Global Governance, Regionalism & The role of the EU: Challenges & Debates shaping IR theory in the early 21st century

Since the early 90’s, both International Relation Theory and European Studies have been redrawn by major conceptual debates, and factual challenges. These evolutions have called into doubt numerous certainties and highlighted new questions. These challenges and debates have thus nurtured innovative avenues of enquiry within both of these research fields, whilst also fostering a growing interdisciplinary dialogue between them. As the 21st century unfolds, the evolving necessities - born from parallel dynamics of cooperation and discord within the international and European systems - have proven to be a fertile ground for methodological and conceptual innovations which have increasingly come to shape the research agendas' of these two research agendas.

The seminar will strive to study the implications of such evolving agendas. Factual and conceptual challenges which have coloured the disciplinary debates on Governance, Regulation, Institutional Cooperation, and Multilateralism - both within European Studies as well as International Relations - will be analyzed. Furthermore the seminar will also address the growing interaction and mutual learning- processes emerging between these two levels of enquiry.

The theoretical questions born from the rapidly changing balances between national sovereignty and supranational/ transnational limitations & constraints will form a leitmotiv throughout the seminar. As such, the various corresponding conceptual and theoretical schools existing within both approaches are to be confronted. A pluralist approach will favour cross-cutting perspectives connecting the European and global experiences form a variety of conceptual perspectives; be they constructivist, (neo-)realist, (neo-)functionalist or form one of the different institutionalist approaches.

The transversal comparison between the various theoretical approaches covered throughout this week-long event will allow for a substantiated form of theoretical pluralism. This will allow for a fruitful combination of multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches.

A Key concern will be to evaluate the controversial emergence and stabilization of a legitimate and efficient multilateral and multi-levelled Global Governance system. How and why does regional or global cooperation emerge? Which relationship can one identify between global and regional governance efforts? How have both the European and International systems evolved over the past decades, and which are the comparable challenges they have come to face? What are the dominant challenges facing international governance and regulatory efforts? How have both the regional and global level responded?

Existing Global and regional frameworks will be studied through their specificities as well as through their contribution to Global Governance. The PhD workshop will be divided into five daily topics, each one grouping two sessions.

 

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