Info Sheet BA Seminar Zeilinger

European and International Studies:
“European integration and multi-level governance”

As part of their BA thesis, students are going to conduct research on European multi-level governance. This is examined along two dimensions – on the supranational level and its impact on the member state level. Thus, the research is basically embedded in the theoretical framework of European Integration theories and Europeanisation. The respective research designs of the BA-thesis are being developed in an introductory seminar. Possible areas of research topics are:

(1) The State of the European Integration

The European integration process is currently confronted with massive challenges in terms of multiple crises. The European Union has yet to overcome its ongoing financial and economic crisis. The stability and development of the European integration project is clearly at stake. Its member states still face multiple endeavours: Firstly, to overcome their economic stagnation and state debt; secondly, to solve the social burdens societies have to face in the wake of austerity, housing evictions, joblessness, and growing poverty; thirdly, to ameliorate the situation of refugees and asylum seekers. All of these challenges are toppled by a growing number of Eurosceptic sentiments, as the recent Brexit-referendum and right wing parties gaining momentum across Europe.

(2) EU policy-making

Students may choose to conduct Policy Analysis in certain policy areas, e.g.:

  • Economic and Monetary Union (e.g. European Semester, Europe 2020 …)
  • Internal market (e.g.: competition, transportation, Digital agenda, …)
  • Justice and Home Affairs (e.g.: Asylum and Migration, data protection, gender equality, minority rights, anti-terrorism and organized crime …)
  • Social Policy (e.g.: employment strategy, Social dimension of Europe 2020 …)
  • Energy policy (e.g.: liberalization of energy market, renewable energy sources, e-mobility, diversification of oil and gas supply …)
  • Agriculture policy (e.g.: food sovereignty, consumer protection, integration in global markets, GMO …)
  • Common Commercial Policy (e.g.: CETA, TTIP, EPA, EU-Ukraine Association Agreement …)·
  • CFSP (e.g.: EEAS, Association with third countries (Ukraine, Turkey, Russian Federation, Black Sea Region), European Neighborhood Policy …)
  • ESDP (e.g.: joint military operations, EU army …

(3) Europeanisation of political systems of EU member states

This research approach focuses on the questions: How does the European integration process affect institutions (polity), processes (politics) and policy content (policy) in member states? Thus, how do political systems of member states adjust regarding policy making, policy paradigms and national discourses?


Basic reading

Cini, Michelle/ Perez-Solorzano Borragan, Nieves (2013): European Union Politics. 4th edition. Oxford University Press: Oxford.

Baldwin, Richard/ Wyplosz, Charles (2015): The Economics of European Integration. 5th edition Mc Graw Hill.

Featherstone, Kevin/ Radaelli, Claudio (ed.) (2003): The Politics of Europeanization“. Oxford University Press: Oxford.

Juncker, Jean-Claude (2015): Completing Europe´s Economic and Monetary Union. European Commission: Brussels.

Vink, Maarten P./ Graziano, Paolo (Hrsg.) (2008): Europeanization. New Research Agendas. Houndsmill: Basingstoke.

Wallace, Helen (et. Al) (2015): Policy-Making in the European Union. 7th edition. Oxford University Press.


Recommended reading on research design:

Gerring, John (1999): „What Makes a Concept Good? A Critical Framework for Understanding Concept Formation in the Social Science“. In: Polity, Jg. 31, H.3, p.357-393.

Evera, Stephen van (1997): „Hypotheses, Laws, and Theories: A User´s Guide”. In: ibid.: Guide to Methods for Students of Political Science. Ithaca/London: Cornell University Press, p.1-30

Bryman, Alan (2007): „The Research Question in Social Research: What is its Role?“ In: International Journal of Social Research Methodology, Jg. 10, H. 1, p.5-20.

King, Gary/ Keohane, Robert O./ Verba, Sidney (1994): „Major Components of Research Design“. In: ibid.: „Designing Social Inquiry – Scientific Inference in Qualitative Research“. Princeton: Princeton University Press, p.12-28.


Recommended literature for initial research:

Akman, Sait M./ Evenett, Simon J./ Low, Patrick (2015): Catalyst? TTIP´s impact on the Rest. Centre for Economic Policy Research: London. p. 27-41.

Badinger, Herald/ Nitsch, Volker (eds.) (2016): Routledge Handbook of the Economics of European Integration. Routledge: London/NY.

Beek, Ursula van/ Wnuk-Lipinski, Edmund (eds.) (2012): Democracy under stress. The global crisis and beyond. Verlag Barbara Budrich: Leverkusen.

Bekker, Sonja, 2015: European socioeconomic governance in action: Coordinating social policies in the third European Semester. OSE paper series. Brussels.

