During the first and second term, there are normally ten weekly meetings of seminars. However, occasionally workshops/small conferences can also be organised during the first two terms. In the third term, there are (mainly, but not exclusively) intensive workshops/small conferences, usually of ten hours duration and often with visitors.
All workshops carry credits for 10 hours unless otherwise specified.
Credits are awarded to first-years and second-years for regular attendance.
Organisers: Fabrizio Bernardi (SPS), Martina Dieckhoff (MWP)
Lecturer: Martina Dieckhoff
Time: 6-7 June 2011, Seminar Room 2, Badia Fiesolana
Please register with Monika Rzemieniecka
Programme
Abstract: The purpose of this provisional workshop is to introduce participants to Panel Data.
Panel data, also called longitudinal data or cross-sectional time series data, are data where multiple cases (people, firms, countries etc) were observed at two or more time periods. This type of data is becoming increasingly available and it has many advantages. For example it allows a more accurate inference of model parameters, constructing and testing more complicated behavioral hypotheses, controlling the impact of omitted variables, uncovering dynamic relationships or generating more accurate predictions for individual outcomes.
Organisers: Olivier Roy (SPS/RSCAS), Kevin Köhler (SPS 2nd year), Jana Warkotsch (SPS 2nd year)
Key Speaker: Rachad Antonius (Université du Québec à Montréal)
Time: 6-7 June 2011, Emeroteca, Badia Fiesolana
Please register with Monika Rzemieniecka
Programme
Abstract: Democratisation studies in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) have focused on the region’s exceptionalism, emphasizing the resilience of authoritarian structures and the frailty of liberalization attempts and electoral politics. The recent struggles for political change in the Arab world have radically challenged that picture in two ways. Unlike common depictions, the ‘Arab street’ was able to spur bottom up change and has set up examples for democratization attempts from below and, in addition, the regimes they challenged appeared to be surprisingly weak.
The Egyptian and Tunisian revolutions that led to the end of President Ben Ali’s and President Mubarak’s, along with waves of political and economic contestation in Algeria, Lebanon, Libya, Jordan, and Yemen have led to unsettling and deconstructing prevailing assumptions about the structural constellations and the expected patterns paving the ground for political change.
The workshop provides an avenue for reconceptualising academic and policy debates pertaining to questions of authoritarian stability, regime change, and collective action in the MENA. It moreover addresses the possibility of shifting from the teleological approaches of democratization and authoritarian resilience in the quest for alternative conceptual tools in Political Sciences.
Organisers: Olivier Roy (SPS/RSCAS), Alexander Stummvoll (SPS 3rd year), Maria Birnbaum (SPS 1st year)
Key Speaker: Elizabeth Shakman Hurd (Northwestern University)
Time: 3-4 June 2011, Sala del Capitolo, Badia Fiesolana
Please register with Monika Rzemieniecka
Programme
Abstract: Religion is back in the academic study of politics and international relations. Interestingly, the research agenda is becoming increasingly bifurcated. One set of scholars, following Max Weber, bracket the meaning and definition of religion and focus on the political ‘function’, ‘role’, or ‘impact’ of religious ideas and actors. Another set of scholars have turned this traditional research agenda up-side down by focusing on the social construction, and underlying power relations, which inform the various ways in which categories such as ‘the religious’, ‘the political’, or ‘the secular’ are defined and understood. Should these two research agendas continue to be conducted on separate tracks? Or is it possible ‘bridge the gap’? If yes, how can this be done without reifying overly ideological or unreflective definitions of ‘religion’ or ‘politics’? And what does this all mean for particular research puzzles which doctoral researchers tend to ask?
Organisers: Rainer Bauböck (SPS), Milena Tripkovic (SPS, 1st year)
Time: 27 May 2011, Emeroteca, Badia Fiesolana
Key speaker: Derek Hutcheson (University College Dublin)
Please register with Monika Rzemieniecka
Programme
Abstract: The workshop will examine deviations from the standard assumption that all adult citizen residents and only these enjoy voting rights.
