracy across the European Union. In this episode, we talk to professors Ramona Coman (ULB) and Zolt Enyedi (CEU) , as they share with us some of the initial findings and questions of their respective Horizon Europe-funded collective research projects, respectively RED-SPINEL and AUTHLIB. Ramona Coman, who leads the RED-SPINEL (https://redspinel.iee-ulb.eu/) project, is a professor of political science at the Université libre de Bruxelles and a visiting professor at the College of Europe in Bruges. She is also a former director and president of the Institut etudes européennes and she studied political science, comparative politics, and European studies in Brussels. Her research interests include EU institutions, the EU decision-making process, the Rule of Law, democratic transitions, and comparative politics. Zolte Enyedi, who leads the AUTHLIB (https://www.authlib.eu/) project, is a professor at the Department of Political Science of the Central European University. He studied comparative social sciences, history, sociology, and political science in Budapest and Amsterdam. His research focuses on party politics, comparative government, church-and-state relations, and political psychology. Throughout the episode, both Principal Investigators generously share how they came to set up their respective research agendas, and what the projects have allowed for so far. Overall, this is a particularly timely episode as it comes in the run-up to the June European election, and it explores among others how research imperatives and agendas intersect with political ones. ULB Podcasts, les podcasts de l'Université Libre de Bruxelles. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
25 Mar 2024
Making sense of EU storytelling in times of dissensus and disinformation
Welcome back to Making Sense of EU! This is already the 5th episode of the serie's second season. As a reminder, as part of the RED-SPINEL research project, said season is dedicated to exploring the challenges liberal democracy is facing in the European Union. Our understanding of who we are, how we perceive others, and what our sense of belonging might be all depend on the stories we tell ourselves. In a context marked by polarization and even disinformation; dissensus surrounding these common stories can have far-reaching consequences. To help us Make sense of the stories being told about European democracies and their corollary values, we welcome professors François Foret and Maximilian Conrad. François Foret is professor of Political Science and president of the Institut d'études européennes (IEE) at the Université libre de Bruxelles. His research interesst include: European integration; identity and memory; symbolic legitimization of political orders; interaction between religion and politics; comparative politics Maximilian Conrad is Professor at University of Iceland - Háskóli Íslands. He is also the Principal Investigator of RECLAIM (https://reclaim.hi.is/en/), a fellow Horizon-funded project on "Reclaiming Liberal Democracy in Europe". His research interests include: European integration, German politics, and political theory, particularly issues connected to democracy, communication, civil society, and the public sphere. Ongoing research includes work on the implications of post-truth politics for liberal democracy in Europe. ULB Podcasts, les podcasts de l'Université Libre de Bruxelles. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
25 Mar 2024
Making sense of conditionality and its use in EU governance
One of the instruments of the European Union that provokes dissensus among Member States is conditionality. A tool for accountability for some, a threat to sovereignty for others, conditionality has been transforming EU governance. But how? To help us make sense of conditionality and its use in EU governance, we welcome professors Cristina Fasone & Marta Simoncini, from LUISS Guido Carli university. We met during the Council for European Studies conference in Reykjavik, Iceland, where they were presenting the first results of their research for our Horizon Europe RED-SPINEL research project. Cristina Fasone is Associate Professor of Comparative Public Law and Director of the BA Program in Politics, Philosophy and Economics of the Department of Political Science. Her research focuses on parliamentary democracy in Europe, Constitutional adjudication and national and EU budgets. Marta Simoncini is an Assistant Professor in Administrative Law also at LUISS. Her research interests cover European law and administrative governance in the check-and-balances applicable to discretion, especially in the context of risk-based regulation. ULB Podcasts, les podcasts de l'Université Libre de Bruxelles. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
25 Mar 2024
Making sense of EU economic governance in a context of dissensus
We’re back with a new episode of Making sense of EU, and this time we will try to learn more about how the policies surrounding economic governance in the European Union can fuel dissensus. Can the EU legitimize policies and instruments that can seem like intromissions into sovereign states politics? Is EU economic governance democratic? I have two special guests that will help us figure this out. We met during the Council for European Studies conference in Reykjavik, Iceland, where they were presenting the first results of their research for our Horizon Europe RED-SPINEL research project. Amandine Crespy is Professor of Political Science and European Studies at the Université libre de Bruxelles. Her research deals with socio-economic governance and policies in the European Union with a focus on the role of ideas, discourse and conflict. Thomas Christiansen is Professor of Political Science at LUISS Guido Carli university. He is Executive Editor of the Journal of European Integration and co-editor of the ‘European Administration Governance’ book series at Palgrave Macmillan. ULB Podcasts, les podcasts de l'Université Libre de Bruxelles. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
25 Mar 2024
Making Sense of Dissensus Over Liberal Democracy: Conceptualization in Research
In our opening episode of this season of Making sense of EU, we discussed with professor Ramona Coman, principal investigator of the project RED-SPINEL, the ambitions of the consortium that brings together 11 partner organisations from 8 European countries. Today, we want to dig deeper into the core concept of “dissensus” and will try to make sense of why it is at the center of the Horizon Europe research project coordinated at the Institut d’études européennes. For this Making Sense of EU welcomes Nathalie Brack, who is associate professor of political science at the Université libre de Bruxelles and Visiting Professor at the College of Europe in Bruges. Her research interests include EU institutions, EU decision-making process, Euroscepticism, sovereignty, Brexit, political representation and comparative politics. Joining us again is Ramona Coman, who leads RED-SPINEL and is professor of political science at the ULB and former President and Director of the Institut d’études européennes. ULB Podcasts, les podcasts de l'Université Libre de Bruxelles. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
25 Mar 2024
Is liberal democracy in danger ? A new EU research project looks for answers !
