News

Abschlussdiskussion der Gender-Ringvorlesung

Die Ringvorlesung „Facetten der Vielfalt – Geschlechterforschung und ihre Bedeutung für die Gesellschaft“ findet am Mittwoch, den 24. Juli 2024, um 18 Uhr, ihren Abschluss im Rathausfestsaal Saarbrücken. Die zentralen Erkenntnisse der Vortragsreihe werden zusammengefasst und durch ein künstlerisches Rahmenprogramm ergänzt.

Im Sommersemester 2024 bot die Universität des Saarlandes unter der Leitung von Prof. Dr. Astrid Fellner und Prof. Dr. Daniela Braun eine öffentliche Ringvorlesung zur Genderforschung als Querschnittsdisziplin an. Organisiert wurde die Reihe vom Forum Geschlechterforschung, dem Gleichstellungsbüro, dem AK Queer und dem AStA der Universität, sowie externen Partnern wie dem Frauenbüro der Stadt Saarbrücken.

Am 24. Juli sind alle Interessierten eingeladen, einen Rückblick auf die zentralen Erkenntnisse der Ringvorlesung zu erhalten und neue Facetten der Geschlechterforschung zu entdecken. Neben den Organisatorinnen werden Juniorprofessorin Dr. Carola Fricke und Dr. des. Julia Pierzina über die Bedeutung von Gender in Raumplanung und Produktdesign sprechen. Der Abend wird von einer interaktiven Kunstaktion der Künstlerin Darja Linder begleitet.

Mehr Informationen

 

 

Das „VOTO“-Wahlhilfe-Projekt: Abschlussevent mit Erkenntnissen zu den Kommunalwahlen in Merzig und Saarbrücken

Für die Kommunalwahlen im Saarland, die am 9. Juni stattfanden, wurde von der Fachrichtung für Gesellschaftswissenschaftliche Europaforschung an der Universität des Saarlandes eine Online-Wahlhilfe für die Städte Merzig und Saarbrücken entwickelt. Am Donnerstag, 18. Juli 2024, von 14.15 bis 15.45 Uhr, werden nun erste Erkenntnisse und Ergebnisse aus den Umfragerückmeldungen präsentiert.

Die an „VOTO Saarland“ beteiligten Vertreterinnen und Vertreter der Parteien sowie die Medien wurden hierzu bereits eingeladen. Weitere Interessierte Personen können sich bei Vinciane.Pilz(at)uni-saarland anmelden und erhalten dann nähere Informationen zum Ort der Abschlussveranstaltung.

Pressemitteilung

 

 

Aufruf zur Einreichung von Beiträgen für DVPW-Tagung an der Universität des Saarlandes

Im März 2025 wird an der Universität des Saarlandes eine Tagung der Deutschen Vereinigung für Politikwissenschaft abgehalten. Die Veranstaltung unter dem Titel „Citizen’s trust and societal polarization in times of transformation. Comparative Perspectives from different world regions“ untersucht eines der drängendsten Probleme repräsentativer Demokratien: Das Ver- bzw. Misstrauen der Bürger:innen in "ihr" politisches System, in Institutionen und Politiker:innen.

Call for Papers and Panels

Mehr Informationen zur Tagung

 

 

EPSA-Konferenz in Köln

Vom 4. bis 6. Juli 2024 hat die 14. jährliche Konferenz der European Political Science Association im MediaPark Köln stattfinden. Der Lehrstuhl Prof. Braun hat ebenfalls am Kongress teilgenommen und dort vier Vorträge halten. Außerdem hat Dr. Rosa Navarette an einer Panel-Diskussion zu Parteiprogrammen teilgenommen.

Weitere Informationen

 

 

„Ich bin Europa“: Videoprojekt in Kooperation mit der Staatskanzlei

Studierende der Universität des Saarlandes haben im Wintersemester 2023/24 unter der Leitung der Europa-Gastprofessorin Dr. habil. Claire Demesmay ihre Visionen von Europa entwickelt und diesen in einer Video-Performance Ausdruck verliehen. Der Beitrag wurde am 19. April 2024 auf dem Uni-Campus gedreht und von der saarländischen Staatskanzlei technisch und beratend unterstützt. Die von den Studierenden entwickelten Texte sind an die Performance „Ich bin Europa“ des Dramaturgen Falk Richter angelehnt. Im Vorfeld haben die Studierenden sich ein Semester lang im von Claire Demesmay angebotenen Seminar „Eine Vision von Europa – mediale Bilder verstehen und selbst gestalten“ mit der Analyse von Europa-Bildern der europäischen Integration und den damit verbundenen kulturellen und politischen Kontexten und Intentionen beschäftigt, um im Anschluss ihre eigenen Visionen von Europa zu gestalten.

