In the latest episode of the #uniquelyEUI anniversary series, three members of the EUI Department of Political and Social Sciences sit down to reflect on what five decades of research at the Institute really means. Professor Arnout van de Rijt, Head of the Department, joins doctoral researchers Louise Dupont and Cathrine Kjaer in a conversation about community, interdisciplinarity, and the future of the political and social sciences.
At the heart of the discussion is what makes the EUI uniquely itself. As Professor van de Rijt describes it, the Institute functions like a blender, drawing in professors, PhD researchers, fellows, and visiting scholars from various countries and disciplines, and sending them out to shape intellectual and public life worldwide. The Department accepts only around 3% of applicants – among the brightest minds in Europe – and the results speak for themselves: roughly half of graduates go on to become professors, while other alumni are spread across the world in senior roles in universities, think tanks, and institutions such as the European Commission. Among them is Patrizia Nanz, a graduate of the Department of Political and Social Sciences and now President of the EUI, a testament to the Department's lasting institutional impact.
The episode reflects on how the Department's intellectual focus has evolved over fifty years, shifting from macro-level approaches toward more interactional and micro-level research – a transformation mirrored in the work of its doctoral researchers, who benefit from having assumptions challenged across sociology, political science, international relations, and public policy, all under one roof. These decades of excellence are reflected in the EUI's latest ShanghaiRanking results: 6th in the world for political science and in the top 100 globally for sociology.
The three scholars also share their perspectives on artificial intelligence and the future of the social sciences, arguing that the core tasks of scholarship – asking the right questions, thinking critically about the future, and having ambitions for what Europe should become – remain irreducibly human.
This video forms part of an anniversary series celebrating 50 years of research excellence at the EUI. Each episode highlights what defines the EUI academic units and how their legacies are carried forward today. Follow the series under #uniquelyEUI.
Watch the full episode on YouTube.
Join us in celebrating the EUI’s journey and shaping the next chapter together. Find more information about the EUI 50th anniversary here.