Welcome back to Making Sense of EU! A new academic year brings new challenges and new topics and also new perspectives and questions about the European Union. This is the 2nd season of Making Sense of EU and this time, our podcast focuses on the challenges liberal democracy is facing in the European Union. To cut the ribbon on this new season, I have the pleasure to have with me today Ramona Coman, who is professor of political science at the Université libre de Bruxelles. Professor Coman has been President of the Institut d’études européennes for the past 4 years and previously its director. She is Principal Investigator of two European Research projects focusing on the growing dissensus over liberal democracy and the challenge this represents for the EU. Today we will discuss what's a stake, how scientific research can contribute to understanding these issues and informing policymakers. ULB Podcasts, les podcasts de l'Université Libre de Bruxelles. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
25 Mar 2024
The EU, asylum seekers and migrants through the lens of (in)equality
One of the most polarizing topics in EU affairs today is the treatment asylum seekers get in the European Union. In this episode of Making Sense of EU we will try to understand better the unequal treatment asylum seekers get in the framework of the Dublin system as well as the ongoing process to reform it amid tragic events in the Mediterranean. We will also discuss the specifics surrounding the temporary protection Ukrainians have received since the beginning of the Russian invasion over a year ago. For this, we welcome Professor Philippe De Bruycker (ULB), who is a lawyer specialized in European Immigration and Asylum Law, Free movement of European citizens and comparative aliens law. Professor De Bruycker teaches and researches these fields at our Institute and is founder and coordinator of the Odysseus Academic Network for Legal Studies on Immigration and Asylum in Europe. ULB Podcasts, les podcasts de l'Université Libre de Bruxelles. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
25 Mar 2024
Gender inequality in the European Union
An activist sentenced to eight months of community service for facilitating abortion pills. The creation of ‘LGBT-ideology’ free zones. A Minister for Family, Natality, and Equal Opportunity who opposes abortion and same-sex unions. Imposed disclaimers on children’s books that portray so-called “behaviours deviating from traditional gender roles”. It is hard to believe that all these are things are happening in the European Union. But they are. Gender has become an ideological battlefield that political actors on the extremes are using to gain power. To help us make sense of the anti-gender campaigns and actions in the EU, the strategies, actors, and networks behind them, we welcome to Making Sense of EU, David Paternotte, Associate Professor in Sociology at the Université libre de Bruxelles, and codirector of STRIGES (https://msh.ulb.ac.be/en/team/striges). ULB Podcasts, les podcasts de l'Université Libre de Bruxelles. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
25 Mar 2024
Making sense of environmental justice & inequality in the EU
Making sense of environmental and ecological justice, and the role of the law and of citizen participation in it is not easy. Chiara Armeni, professor of Environmental Law and member of the Centre for European Law at the ULB, and Maria Lee, professor of law at University College London and co-director of the UCL Centre for Law and the Environment, help us understand what's at stake when it comes to decision-making in this area. Inequality rhymes with injustice and understanding how it plays out when it comes to dealing with climate change is key to ensure citizens remain engaged in the fight for the preservation of our planet. Is the European Union doing enough to ensure citizens participation is guaranteed? Is the road to a just transition evenly paved or is inequality still a challenge in this field? Let's find out! ULB Podcasts, les podcasts de l'Université Libre de Bruxelles. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
25 Mar 2024
Making sense of the EU's external action in times of crises
War in European soil is the latest test on EU resilience. After living in a polycrisis for the last couple of decades, the European Union is facing one a tough trial, one that is pushing it out of its “soft power” approach to international relations. How will the EU handle a return to War in Europe? And how does inequality manifest in this context? Marta Matrakova, research coordinator at the Institut d’études européennes of the ULB and Frederik Ponjaert, senior researcher, discuss on “Making Sense of EU”, how inequality, both at the EU level and in the rest of the world, interact. On this episode, we welcome guest questions from two IEE-ULB students, Jeanne Fabreguettes and Martina Rubino, and we try to make sense of what’s next for EU integration as enlargement comes back to the table. ULB Podcasts, les podcasts de l'Université Libre de Bruxelles. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
25 Mar 2024
Inequality in the European Union ? Let's make sense of it !
Over 96 million people are at risk of poverty and social exclusion in the European Union, 22% of the EU's population. Analizing social inequality, from disciplines as varied as law, political science, history or economics is one of the goals of the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence EUqualis, hosted at the Institut d'études europeénnes of the Université libre de Bruxelles. We discuss with professors Amandine Crespy (ULB), political scientist, and Chloé Brière (ULB), jurist, about new forms of inequality related, for instance, to environmental issues and about emerging discussions of how intersectionality plays a key role when analyzing inequalities. Making sense of EU is created and produced by the Institut d’études européennes of the Université libre de Bruxelles. This series on Inequality and the European Union is sponsored by the IE-ULB's Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence EUqualis and it’s cofunded by the ERasmus + programme of the European Union. ULB Podcasts, les podcasts de l'Université Libre de Bruxelles. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
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