Ganzes Video

 

 

Neuer M.A.-Studiengang: „Räume, Politiken und Gesellschaften Europas“

Zum Wintersemester beginnt unser neuer Studiengang „Räume, Politiken und Gesellschaften Europas“. Qualifizieren Sie sich mit diesem europawissenschaftlichen Master, der Humangeographie, Politikwissenschaft und Soziologie verbindet, für eine berufliche Tätigkeit mit europäischem Schwerpunkt!

Flyer
Weitere Informationen

 

 

Podcast für lebenslanges Lernen der UdS: Ein europäischer Blick auf Europa mit Prof. Daniela Braun

In der 51. Folge des Podcasts für lebenslanges Lernen sprechen die Gastgeber mit Prof. Daniela Braun über die Europawahl: Wie wurde darüber in der deutschen und der europäischen Öffentlichkeit gesprochen und ging es wirklich um die EU? Wir fragen, ob es überhaupt nötig ist, ein einheitliches Wahlsystem in der EU anzustreben — Daniela Braun sagt: ja! — und ob Geduld uns hier weiterhilft. In dieser Folge können Sie mit uns darüber reflektieren, wie „deutsch“ unser Blick auf die EU noch immer ist und warum. Sie können lernen, welche Fragen die Europaforschung mit Blick auf diese Wahl besonders beschäftigen und welche zukünftigen Forschungsvorhaben sich nun anschließen.

Link zum Podcast

 

 

Online Lunch-Talk: Vorstellung des neuen deutsch-französischen Studiengangs „Europäische und Internationale Politik“ am 21. Juni um 13 Uhr

Zum Wintersemester 2024/25 ist es soweit: An der UdS geht der in Kooperation mit Sciences Po Strasbourg neu entstandene deutsch-französische Master-Studiengang „Europäische und Internationale Politik“ der Fachrichtung Gesellschaftswissenschaftliche Europaforschung am Lehrstuhl für Komparative Europaforschung an den Start. Stefanie Thurm und Prof. Dr. Georg Wenzelburger stellen euch den Studiengang vor und beantworten gerne eure Fragen dazu. Bewerbungsfrist für den Studiengang ist der 15. Juli! Weitere Informationen

Alle Interessierten sind herzlich zum Lunch-Talk am 21. Juni um 13 Uhr eingeladen. Er findet online über Teams statt.

Link zum Lunch-Talk

 

 

Neue Publikation: „Giorgia on their minds: Vote switching to Fratelli d’Italia in the Italian general election of 2022“

Bei der italienischen Parlamentswahl 2022 wurde die Partei Fratelli d’Italia zur stärksten Kraft. Bisher wurde die Partei in der Forschung als populistisches Rechtspartei eingeordnet, doch ihre Wählerschaft blieb unerforscht. Eine neue Publikation von Leonardo Pule, Giuseppe Carteny und Gianluca Piccolino untersucht, ob die traditionellen Erklärungsansätze für den Erfolg populistischer Rechtsparteien auch auf die FdI anwendbar sind. Sie argumentieren, dass in einem umkämpften Feld konkurrierender populistischer Parteien die Bewertung der Parteiführung eine wichtigere Rolle für das Wahlverhalten spielt als programmatische oder ideologische Überlegungen. Ihre Ergebnisse zeigen, dass positive Bewertungen der FdI-Vorsitzenden Giorgia Meloni der bedeutendste Faktor für den Wahlerfolg der Partei waren.

Zur Publikation

 

 

Presentation of the degree programme "European Studies: Politics - Law - Society" in the Campus Magazine

The campus magazine has published an article on the Bachelor's degree programme "European Studies: Politics - Law - Society". Students on the new degree programme and Prof. Daniela Braun, who co-initiated the course, were interviewed.

Read the article

 

 

Cooperation agreement signed for new Franco-German study programme on European and international politics

The Franco-German degree programme "European and International Politics", which Saarland University and Sciences Po Strasbourg University are jointly offering for the first time in the winter semester 2024/25, leads to four academic degrees in five years. Students will take an in-depth look at European and international political issues and gain insights into geographical, historical, legal, social and economic backgrounds and dynamics. The programme comprises Bachelor's and Master's degrees on the German side and Master's and Diploma degrees on the French side. The cooperation agreement was signed on 6 June at the French Embassy to the Council of Europe in Strasbourg.

