74513 - EU INSTITUTIONS

Anno Accademico 2021/2022

  • Docente: Elena Baracani
  • Crediti formativi: 10
  • SSD: SPS/04
  • Lingua di insegnamento: Inglese
  • Moduli: Elena Baracani (Modulo Lez.) Elena Baracani (Modulo Sem 1) Elena Baracani (Modulo Sem 2) (Modulo D.Ass)
  • Modalità didattica: Convenzionale - Lezioni in presenza (Modulo Lez.) Convenzionale - Lezioni in presenza (Modulo Sem 1) Convenzionale - Lezioni in presenza (Modulo Sem 2) Convenzionale - Lezioni in presenza (Modulo D.Ass)
  • Campus: Bologna
  • Corso: Laurea in Scienze politiche, sociali e internazionali (cod. 8853)

Conoscenze e abilità da conseguire

This course analyzes the origins and main developments of EU institutions with a special focus on the last EU institutional cycles. By the end of the course, students should be able to: understand the evolution and the current institutional design of the EU; assess the role played by each institution in different decision-making methods and in different policies; compare the last institutional cycles; discuss main political developments and challenges in EU politics.

Contenuti

The course is organised in lectures and seminars, as detailed in the following program. Lectures (32 hours) aim to introduce students to the core tenets of the discipline. Seminars aim to provide occasions for in-depth discussions of class materials. The division into lessons and seminars is specified in the program that follows. For the seminar section, students will be divided into 2 groups (14 hours for each group). Therefore, a total of 46 classroom hours are scheduled for each student.

 

Part I: Lectures on EU Institutions

 

Week 1 (6 hours):

Introduction to the course

Introduction to the EU as a political system

EU institutional development and enlargement

Mandatory readings:

- Hix, S. and B. Hoyland (2011) The Political System of the European Union (3rd edition), Red Globe Press, chapter 1

- Hodson D. and J. Peterson, eds. (2017), Institutions of the European Union (4th edition), Oxford University Press, chapter 2

- Nugent N. (2017), The Government and Politics of the European Union (8th edition), Palgrave, chapter 5

 

Week 2 (6 hours):

The European Commission

Mandatory readings:

- Hodson D. and J. Peterson, eds. (2017), Institutions of the European Union (4th edition), Oxford University Press, chapters 5 and 10

- Peterson, J. (2017), 'Juncker's political European Commission and an EU in Crisis', Journal of Common Market Studies, 55(2), pp. 349-367.

 

Week 3 (6 hours):

The Council of the European Union and the European Council

Mandatory readings:

- Hodson D. and J. Peterson, eds. (2017), Institutions of the European Union (4th edition), Oxford University Press, chapters 3, 4 and 14

-Toemmel I. (2017), 'The Standing President of the European Council: Intergovernmental or Supranational Leadership', Journal of European Integration, 39(2), pp. 175-189.

 

Week 4 (6 hours):

The European Parliament

Mandatory readings:

- Hodson D. and J. Peterson, eds. (2017), Institutions of the European Union (4th edition), Oxford University Press, chapter 6

- Dinan, D. (2015), 'Governance and Institutions: The Year of the Spitzenkandidaten', Journal of Common Market Studies, 53(AR), pp. 93-107

 

Week 5 (4 hours):

The Court of Justice and other institutions

Mandatory readings:

- Hodson D. and J. Peterson, eds. (2017), Institutions of the European Union (4th edition), Oxford University Press, chapter 7

- Nugent N. (2017), The Government and Politics of the European Union (8th edition), Palgrave, chapter 14

 

Week 6 (4 hours):

Introduction to theories on EU crises

Mandatory readings:

- Bickerton, C.J., D. Hodson, and U. Puetter (2015), 'The New Intergovernmentalism: European Integration in the Post-Maastricth Era', Journal of Common Market Studies, 53(4), pp. 703-722.

