Lecturer in International Politics
University of Leicester - Politics and International Relations

http://www.jobs.ac.uk/job/ATV360/lecturer-in-international-politics/

CALL FOR THE ISSUE 9 (1) 2016: POLITICAL ACTIVISM IN EUROPE: NUMBERS AND TRENDS

Guest Editors: Francesca Vassallo, University of Southern Maine, email: francesca.vassallo@maine.edu; Vincenzo Memoli, University of Catania, email: memoli@unict.it

http://siba-ese.unisalento.it/index.php/paco/announcement/view/36

ABSTRACT:

Research on political participation is often linked to the quality of democratic activism. Most European countries have been officially democracies for a long time, but some of them fail to show a high level of popular participation in their democratic systems. Citizens’ participation in politics has been a central idea in research on political systems, liberal democracies in particular, since the 1960s (Campbell 1960; Almond and Verba 1963; Verba et al., 1978). The relatively recent and surprising decline of political activism in industrialized democracies (Wattenberg 1998) highlights a pattern that includes both conventional and unconventional forms of political engagement (Dalton 2014).

In these recent crisis-stricken times, economic instability in Europe has had a wide variety of effects on political behavior. The overall lack of success of many of the financial interventions and the ongoing disagreement between citizens and governments over the choices made ​​has sparked an increased commitment to political activism. The global financial meltdown has caused a deep fracture in European societies: the severity of the economic crisis is an opportunity for an empirical assessment of political unconventionality in. Does the economic crisis affect political participation? How has the economic collapse changed the way citizens participate in the political arena? This special issue is an opportunity to empirically test how strong political participation on the European continent is. This call welcomes papers on political involvement in many forms, both conventional (eg, elections) and unconventional (for example, the different forms of protest) in one or more European countries.

The preferred methodological approach to the issue should be both comparative and diachronic. In this view, it would be possible to shed light on areas where political participation has declined or increased, as well as estimate how it has changed with respect to the period prior to the European economic crisis. The issue can also include case studies tracking the trajectory of political participation over time, or works adopting a synchronic approach, while distinguishing the levels of political participation among the different areas of the EU.

- Submission of long abstracts (about 1,000 words): 30th May 2015

- Selection of long abstracts: 15th June 2015

- Submission of articles: 15th September 2015

Ikerbasque has launched a new international call to reinforce research and scientific career in the Basque Country:

. 15 positions for Promising Researchers Ikerbasque Research Fellows

o 5 year contracts

o PhD degree between Jan2005-Dec2012

o Support letter from the host group is mandatory

o Deadline: April 15th at 13:00 CET

For further information, please visit: www.ikerbasque.net

Book: "EU Procedural Law" by Koen Lenaerts, Ignace Maselis and Kathleen Gutman- Oxford University Press

http://ukcatalogue.oup.com/product/9780198707349.do

The European Union is unique amongst international organisations in that it has a highly developed and coherent system of judicial protection. The rights derived from Union law can be enforced in court, as opposed to other international organisations whereby enforceability is often far less certain. At the heart of the system of judicial protection in the European Union is the core principle of upholding the rule of law. As such, the stakes are high in the sense that the system of the judicial protection in the European Union must live up to its promise in which individuals, Member States and Union institutions are all guaranteed a route by which to enforce Union law rights.

This book provides a rigorously structured analysis of the EU system of judicial protection and procedure before the Union courts. It examines the role and the competences of the Union courts and the types of actions that may be brought before them, such as the actions for infringement, annulment, and failure to act, as well as special forms of procedure, for example interim relief, appeals, and staff cases. In doing so, special attention is given to the fields of EU competition law and State aid. In addition it evaluates the relationship between the Court of Justice and the national courts through the preliminary ruling procedure and the interplay between EU law and the national procedural frameworks generally. Throughout, it takes account of significant institutional developments, including the relevant changes brought by the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty and the amendments to the Statute of the Court of Justice of the European Union and the Rules of Procedure of the Court of Justice and the General Court.