Press release

 

 

Online Lunch Talk on the new Master's programme "Spaces, Politics and Societies of Europe"

The Department of European Social Studies invites you to an online lunch talk on 18 June 2024 at 13:00 on our new Master's programme "Spaces, Politics and Societies of Europe".

The Master's programme "Spaces, Politics and Societies of Europe" lies at the intersection of political science, sociology and geography. The Lunch Talk offers an overview of the empirical social and spatial science focus of the programme and provides information in particular on the structure, methodological focus and career opportunities. After a short input, there will be an opportunity to ask questions. The application for the winter semester starts on 1 June and runs until 31 August.

Link
ID: 389 196 935 564
Passcode: RLwJtB

 

 

Student assistants from 1 September 2024

As part of the EU-funded UNTWIST project, the Chair of Political Science with a focus on European Integration and International Relations is looking for a student assistant with 10 hours per week to support research activities from 1 September 2024. To apply, please send your CV and a letter of motivation (as a single pdf) to Giuseppe Carteny by 30 June 2024.

We are also looking for two assistants with 8 hours per week to support teaching and researchactivities. To apply, please send your CV and a letter of motivation (ideally also in one file) to Djamila Jabra by 30 June 2024.

Call for applications (UNTWIST)
Call for applications (teaching & research)

 

 

 

Article in Saarbrücker Zeitung on the open day and Prof Braun's talk on political opinion-forming

The Saarbrücker Zeitung reported on the open day at Saarland University. Prof Daniela Braun's talk on political opinion-forming and how it has changed in the age of social media and the internet was also discussed.

Read article

 

 

Talk: "Is there an Affective Component of Political Trust Ratings in Surveys?"

Date: 18.06.2024
Time: 16:30-18:00
Location: Building C1 7, Room 0.08

Part of the lecture series Politics in Europe

Dr Paul C. Bauer conducts research at the University of Freiburg (Institute of Political Science) and the LMU Munich (Institute of Statistics). He also heads a research project on trust measurement at the MZES Mannheim. His talk entitled "Is there an Affective Component of Political Trust Ratings in Surveys?" examines the influence of emotions on political trust based on open-ended audio responses analysed using AI to detect emotions.

More information

 

 

Saarbrücker Zeitung reports on Voto

In the run-up to the "Super Election Sunday" (European and local elections), the Saarbrücker Zeitung reported on Voto, a voting aid for local elections, the Saarland version of which (available for Saarbrücken and Merzig) was developed at Saarland University by the political science departments of Prof Braun and Prof Wenzelburger. In Saarbrücken alone, Voto has now been used by more than 3000 voters. This means that the citizens of both cities now have the opportunity to easily compare their personal interests with the content of the current local election programmes of the parties represented.

Read the article
Voto Saarbrücken
Voto Merzig

 

 

New publication: "A matter of time, not generations: rising emotional attachment to the European Union 1991–2023. An age period cohort analysis"

Martin Schröder, Daniela Braun, Katrin Luisa Grimm, Martin Ulrich and Georg Wenzelburger have jointly published an article in the Journal of European Public Policy in which they analyse the assumption that younger generations have a stronger bond with the EU in times of increasing European integration. Using Eurobarometer data from 1991 to 2023, the authors show that not only younger generations, but all generations have developed a stronger bond with the EU over time. This suggests that there are no fixed "generations of Europeans", but that attachment to the EU is increasing for all generations.

Link to the publication

 

 

Article in the Saarbrücker Zeitung on the conference at the UdS

The international conference "Emotional Dynamics of (In)security and Politics" will take place at Saarland University next week. The conference (11-13 June 2024) will examine the relationship between feelings of (in)security and emotional needs for protection as well as the political reactions to them. Prof Daniela Braun will moderate the second panel.

Prof Georg Wenzelburger and Alex Hartland, PhD., among others, were interviewed in a Saarbrücker Zeitung article on the conference.

Read article

 

 

Talk: "How motivated are parties and voters to get involved?"

On 9 June 2024, citizens will elect the European Parliament for the 10th time. The lecture will provide insights into political science research on European elections: Are European elections European? What are the reasons for the low voter turnout? What expectations can be formulated for the 2024 elections?