 

Part II: Seminar activity on the answer of EU institutions to crises in the latest political cycles

 

Topic 1: the Eurozone crisis and Failing Forward (2 hours for each group)

Mandatory readings:

- Webber, D. (2018), European Disintegration? The Politics of Crisis in the European Union, Red Globe Publisher, chapter 3

- Jones, E., R.D. Kelemen, and S. Meunier (2016), 'Failing Forward? The Euro Crisis and the Incomplete Nature of European Integration', Comparative Political Studies, 49(7), pp. 1010-1034

 

Topic 2: the Ukraine crisis (2 hours for each group)

Mandatory readings:

- Webber, D. (2018), European Disintegration? The Politics of Crisis in the European Union, Red Globe Publisher, chapter 4

- Howorth, J. (2017), 'Stability on the Borders’: The Ukraine Crisis and the EU ’s Constrained Policy Towards the Eastern Neighbourhood', Journal of Common Market Studies, 55(1): pp. 121–136

Topic 3: the Refugee crisis and New Institutional Leadership (2 hours for each group)

Mandatory readings:

- Webber, D. (2018), European Disintegration? The Politics of Crisis in the European Union, Red Globe Publisher, chapter 5

- Smeets, S. and D. Beach (2020), 'When success is an orphan: informal institutional governance and the EU-Turkey deal', West European Politics, 43(1), pp. 129-158

 

Topic 4: the Brexit crisis and Differentiated Disintegration (2 hours for each group)

Mandatory readings:

- Webber, D. (2018), European Disintegration? The Politics of Crisis in the European Union, Red Globe Publisher, chapter 6

- Schimmelfennig, F. (2018), 'Brexit: differentiated disintegration
in the European Union', Journal of European Public Policy, 25:8, pp. 1154-1173

 

Topic 5: the Democracy crisis (2 hours for each group)

Mandatory readings:

- Kelemen, R.D. (2020), 'The European Union's authoritarian equilibrium', Journal of European Public Policy, 27:3, pp. 481-499

- Blauberger, M. and V. van Hüllen (2021), 'Conditionality of EU funds: an instrument to enforce EU fundamental values?, Journal of European Integration, 43:1, pp. 1-16

 

Topic 6: the new political cycle (2019-) and the Conference on the Future of Europe (2 hours for each group)

Mandatory readings:

- European Council (2019), A new strategic agenda 2019-2024

- Ursula von der Leyen (2019), A Union that strives for more: My agenda for Europe

- Conference on the future of Europe. Franco-German non paper on key questions and guidelines (2019)

- European Commission (2020), Shaping the Conference on the future of Europe

 

Topic 7: the COVID-19 crisis (2 hours for each group)

Mandatory readings:

- Ursula von der Leyen (2020), The State of the Union Address 2020

- Greer S.L., de Ruijter A., Brooks E. (2021), 'The COVID-19 Pandemic: Failing Forward in Public Health', in: Riddervold M., Trondal J., Newsome A. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of EU Crises, Palgrave Studies in European Union Politics. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

Testi/Bibliografia

- A detailed list of mandatory readings, for each lecture, is provided in the course contents

- All the readings are the same for attending and non-attending students

Metodi didattici

- Traditional lectures and seminar activities

- During each class, students' participation will be encouraged

Modalità di verifica e valutazione dell'apprendimento

For students taking part in the seminar activity:

- The course grade is based on:

1) class attendance (10% of the total grade)

2) participation to seminar activities (40% of the total grade)

3) a written exam which takes place during the official exam sessions of the A.Y. (50% of the total grade). The written exam consists of 1 long answer question that requires a response of about 40-60 lines (exam duration 1 hour).

For students not taking part in the seminar activity and students taking part in the seminar activity, who refuse the grade of the written exam:

- The course grade is based on a single written exam

- The exam consists of 2 long answer questions that require an answer each of about 40-60 lines (exam duration 2 hours)

- Each question allows for a maximum of 30 points.

Exam results will be published on the instructor's webpage

- It will be possible to ask for clarification on the evaluation at the date indicated at the time of publication of the exam results

- In the absence of communication by the student by the established date, the votes published will be registered

Strumenti a supporto della didattica

- The instructor's power point presentations will be available at the end of each week in Materiale didattico (Insegnamenti Online)

- Detailed information on the seminar activities is provided at the beginning of the course and in the folder called 'Seminar activity' in Materiale didattico (Insegnamenti Online)

Orario di ricevimento

Consulta il sito web di Elena Baracani

Consulta il sito web di

SDGs

Lotta contro il cambiamento climatico Pace, giustizia e istituzioni forti

L'insegnamento contribuisce al perseguimento degli Obiettivi di Sviluppo Sostenibile dell'Agenda 2030 dell'ONU.