Contributions will discuss:
(1) Access to the franchise for non-residents and non-citizens: through absentee voting for citizens, through voting rights for foreign residents and through acquisition of citizenship
(2) Access to voting rights for non-adult citizens: through lowering the age of majority, or through indirect representation via additional votes for parents
(3) Exclusion from the franchise of resident citizens: mentally handicapped and prisoners
The workshop topic will be focused on voting rights for representative political bodies at all levels (local, regional, national and European) but will not discuss voting for and representation in consultative bodies and interest organizations.
Papers may not only discuss legal norms but also procedural mechanisms for expanding or restricting access to the franchise and the consequences of changing the scope of electoral rights.
We invite comparative papers as well as normative theory papers from doctoral and postdoctoral researchers in SPS and LAW.
The workshop will be held prior to a EUDO conference with the tentative title “Including Outsiders: Electoral rights for non-citizens and non-residents in Europe”, which is currently planned for June or September. Selected papers prepared for the workshop may also be presented in revised versions at this conference.
Organisers: Pepper Culpepper (SPS), Fabrizio Bernardi (SPS), Anna auf dem Brinke
Lecturers: Daniel Oesch (University of Geneva), David Rueda (University of Oxford), Gabriele Ballarino (University of Milano)
Time: 26-27 May 2011, Villa La Fonte
Programme
Please register with Päivi Kontinen
This workshop will involve an interdisciplinary discussion between sociologists and political scientists about the most exciting frontiers of research on inequality.
Organisers: Donatella della Porta (SPS), Mario Diani (Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona), Elena Pavan (University of Trento), Jeroen Moes, Oliver Westerwinter
Masterclass (20 credits)
Time: 24-27 May 2011, Villa Pagliaioula
Programme
Please register with Päivi Kontinen
Organisers: Peter Mair (SPS), David Willumsen, Jorge Fernandes
Lecturers: Stephanie Bailer (ETH Zürich), Thomas Saalfeld (Bamberg University)
Time: 24-25 May 2011, Emeroteca, Badia Fiesolana
Abstract and list of confirmed participants
Programme
Please register with Päivi Kontinen
Organisers: Mark Franklin (SPS), Camille Bedock, Pedro Riera
Masterclass (20 credits)
Lecturer: Kenneth Benoit (LSE)
Time: 23-27 May 2011
23-25 May in Seminar Room 4, Badia Fiesolana
26-27 May in Sala del Capitolo, Badia Fiesolana
Please register with Alessandra Torre
Preliminary Programme
Organisers: Martin Kohli (SPS), Raya Muttarak (SPS Fellow)
Lecturers: Katharina Spiess (Free University of Berlin/German Institute for Economic Research), Simone Ghislandi (Bocconi University)
Time: 19-20 May 2011, Sala Belvedere, Villa Schifanoia
Programme
Please register with Päivi Kontinen
If you are interested in giving a contribution please contact Päivi Kontinen by 14 April 2011.
Organisers: Mark Franklin (SPS), Pedro Riera
Lecturers: Reuben Kline (MWF), Mattia Guidi
Time: 16-21 May, Seminar Room 4, Badia Fiesolana
Programme
Please register with Alessandra Torre
Abstract: R is a statistical computing language for data analysis and graphical displays. It is free, open source and available for every platform (Windows, Mac, Linux). It is used by a growing number of academics, researchers and analysts in all sciences for its flexibility in handling data and calculating statistical functions. R is particularly powerful for producing detailed and high-level graphics.
This course aims at offering an introduction to the use of R, especially for people already familiar with Stata. It will cover a wide range of topics, from basic data management to advanced statistical modelling.
