The research project examines economic decision-making in the EU.
Berlin, 15 September 2016 – Mark Dawson, professor of European law and Governance at the Hertie School, has been awarded the European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grant. Dawson’s project LEVIATHAN will receive 1.2 million Euros between 2017 and 2021 and will include three post-doctoral researchers.
The LEVIATHAN project explores the emerging architecture of legal and political accountability in economic governance within the European Union. As economic decisions by EU policymakers reach deeper into everyday lives – from retirement ages to the security of savings – how can political institutions or ordinary individuals challenge these decisions? The project will address this question and offer innovative reforms designed to hold EU policymakers accountable and improve public confidence in EU economic governance.
The ERC was created by the European Commission, and its Starting Grants are awarded to exceptional early-career researchers in all disciplines to attract young talent to Europe. Only 11% of this year’s nearly 3,000 proposals received funding. “This is like an academic gold medal for early-career researchers. We are very proud of Mark Dawson’s success,” says Helmut K. Anheier, President of the Hertie School.
Mark Dawson (33) holds degrees from the Universities of Edinburgh and Aberdeen, as well as a PhD from the European University Institute in Florence. Before joining the Hertie School in 2012, Dawson was an assistant professor of EU law at Maastricht University. His research focuses on the relationship in the EU between law and policymaking – his most recent book, The Governance of EU Fundamental Rights will be published by Cambridge University Press in 2017. He is the author of several further books and co-author of the Hertie School’s 2015 Governance Report, focusing on lessons learned from the euro crisis.
Mark Dawson’s full curriculum vitae can be found here.