Haas’s belief in reason and international integration as means for human betterment gave him hope in societies' capability to overcome world divisions and address long-term global challenges. This message still resonates in today's age of nationalism and disinformation.
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![Portrait picture of Daniele Caramani]()
Daniele Caramani
Full-time Professor
Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies
The Ernst B. Haas Chair was created in 2020 to conduct research on the interplay between the restructuring of national, European and global politics. Its focus lies at the intersection between comparative politics, European integration and international relations in keeping with Ernst B. Haas pathbreaking lifelong scholarship.
Ernst B. Haas (1924-2003) was an American political scientist and a leading authority on international relations theory who pioneered the field of European integration with the publication of The Uniting of Europe in 1958 and of supranational governance with Beyond the Nation-State in 1964. Not only was he the founder of neofunctionalism but worked on the role of technocratic governance in shaping international integration. Beyond this core contribution, Haas pioneered research on the relation between expertise and politics, as well as liberal nationalism toward the end of his career.
Research at the Chair focusses on political divisions across national, European and global levels of governance. It includes the main polities of the globe, as well as supranational actors and institutions, and investigates cleavages between world regions and between transnational groups. One particular area of tension is that between technocratic supranational integration and the nationalist reaction to it. A specific feature of research conducted at the Haas Chair is the long-term perspective from the 19th century to the present, that is, since the transition to industrial society and mass politics. International divisions include not only territorial alignments such as core−periphery during colonial times, East - West and North - South during the Cold War, civilisational contrasts after 1989 and the current geopolitical restructuring, but also functional conflict lines opposing groups along socio-economic, political, and cultural inequalities, and urban-rural contrasts. The analysis is empirical based on a variety of data and methodologies. Activities at the Chair are supported by external funding, in particular an ERC Advanced Grant.
Events
In 2023 the Ernst B. Haas Chair organised a conference on "Community and governance beyond the nation-state" on Haas' legacy on the 20th anniversary of his passing by bringing together scholars who have advanced the various strands of Haas' research. On the occasion of the 100 anniversary of his birth, in 2024 the Chair has planned a special session at the International Studies Association. The contributions to these events are to be published in a special issue of the Journal of European Public Policy.
Launch of the Ernst B. Haas Chair
Research and activities
Research at the Ernst B. Haas Chair operates as part of the namesake European Governance and Politics Programme (EGPP), which hosts the Special Issue celebrating the intellectual legacy of Ernst B. Haas, highlighting his contributions in International Relations and European integration.
Chair holder
Daniele Caramani is the inaugural holder of the Ernst B. Haas Chair since 2020. His research includes integration processes at national, European and global level, as well as the relationship between democratic representation and technocratic governance.