Organisers: Christian Reus-Smith, Mlada Bukovansky (Smith College), Robyn Eckersley (Univ. Melbourne), Ian Clark , Nick Wheeler (both from Univ. Aberystwyth),
Time: 12-13 May, 2011, Emeroteca
Please register with Maureen Lechleitner
Abstract: ‘Special reponsibilities’ talk is a ubiquitous feature of world politics. We talk about ‘great powers’ having special responsibilities, the United States having special responsibilities, developed nations having special responsibilities, high carbon emissions states having special responsibilities, etc. The notion that particular actors (most commonly great powers) have such responsibilities is also noted by a wide range of scholars, of diverse theoretical perspectives. Yet despite the ubiquity of responsibility talk, and the widespread scholarly acknowledgement of the phenomenon, there is surprisingly little serious reflection on the politics of special responsibilities in world politics. This workshop takes up this issue, exploring both the philosophical nature of special responsibilities in general as well as their manifestation and significance in contemporary international relations. The workshop will revolve around a critical engagement with the penultimate draft of a new book, Special Responsibilities: The United States in Global Governance, coauthored by Mlada Bukovansky, Ian Clark, Robyn Eckersley, Richard Price, and Chris Reus-Smit.
Programme
Organisers: Adrienne Héritier (SPS/RSCAS), Julian Siegel, Christian Kaunert, Markert Marat
Time: 12-13 May, 2011, Seminar Room 2, Badia Fiesolana
Please register with Maureen Lechleitner
Abstract: The field of EU Internal Security policy has undergone a dynamic policy change over the last ten years. Previously, during the post-Maastricht period from 1993 to 1999, EU policy-making in this area was cumbersome and resulted only in limited policy outcomes. During the post-Amsterdam period after 1999, however, the Internal Security domain experienced significant policy change at the EU level. This is reflected in the increased policy outcomes of the Justice and Home Affairs Council. Equally, the establishment and growth of EU agencies in that field, as well as increased political and legal challenges at Member States level, also evidence the dynamic development of the policy area.
This is a remarkable policy change in an important policy area. Police and criminal judicial cooperation is at the heart of national sovereignty and directly affects the liberty and security of citizens. The observed policy change, thus, raises an important puzzle:
• What are the causes for the dynamic policy change in EU Internal Security policy after 1999?
Additionally, the policy change in the post-Amsterdam period can be linked to recent developments in the policy field. One year after the Treaty of Lisbon entered into force, it is advisable to take a first look at policy-making in EU Internal Security on the basis of new treaty provisions:
• Have there been changes in patterns of policy-making in EU Internal Security after the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon?
• Or does the post-Lisbon institutional framework merely reflect the policy dynamics from the post-Amsterdam period?
The workshop seeks to answer these questions by analysing and discussing different empirical aspects of the policy change, such as the role of the European Commission, the European Parliament and the European Court of Justice, the impact of EU agencies or instruments of policy planning.
In an interdisciplinary approach, the workshop will bring together EUI members from the SPS Department, the Law Department and the Robert Schuman Centre with external experts on EU Internal Security, both from academia and EU institutions
Programme
Organisers: Fabrizio Bernardi (SPS), Carolina Zuccotti (SPS 1st year), Kivanč Atak (SPS 2nd year)
Time: 9-11 May 2011, Seminar Room 3, Badia Fiesolana
Programme
Please register with Monika Rzemieniecka
This workshop is considered as a masterclass (20 credits).
Abstract: The purpose of this provisional workshop is to introduce participants to the notions and techniques of event-history analysis. This statistical method is used in explaining various social phenomena that are related to the occurrence of certain events, i.e. changing the status of things or individuals such as employment or marital situation, introduction of government policies, or the eruption of social events such as protests and so on. Different models are applied depending on the type of data and the questions the research is addressing. The workshop aims at providing conceptual and practical knowledge regarding the application of this particular method.
April 2011
Organisers: Alexander Hemker
Time: 28-29 April 2011, Seminar Room 4, Badia Fiesolana
Lecturer: Ward Berenschot
Programme
Please register with Monika Rzemieniecka
Abstract: While playing a relatively marginal role within mainstream political science, ethnography has the potential of uncovering the workings of power in ways unrivalled by other research methods. Ethnography is a research method that prioritizes real-time, close-up observations of social life through a relatively lengthy immersion of the researcher in the studied scene or institution.
Highlighting the contribution of ethnography to the study of politics and power, this interactive workshop discusses the theoretical and practical dilemma's involved when designing and conducting an (political) ethnographic study. After a discussion of number of theoretical approaches that can inform such ethnographies, the seminar aims to help students deal with the manifold challenges of doing fieldwork and of analysing the resulting material.
