Prof Caramani, you have been Ernst B. Haas Chair at the EUI since 2020. Could you give us some background on the work related to this position?
Research at the Haas Chair closely follows the topics and approach of Haas himself. It ultimately aims to bridge politics and governance at national, European and global levels. This includes work on nationalism and its tension with European integration, as well as the tension between technocratic expertise and populist demands for more citizen participation and inclusion.
We focus on the tension between the formation of supra-national politics and governance, and territorial reaction to it. We analyse the global level of politics and governance with an ERC Advanced Grant on global cleavages from a historical perspective. Research, events with guest scholars, and initiatives with policymakers all revolve around these core topics.
You edited a Special Issue on ‘Community and governance beyond the nation-state in the 21st century’ celebrating the intellectual legacy of Ernst B. Haas which was published in the Journal of European Public Policy recently. What was your goal when you started working on it, and how did it come to life?
The main goal of the Special Issue was to bring out other, to some extent forgotten, strands of research by Haas. We wanted to present a more encompassing picture of his contribution.
Ernst Haas’ most influential work theorises the dynamics of European integration and supra-national governance. He was the founder of neo-functionalism; presently still one of the main theories of European integration. His work explored how liberal nationalism shapes international cooperation and supranational organisations. These themes were laid out in his momentous publications: The Uniting of Europe in 1958 (published in the same year when the European Economic Community came into being) and Beyond the Nation-State in 1964. Beyond these core contributions, Haas also opened up other, significantly innovative and influential research areas that have remained underappreciated.
In particular, Haas pioneered studies on the relationship between expertise and politics. He examined how nationalism challenges effective international collaboration, and how scientific knowledge and epistemic communities shape policies. He also explored the role of technocratic and functional governance in enabling global collaboration. Towards the end of his career, Haas focused on various forms of nationalism. All these areas should not be overshadowed by his contributions to European integration theory.
Could you share some of the key messages in the articles of the Special Issue?
The key message is that Haas’ vast body of work is highly relevant today. His ideas can be fruitfully adapted or updated to address current issues. In recent years, liberal representative democracy has been challenged virulently. Not since the assault by totalitarian ideologies and regimes after World War I has it been under such pressure. The threat to fundamental principles and institutions – nationally and supra-nationally – does not come only from nationalist populism, ethno-religious mobilisation and populist anti-elitism, disbelief in science and hostility towards experts. Additionally, many people now view parliamentary procedures, electoral politics, partisan actors and, more generally, pluralism, competition and controversy as inefficient and not conducive to effective problem solving. They favour strong decision-makers, with the public taking a more passive role.
Liberal institutions, therefore, need to find new ways to balance the expression of plural voices and inclusion with effective problem-solving for society as a whole – including future generations. Haas also addressed issues that are especially relevant today, such as environmental change, human rights and migration. Haas’ work on these themes makes a crucial contribution to understanding current global challenges.
Daniele Caramani is part-time Ernst B. Haas Chair in European Governance and Politics at the Robert Schuman Centre, where he is one of the co-directors. Caramani’s research bridges comparative politics, European integration and globalisation. He lead the ERC Advanced Grant project GLOBAL, which investigates the dimensionality of global politics.