Research Areas

Globalisation and economic integration produced more prosperity in Europe, but they also triggered social and political reactions that challenge core liberal values. Among other topics, research in this field may focus, on internal market regulation, external trade policies, social security policies, intellectual property rights, competition law, taxation and fiscal policy, the circular economy and democratic economic governance. Policy recommendations will aim to contribute towards designing more efficient regulatory frameworks, increasing transparency in EU economic governance and building more robust social security systems and competitive European economies.  

Digitalisation holds great potential for democratic governance and economic growth but may also pose significant risks and challenges. In line with the liberal tradition that always supports new technologies, research in this field will examine how the digital transformation of Europe can empower citizens, e.g., with e-Democracy tools that enhance effective participation in the democratic process. But it will also consider cybersecurity and other policies, which can ensure that digitalization is a citizen-centred and socially responsible process. Topics will deal with aspects of the European digital market, artificial Intelligence and the Internet of Things, 5G and connectivity issues, public administration and e-democracy, digital identity, e-commerce and the digital marketplace.  

The EU environmental policies have had a tremendous effect on international climate change politics so far and, as the new Green Deal demonstrates, the EU is renewing its commitment to climate protection, decarbonization and sustainable development. However, in order to be successful, these goals need support from across the political spectrum, the civil society and stakeholders from many industry sectors that are affected. Liberals can and should be at the forefront of this debate. This field may include research on climate change and energy politics, multilateral environmental agreements and policy diffusion, the role of private and business actors in climate politics, sustainable solutions in the energy intensive industries, maritime and marine issues, biodiversity, trade and the environment, renewable energy etc. 

European integration and democratic governance rely on well-functioning institutions and transparent decision-making processes. The successive crises of the past decade have revealed the weaknesses and limitations of EU governance. Also, in view of the upcoming Conference on the Future of Europe, liberals need to be ready and able to communicate their vision on EU institutional reforms. Policy-relevant research may focus on decision-making procedures, the concept and implementation of a multi-speed Europe, the role of national parliaments in European democratic governance, the importance of the subsidiarity principle, and others.  

There is no legitimate government without justice, and there is no justice without the rule of law. This is why the rule of law and the civil liberties that it safeguards are fundamental for the European project and for liberal democracy in the continent. 2020 has seen many watershed moments when both the rule of law and the civil liberties of European citizens have been abridged. This is an issue of definitive concern for Liberals and research in this field may reflect on recent developments and future prospects from a liberal perspective.  

The world has entered a prolonged period of instability and conflict that puts a question mark on the liberal world order. While seeking to recalibrate traditional alliances and partnerships, there is a growing consensus that the EU should develop its strategic autonomy and its capacity to act in international affairs. Policy-relevant research in this field should inform debates about the EU global strategy, the return of geopolitics in Europe, Transatlantic partnership and EU-NATO cooperation, EU relations with China, Russia and Turkey, EU defence cooperation and development of strategic autonomy capabilities, EU strategies in Africa, Asia and Latin America, etc. 

At the same time, the European neighbourhoods in the East and the South are in turmoil, and the EU enlargement is on hold until further notice. In the past, both of these instruments have been the most successful expressions of European foreign policy and the most efficient tools for facilitating social, political and economic transition in the continent. This research field will feed into debates that speak of a renewed importance for EU Enlargement and Neighbourhood Policy, as the main vehicles of Europe’s strategic vision for a new liberal world order.  

The on-going Covid-19 crisis is only the latest in a series of crises that have upended European politics in the past decade. Quite similar to the Euro crisis and the migration and refugee crisis, the politicization of the Covid-19 pandemic response indicates that European integration has cut new social and political cleavages in our societies. As older political cleavages, like Left and Right, become less relevant for the citizens, the European project is persistently opposed by rising political parties that mobilise new social and national identities in order to rearrange domestic contestation. Liberals need to examine how these new cleavages interact with our electoral politics and reflect on how to reach out to emerging new constituencies. This is a research area that cuts across the aforementioned themes and may examine each and every one of them with a post-Covid angle and a perspective on electoral politics.