Publications

The contributions collected in this volume are linked by a common thread: the development of Africa is a problem that must be faced and solved by the peoples of the continent, with the aim of consolidating democracy and guaranteeing a future of growth and progressive improvement in the quality of life. However, Europe has a role and a responsibility in this process: after having imposed on Africa the model of the bureaucratic and centralized national state, Europe today can represent a model of integration, on the economic field and, in perspective, on the political terrain.

Peter Lang

This article focuses on the Italian and Spanish models of growth and analyses labour market, human capital and innovation policy reforms since the mid 1990s. The comparison with France and Germany shows the constraints that have hindered the rise of institutional complementarities and the competitiveness of the two Mediterranean countries already before the introd uction of the euro and the outbreak of the 2008 crisis. The analysis highlights both similarities and structural differences between Italy and Spain and demonstrates the long-term institutional conditions that explain why the economic breakdown has had such a deep impact on the two countries.

Routledge

Authors from 13 countries come together in this edited volume, Common Law and Civil Law Today: Convergence and Divergence, to present different aspects of the relationship and intersections between common and civil law. Approaching the relationship between common and civil law from different perspectives and from different fields of law, this book offers an intriguing insight into the similarities, differences and connections between these two major legal traditions.

Vernon Press

The Article critically engages with the case law of the Court of Justice on the application of Treaty provisions on freedom of establishment to cross-border transfers of companies. In particular, it demonstrates that the Court has come to consider the possibility for companies to use freedom of establishment as a tool to choose the law applicable to them as an objective of the relevant Treaty provisions, rather than as an abuse.

European Papers

This article considers how a major influx of migrants from North Africa and the Middle East during 2015 led to an EU-initiated collective securitisation of the Schengen space.

Routledge

This book examines political, social, and economic interactions in highly interconnected areas, stretching from Europe to Eastern Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and East Asia, labelled as Trans-Europe. The first part of the book focuses on the interests of several leading actors in Trans-Europe. The second part deals with the actions of national actors trying to compete with the EU influence in their shared neighbourhood. The third part studies cross-border issues, such as economic dynamics, migration flows and energy markets in the Trans-European space.

Palgrave macmillan

This paper stems from three fundamental tenets: the first is to challenge the idea that the efforts made by the EU to reduce the democratic deficit by investing in communication strategies have been effective. The second is that populism feeds its political action and develops its narratives exploiting the adversaries’ weaknesses, turning them into its strongholds. The third is that recent political debates in the European countries have transformed the European Public Space into a militarised one. The paper will discuss how Europe could try to adopt a thorough strategic communication policy that considers the attempt to transform the European informative environment into one that is currently the target of military Inform and Influence actions by adversary entities.

Il Mulino

Foreign policy is like physics: vacuums quickly fill. As the United States retreats from the international order it helped put in place and maintain since the end of World War II, Russia is rapidly filling the vacuum. Federiga Bindi’s new book assesses the consequences of this retreat for transatlantic relations and Europe, showing how the current path of US foreign policy is leading to isolation and a sharp decrease of US influence in international relations.

Brookings Institution

perché ci si percepisce come parte di una comunità? quali sono i motivi alla base di un'azione comune, una posizione politica o ancor più del riconoscimento reciproco di una caratteristica identitaria? Nella storia delle società umane da sempre una particolare rilevanza è stata riscoperta dalla condivisione di emozioni, letteralmente un "sentire comune". Solo in tempi relativamente recenti, tuttavia, questo elemento è stato reso oggetto di studio in modo approfodntio in campi disciplinari diversi e interrelati tra loro, da quello linguistico a quello sociologico a quello più specificatamente politologico.

Il mulino

The Chapter analyses the changing scenario of information technology cooperation for law enforcement purposes in the EU. It proposes a taxonomy of existing information cooperation tools, based on two criteria: the cooperation techniques and the institutional settings governing information exchange. On this basis, the analysis briefly addresses the increasing involvement of private (economic) actors in contributing to cooperation in criminal matters and the quest for a higher degree of interoperability among various information systems. While highlighting the risks connected to prioritizing security concerns, the Chapter also underscores the integrative potential of information cooperation in a common European space without internal borders.