Organisers: László Bruszt and Adrienne Héritier (SPS/RSCAS), Alina Ostling, Conor Little
Time: 18-20 April, 2011, Sala del Capitolo, Badia Fiesolana
Masterclass (20 credits)
Lecturer: Carsten Schneider (CEU)
Programme
Please register with Maureen Lechleitner
Workshop in collaboration with the European University Institute, the Inter-American Development Bank and the University of South Carolina
Time: 14- 17 April 2011, Sala del Capitolo, Badia Fiesolana
Please register with Marie Ghalanos (RSCAS)
Abstract: The Global Governance Programme and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) launch a research initiative to explore the formation of Transnational Integration Regimes (TIRs) and their impact on domestic institutional change in emerging market economies.
Among the various TIRs, the EU stands out not just as the largest one, but also as the one with extensive mechanisms of transnational governance for institutional change and convergence in countries in Eastern and Central Europe.
Emerging economies in Eastern Europe, Latin America, Asia and Africa are developing in the context of distinct TIRs, for example cross national-regional integration or cooperation agreements such as EU, NAFTA , CAFTA , MERCOSUR and ASEAN . These region-wide arrangements shape the transfer and enforcement of regulations, domestic institutional capacities, and the distribution of development opportunities for domestic actors.
The initiative seeks two types of contributions:
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a conceptual analysis of the formation and governance of TIRs and their impact on domestic institutional development
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specific case studies to compare the impact of TIRs and their related integration mechanisms on institutional change in emerging market economies across a number of different regulatory domains ( food safety, banking and capital markets, labor rights and standards, environment and
utilities).
March 2011
Organisers: Alexander Trechsel (SPS), Giovanni Sartor (LAW), Alina Ostling, Ben Wagner, Jonathan Bright, Angela Daly
Time: 8-9 March 2011, Theatre
Programme
Please register with Alessandra Torre
This workshop tackles the relationship between government and the Internet in terms of both eGovernment and eParticipation mechanisms, with a particular focus on the regulation of online expression.
Organisers: Marise Cremona (LAW) and Pascal Vennesson (SPS/RSCAS)
Time: 31 March, 2011 Sala Europa
Please register with Maureen Lechleitner
Programme
January 2011
Organisers: Donatella Della Porta, Nicole Dörr, Emanuela Bozzini
Time: January 20-21th, 2011 Theatre, Badia Fiesolana
Programme
For info please contact ESA RN25 Social Movements Coordinators Emanuela Bozzini and Nicole Doerr, using esasocialmovements@gmail.com
The ESA&ECPR conference "Transnational Democracy: mobilization, organisation and communication" aims at bringing together scholars with different disciplinary perspectives who are interested in the theme of democracy and organizational innovation in movements in transnational publics and pluralist societies. The conference addresses the transnational condition of participation in globalized societies and Europe's multilevel polity to explore the cultural and political context for democracy and organization in social movements.
Autumn Term 2010
Methodological Pluralism
Donatella della Porta and Michael Keating (University of Aberdeen)
December 10th, 2010 (9:00 am - 18:00 pm)
Sala Europa, Villa Schifanoia
Programme
Please register with: Monika.Rzemieniecka@eui.eu
The workshop discusses the potentials and challe nges to implement methodological pluralism in practice. Participants will discuss how approaches drawn from more than one discipline or methodology can be combined. This is partly an abstract question, showing how approaches may complement each other by explaining or understanding different aspects of social reality, whether empirical or normative. There is also a more concrete element, since each contributor has a particular issue of concern to him or her, which cannot be addressed adequately through one conventional approach. In this way, we can show how pluralism and combined approaches can help innovation and the study of matters that have in the past been marginalized, over-simplified or misunderstood.
Agent-based Modeling Workshop: Theory and Practice
Britt Cartrite (Alma College, Michigan)
Giulia Andrighetto (Max Weber Programme, Florence)
Sven Steinmo (SPS, EUI)
November 22-26, 2010
Programme (provisonal)
Further details
Please register with Maureen.Lechleitner@eui.eu