Closa, C. (2015). "Looking ahead: pathways of future constitutional evolution of the EU". Directorate General for Internal policies, Citizens´ rights and constitutional affairs. https://www.academia.edu/10242610/Looking_ahead_pathways_of_future_constitutional_evolution_of_the_EU

Abstract: The effects of the economic and fiscal crisis and the institutional instruments created to deal with it have led several actors (from governments and EU bodies to scholars) to propose different EU reforms. Several options exist to accommodate future constitutional development which, in some cases, may require Treaty revision. In this case, future constitutional evolution faces the challenge that the very stringent EU revision requirement (i.e. unanimity) poses. Other available options do not seem totally satisfactory.

Call for a Guest Professor in European Economic Integrations

EU Winter School (EUWS), 19-23 January 2015

at University of Prishtina, Prishtina, Kosovo

EYCA Kosovo is looking for a Guest Professor with specialty in EU Competition Policy for its EU Winter School (EUWS) to be held between 19-23 January 2015 in collaboration with University of Prishtina. Guest Professor will teach one to two lectures per day between 5 days (it is possible to teach less days) and will receive an honorarium along with travel and accommodation expenses.

About EUWS

EYCA Kosovo will organize the 1st edition of the EU Winter School (EUWS 2015), The event will be held on 19-23 January 2015 in collaboration with University of Prishtina. This edition of the EUWS will consist of moderated debates, lectures, open discussions and practical work, provided by academics from European universities, YCS Alumni and local practitioners active in the area of European integration. It will be organised in cooperation with the EU Scholarship Schemeproject, with the support of the University of Prishtina, which will provide the premises.

The project targets last year undergraduate students of Economics, Law and Political Sciences from all universities in Kosovo. EUWS 2015 will consist of three days of academic lectures and two plenary sessions. EUWS 2015 builds upon its tradition of contributing to improve the academic offer available in Kosovo on EU Affairs and EU integration process, as well as providing an opportunity to network with EU academics, YCS alumni and practitioners otherwise not available to the students. It will also provide a unique opportunity to ca 40 undergraduate students to discuss EU and EU integration matters (both theoretically and practically) and network with leading professionals and academics.

Different from previous editions of the EU Summer School, this year’s EUWS will focus on a flagship topic, “EU Affairs and Europeanization of Kosovo’s Society, Economy and Politics through Accession”, by combining theoretical and practical aspects.

Possible topics to be covered by the Guest Professor:

Theoretical Background and Main Principles of the EU Competition Policy

EU Competition Policy: Constitutional and Legal Foundations (including WTO Rules), Institutions and Decision-Making Processes

EU Competition Policy in Practice: Globalization and Economies of Scale

Application of the EU Competition Policy and Acquis: the Role of the European Commission and the European Court of Justice and other Institutions

EU Competition Policy in the Context of EU Enlargement: Acquis Approximation, Institution-Building, Market Regulation and Economic Competitiveness

Expression of Interest:

Please send a CV to alejtin@universum-ks.org. Deadline: December 5, 2014.

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15 PhD Fellowships/2 Post-doctoral Positions/1-2 Predoctoral Fellowships, Bremen International Graduate School of Social Sciences (BIGSSS)

https://www.ipsa.org/news/job-offer/15-phd-fellowships2-post-doctoral-positions1-2-predoctoral-fellowships

Application Deadline: 15 February, 2015

The Bremen International Graduate School of Social Sciences (BIGSSS) invites applications to its Ph.D. program. BIGSSS is an inter-university institute of the University of Bremen and Jacobs University Bremen and is funded by the German Excellence Initiative. The program provides close supervision of dissertation work within a demand-tailored education and research framework. Fellows are expected to choose Bremen as their place of residence. BIGSSS is part of an international network of highly acknowledged graduate programs. It supports its doctoral and postdoctoral fellows in achieving early scientific independence and provides funds for the conduct, presentation, and publishing of their research. The language of instruction is English.

Successful applicants will pursue a topic in one of BIGSSS’ three Thematic Fields:

• Global Governance and Regional Integration • Welfare State, Inequality, and Quality of Life • Changing Lives in Changing Socio-Cultural Contexts

12 – 15 Ph.D. Stipends/Fellowships

BIGSSS seeks candidates with strong academic abilities and a Master’s degree (or equivalent) in political science, sociology, or psychology. Applicants with a degree in related social science disciplines are also welcome. We offer Ph.D. stipends of € 1300/month for 36 months, contingent on successful completion of each year.