Springer

EU actorness even in turbulent times has been re-affirmed by a largely overlooked phenomenon – namely, the emergence of the EU as an agent of collective securitisation. The fundamental claim of securitisation theory is that threat emergence and management are shaped by the actions of a securitising agent that explicitly links together the social construction of the threat with socially acceptable governance or policy measures. This concluding piece of the Special Issue proceeds from the twin assumptions that securitisation is possible within the EU space and that securitisation affects the nature and modalities of EU security governance across different policy domains.

Routledge

Although many interest groups work together perpetually, most academic studies agree that coalition formation does not lead to more influence. In this article, we try to explain these puzzling findings. While former research generally tends to frame the decision of forming an interest group coalition as a strength, in this paper, we argue that coalition building should be considered as a ‘weapon of the weak’. Interest groups fearing that they are insufficiently influential, and whose very existence as an organisation is at risk, are more likely to coalesce. This theoretical framework is tested on a sample of around 3000 interest groups in six European countries – Belgium, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Sweden – and the European Union. Empirical findings clearly demonstrate that perceived fears – oriented towards both organisational survival and policy influence – have an effect on how likely it is that an interest group will decide to build a coalition.

SAGE Publications

The paper focuses on the unique, role model characteristics of the Hungarian hybrid regime, the Hungarian political system’s new incarnation forged in the past years’ democratic backsliding process. Following the short review of the main hybrid regime literature and the key analyses putting the democratic quality of the Hungarian political system under the microscope, the paper argues that Hungary’s European Union (EU) membership, the competencies of EU institutions, and the scope of EU law have played a crucial role in the development of the system’s unique characteristics. Based on this argument, the paper qualifies Hungary as an “externally constrained hybrid regime”. However, the EU does not only fulfil system constraining functions regarding the Hungarian regime, but performs system support and system legitimation functions as well. Ultimately, the changing scope of these functions, determined by the European integration’s internal dynamics, influences first and foremost the Hungarian power elite’s strategic considerations about the country’s future EU membership.

Routledge

Although Brexit has been considered an unexpected ‘incident’ by the majority of observers, this paper challenges this idea. It thus considers the recent discussion on ‘filter bubbles’ and ‘selective exposure on social media’ Spohr (2017) to document how an increasing consumption of news and information through specific web platforms has effects on the ideological polarization of public opinion. These thus explain the genesis of this particular event. It will be shown how these dynamics have been considered by the Vote Leave campaign during the 2016 EU referendum in the UK. Exploiting echo chambers they were able to successfully crystallize a number of issues through a narrative that resonated with the British voters’ feelings transforming them into ‘issues’ that could be identified in a single concept: a populistic and creeping xenophobic fear discourse (Wodak 2015).

Dipartimento di Culture, Politica e Società - Università di Torino

This book is the first to exclusively consider the foreign policy tendencies of African states in international institutions. As an edited volume offering empirically based perspectives from a variety of scholars, this project disabuses the notion that Africa should be considered a "niche" interest in the field of foreign policy analysis. It asserts that the actions of the continent's states collectively serve as an important heuristic by which to interrogate and understand the foreign policies of other global states, and are not simply "anomalously" extant entities whose actions should be studied only insofar as they deviate from predictions based on the experiences of Western or other non-African states.

Palgrave macmillan

This article provides an overview of Member States’ key capabilities – namely personnel and technology – in light of main EU goals in conflict prevention and peacebuilding, revealing a heterogeneous landscape. While acknowledging that the EU owns some of these capabilities, the article is primarily intended to highlight the assets and manpower available at the national level, with a view to understanding how these capabilities might better support and strengthen the EU’s role in conflict prevention and peacebuilding. Relevant data collected through four case studies – France, Germany, Italy, and Sweden – is used to understand if currently available capabilities are adequate to match EU objectives

Routledge

Chapter 19 argues that the events of 2016, especially Brexit, the crisis of confidence around regional integration in Europe, the controversial economic partnership agreements (EPAs), the cutting of EU funding to the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), and the clamping down on African immigrants in the Mediterranean, are likely to have serious repercussions on what seems to be a fading relationship between Europe and Africa. Another issue of consternation is Europe’s introduction of migration control as a new condition for development cooperation following the refugee crisis.

