Demands to 'take back control', protests against globalisation, and the contestation of supranational and global governance dominate politics in Europe and globally. This course submits these debates to systematic analysis and asks why, how, and with what consequences EU membership and economic globalisation are transforming the state as we know it. Students acquire the empirical knowledge, theoretical understanding, and comparative skills to analyse why European and global pressures change (and challenge) established national institutions, politics, policies, and democracies; to explain why different states change to different degrees; and to evaluate the consequences for welfare and legitimacy. The course first looks at Europeanisation, globalisation, and statehood, and discusses different theoretical explanations for state transformation. We then analyse the impact of pressures on national institutions, political parties, representation, and policies. The final sections ask about Europeanisation beyond the EU's borders, and debates whether EU membership and globalisation spell the end of national democracy and established concepts of belonging and citizenship. Throughout, we engage with current political questions including austerity, accountability, Euroscepticism, and the EU's role in its neighbourhood. In analysing these questions, the course puts a premium on training the systematic use of comparative methodology and the design of qualitative research.
Instructor
- Christine Reh , Professor of European Politics