2 Postdoctoral Positions

We seek candidates pursuing English-language publication projects based either on their dissertations or new research. Postdoctoral positions are paid in line with TVL E13 and may be taken up for a period between 6 and 24 months. The competition is open to candidates who have received a doctorate in political science, sociology, psychology, or related social science disciplines within the last three years. Applicants need to have graduated prior to commencing their postdoctoral stay.

1-2 Predoctoral Fellowships for Graduates of Bachelor Programs

Additionally, BIGSSS offers up to two stipends of € 800/month for particularly talented BA or BSc graduates. After fulfilling some course requirements and having their proposals accepted within the first year, candidates can switch into the regular three year program.

More information as well as lists of required application materials can be found at www.bigsss-bremen.de. For additional inquiries, please check the online FAQ and feel free to contact our admissions officer at admissions-officer@bigsss-bremen.de.

Call for Applications Scholarships in Political Science, Central European University

http://politicalscience.ceu.hu/we-offer-2015-16?utm_source=Recletter_facultycontacts&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Contacts_fromfaculty&utm_campaign=Recruitment15-16

CEU graduate students and faculty from around the world come together in Budapest to engage in interdisciplinary education, pursue advanced scholarship, and address some of society’s most vexing problems.

Programs offered · Master of Arts in Political Science / 1 Year · Master of Arts in Political Science / 2 Years · Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science

Select Areas of Research · Political institutions · Parties, elections, and voting · Comparative political economy · Constitutional theory · Media and political communication · Analytical and normative political theory · Political sociology · European politics / democratization

Deadline for applications: February 1, 2015.

Call for Papers: ‘New Perspectives in European Studies: Europeanisation in the EU and the Neighbourhood’

UACES CRN Centrifugal Europe - Annual Research Symposium 2015, Queen’s University Belfast, 6-8 March 2015

The European Union (EU) has faced increasing difficulties in recent years relating to the processes of political, economic and societal integration. Despite the change promoted during accession negotiations, EU candidate and neighbourhood countries have challenged the linear understanding of Europeanisation in a variety of areas across the continent. In recent years, research of Europeanisation has emphasised diffusion mechanisms and differentiated integration to explain variation in outcome rather than the lack of precision in and the direction of travel of European norms. Indeed, candidate and neighbourhood countries have remarkable leeway in deciding which aspects of European norms to adopt, and how to implement them. This raises questions about the role of the EU in policy convergence in candidate countries and the ENP and about the norms the EU endorses in practice. Yet, the Europeanisation phenomenon has effectively travelled to the neighbourhood of the EU and in the absence of membership prospects for the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) countries, such a development is puzzling.

The ongoing European crisis has created new challenges and brought tensions (old and new) to the surface at both state and sub-state level, leading to debates about the relationship between the national and the supra-national, and the limits of sovereignty within the EU in its current form. Such developments represent an unprecedented reversal of the centripetal forces that characterised European integration in the decades prior to the current crisis, and ask serious questions about the future of the EU and its integration project. Against the background, our conference explores the Europeanization in the EU proper, enlargement and ENP countries (incl. Turkey, Western Balkans and previous accession countries). We welcome contributions which ask whether the integration of European norms in the wider European context is going ahead despite crisis or has it been put on back burner?

The event is hosted as a part of the UACES sponsored CRN Centrifugal Europe annual symposium and will provide postgraduates the opportunity to develop contacts and offers a valuable opportunity for participants to engage with leading academics concerned with the future of European integration project. We particularly welcome postgraduate students to apply and have set funds aside to support accommodation for postgraduate students from outside Northern Ireland attending. Please let us know – insert the note at the end of your proposal – that you would like to avail of such support.

Please submit your paper proposal of max. 250 words and details (name, institutional affiliation, contact details) online at http://jotformeu.com/form/43252541852351. by midday (UK time) on December 15 2014. In case of any queries please contact both organisers: Ada Regelmann a.regelmann@qub.ac.uk and Timofey Agarin t.agarin@qub.ac.uk.