Benz, Arthur/ Papadopoulos, Vannis (Hrsg.) (2006): Governance and Democracy. Comparing National, European and International Experiences. Abingdon/ New York.

Bollen, Yelter/ De Ville, Ferdi/ Orbie, Jan (2016): EU trade policy: persistent liberalisation, contentious protectionism. Journal of European Integration, No. 38/3. p. 279-294.

Breznitz, Dan/ Zysman, John (2013): The Third Globalization. Can Wealthy Nations Stay Rich in the Twenty-First Century? Oxford University Press.

Brunkhorst, Hauke/ Gaitanides, Charlotte/ Panther, Stephan (eds.)(2015): Europe at a Crossroad. From Currency Union to Political and Economic Governance. Nomos:Baden-Baden.

Cardoso, Daniel/ Mthembu, Philani/ Venhaus, Marc/ Verde Garrido, Miguelángel (2014): The transatlantic Colossus. Global Contributions to broaden the debate on the EU-US Free Trade Agreement. Bertelsman Foundation.

Falkner, Gerda (2016): The EU´s current crisis and its policy effects: research design and comparative findings. Journal of European Integration, 38:3, p. 273-249.

Follesdal, Andreas/Hix, Simon (2006): Why There is a Democratic Deficit in the EU: A Response to Majone and Moravcsik. Journal of Common Market Studies 44 (3), p.533-562.

Freytag, Andreas/Draper, Peter/Fricke Susanne (2014): The impact of TTIP: Economic effects on the transatlantic partners, third countries and the global trade order. Berlin: Konrad Adenauer Foundation.

Gill, Stephen/ Cutler, A. Claire (Hrsg.) (2014): New Constitutionalism and World Order. Cambridge University Press.

Hemerijck, Anton (2016): New EMU governance: Not (yet) ready for social investment? Working paper 01/2016. Vienna: Institute for European Integration Research.

Jäger, Johannes/ Springler, Elisabeth (2015): Asymmetric Crisis in Europe and possible Futures. Routledge.

Laffan, Brigid/ Schlosser, Pierre (2016): Public finances in Europe: fortifying EU economic governance in the shadow of the crisis. Journal of European Integration, 38/3, p. 219-235.

Leoni, Thomas (2015): Welfare state adjustment to new social risks in the post-crisis scenario. A review with focus on the social investment perspective. WWWFor Europe Working Paper, No. 89.

Natali, David/ Vanhercke, Bart (2015): Social policy in the European Union: state of play 2015. Sixteenth annual Report. OSE: Brussels.

Paul/Amawi (2013): The Theoretical Evolution of International Political Economy – A Reader. Oxford University Press.

Roy, Joaquín/ Domínguez, Roberto (eds.) (2014): The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership between the European Union and the United States. Miami-Florida European Union Center Jean Monnet Chair.

Scharpf, Fritz W. (1999): Governing in Europe. Effective and Democratic? New York.

Schmidt, Vivien Ann (2006): Democracy in Europe. The EU and National Polities. Oxford.

Serfati, Claude (2015): The transatlantic bloc of states and the political economy of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). Work organization, labour & globalization, Vo.9/1. p. 7-37.

Stilwell, Frank (2012): Political Economy – The contest of economic ideas. Oxford University Press.

Straubhaar, Thomas (2014). The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP): From Global to Regional Multilateralism. Transatlantic Academy. p. 27.37.

Zeilinger, Bernhard (2016): Post-Doha Reorganisation of Global Trade at the expense of the Global South. Journal of Development Studies: Vienna.

Zeitlin, Jonathan/ Vanhercke, Bart, 2015: Economic governance in Europe 2020: socialising the European Semester against the odds? In: Natali, David/ Vanhercke, Bart (2015): Social policy in the European Union: state of play 2015. Sixteenth annual Report. OSE: Brussels.


Recommended reading on research design:

Gerring, John (1999): „What Makes a Concept Good? A Critical Framework for Understanding Concept Formation in the Social Science“. In: Polity, Jg. 31, H.3, p.357-393

Evera, Stephen van (1997): „Hypotheses, Laws, and Theories: A User´s Guide”. In: ibid.: Guide to Methods for Students of Political Science. Ithaca/London: Cornell University Press, p.1-30

Bryman, Alan (2007): „The Research Question in Social Research: What is its Role?“ In: International Journal of Social Research Methodology, Jg. 10, H. 1, p.5-20

King, Gary/ Keohane, Robert O./ Verba, Sidney (1994): „Major Components of Research Design“. In: ibid.: „Designing Social Inquiry – Scientific Inference in Qualitative Research“. Princeton: Princeton University Press, p.12-28