Springer

L’Italia è a un bivio. Risollevatosi a fatica da una prolungata crisi economica, ma alle prese con persistenti problemi strutturali che ne limitano la proiezione internazionale, il Paese deve misurarsi con una serie di sfide interne ed esterne che richiedono scelte impegnative, ma ineludibili, e nuove assunzioni di responsabilità a livello europeo, transatlantico e globale. In un contesto segnato da risorgenti spinte nazionalistiche che tendono a rimettere in discussione alcuni capisaldi della cooperazione internazionale, è fondamentale che si riaffermi il sostegno all’integrazione europea e ai progetti di riforma dell’Ue, in nome di una visione di lungo respiro degli interessi nazionali, e che si affrontino alcuni nodi cruciali, come il rientro dall’esorbitante debito pubblico, la riduzione della dipendenza energetica dall’estero, e la riforma dell’apparato militare.

Edizioni Nuova Cultura

El artículo examina como nace la legitimidad en los sistemas politicos y analiza si, en qué medida y cómo los sistemas de integración regional pueden tambien lograr legitimidad y asentar sus decisiones asi que tener fuertes mecanismos de aplicación efectiva de esas ultimas (lo que en ingles se llama “enforcement”). Insiste en los modos de construir la legitimidad, a traves de instituciiones solidas y propone fortalezer esta legitimidad para fortalecer el sistema internacional.

Mercosur TPR

Le prospettive di adesione all’Unione europea dei paesi dei Balcani che ne sono ancora esclusi vivono una fase di rilancio e rinnovamento, dopo un lungo periodo di impasse. Questo stallo derivava da diversi fattori, tra cui le difficoltà di gestione di un’Europa allargata, con il delicato equilibrio tra gli interessi di nuovi e vecchi Stati membri e la crisi economica internazionale, come pure le difficoltà manifestate dai paesi balcanici nel rispondere adeguatamente alle richieste dell’Ue per l’allargamento, anche a causa della loro debolezza istituzionale. Nella regione si è infatti assistito a un graduale processo di involuzione democratica, con la diffusione di nazionalismi e tendenze autoritarie. Questi atteggiamenti risvegliano fantasmi del passato, enfatizzando i pregiudizi etnici e amplificando le criticità nelle irrisolte dispute bilaterali che attraversano la regione. La prospettiva di adesione è centrale nell’ottica della democratizzazione e stabilizzazione dei Balcani.

Donzelli editore

The book looks in detail at the economic conditions of Muslim countries specifically, offering a thorough political analysis at the same time. It focuses on a broad range of economic factors and takes into consideration reports such as the World Development Index. It explores striking differences and similarities among carefully chosen Muslim countries. Mainly because of its broad use of different disciplines, it will be of interest to students of political science, economics and history.

Cambridge Scholars Publishing

This book focuses on interregional relations across the Atlantic and the possible evolution of a new, distinctive Atlantic space for international relations. It provides a comprehensive insight into the overlapping linkages of interregionalism in the wider Atlantic space. Additionally, it raises the question of relevance, currently the main question in this field of research: Is interregionalism important because it brings about something new that really matters or is it simply a (perhaps unavoidable) by-product of regionalism?

Springer

“In our bones we feel we cannot do it”. So said Anthony Eden , the Conservative shadow Foreign Secy., when, thanks to the Marshall Plan, the idea of European integration began to evolve from the visions of a few exile intellectuals and politicians in WWII, into a serious political project, embodied in the first design of a European Coal and Steel Community of 1951, the Schuman Plan.

Институт за политичке студије

This article aims at contextualizing the European Parliament (EP)'s international role according to the IPIs literature, by asking whether the EP can be included in comparative studies on IPIs or, on the contrary, if it should rather be considered a 'sui generis' phenomenon - because of its role in European Union (EU) integration and the scope of its powers.

Wolters Kluwer