Prof Daniela Braun will address these questions during Saarland University's Open Day on 8 June in her talk entitled: "How motivated are parties and voters to get involved?"

More information

 

 

Information on the Bachelor of European Studies at the Open Day

On Saarland University's Open Day on 8 June, the Cluster for European Studies (CEUS) will be running an information stand on the Bachelor of European Studies at the Campus Center from 10:00 to 16:00. If you want to study a versatile and future-orientated subject and are interested in international contexts across disciplines, the Bachelor of European Studies is the right programme for you.

There will also be a talk in Building B3 2, Room 0.03 from 13:00 to 14:00. It will provide information about the structure and content of the degree programme and the possible specialisations, as well as career opportunities. Afterwards, questions can be asked about the degree programme and the specialisations on offer.

Further information about the information stand
Further information on the talk

 

 

Talk on the Open Day: "European elections in danger?"

Date: 8 June
Time: 10:30 to 11 a.m.
Location: Building E1 3, Room 0.02

Can AI and fake news jeopardise elections? How does political opinion-forming work in times of social media and AI-generated content? How can their influence be measured? Political science professor and European policy expert Daniela Braun will get to the bottom of these questions together with Humboldt Professor of Artificial Intelligence Ingmar Weber. They discuss the opportunities and risks of digital technologies for European democracies.

 

 

Interview mit Prof. Braun in der Saarbrücker Zeitung: „Alles Negative wird auf EU-Ebene geschoben“

Am 9. Juni 2024 wird ein neues Europäisches Parlament gewählt. Prof. Daniela Braun gab der Saarbrücker Zeitung ein Interview zu den anstehenden Wahlen. Im Gespräch mit der Zeitung diskutierte sie verschiedene Aspekte der Europawahlen und der Europäischen Union im Allgemeinen. Dabei ging es um Fragen der demokratischen Legitimation, der Rolle des Europäischen Parlaments und der nationalen Regierungen sowie der Bedeutung der Wahlen für die Bürgerinnen und Bürger.

Eines der besprochenen Themen war, ob es ein Demokratie-Defizit der EU gibt, insbesondere im Hinblick auf die Sitzverteilung im Europäischen Parlament. Prof. Braun betonte auch die Wichtigkeit der Europawahlen und ermutigte die Bürgerinnen und Bürger, wählen zu gehen. Sie erklärte, dass das Europäische Parlament in fast allen Politikbereichen mitentscheide und dass die Wahlen eine Möglichkeit seien, die eigene Stimme hörbar zu machen.

Zum Interview

 

 

Talk: "Gender in Political Science: Europe - Climate - Security"

Date: 29.05.2024
Time: 18:00-20:00
Location: Building E2 5, Lecture Hall II

On 29 May 2024, the talk "Gender in Political Science: Europe - Climate - Security" by Prof Daniela Braun and Djamila Jabra, M.A. will take place. The lecture will shed light on the role of gender research in political science and will focus in particular on the importance of feminist approaches to the study of European policy issues, climate conflicts and security measures.

The lecture is part of the Gender Lecture Series "Facets of Diversity: Gender Research and its Significance for Society".

Further information

 

 

VOTO - Wahlhilfe für Saarbrücken und Merzig ist jetzt ONLINE!

VOTO, die digitale Wahlhilfe für die Kommunalwahlen in Saarbrücken und Merzig ist jetzt online. Die beiden politikwissenschaftlichen Lehrstühle Prof. Daniela Braun und Prof. Georg Wenzelburger haben das Tool speziell für die Kommunalwahlen in Saarbrücken und Merzig entwickelt. Damit haben die Bürgerinnen und Bürger der beiden Städte nun die Möglichkeit, ihre persönlichen Interessen mit den Inhalten der aktuellen örtlichen Wahlprogramme der vertretenen Parteien einfach abzugleichen. Die Saarbrücker Zeitung hat einen ausführlichen Bericht über die Entwicklung, die Inhalte und den Nutzen von VOTO verfasst, der hier nachgelesen werden kann: Bericht Saarbrücker Zeitung_Online-Wahlhilfe in Saarbrücken und Merzig_15.05.2024

Die VOTO-Wahlhilfe steht online unter folgenden Links zur Verfügung:

VOTO-Saarbrücken

VOTO-Merzig

Das VOTO-Projekt dient der politischen Bildung, verfolgt keinerlei kommerzielle Interessen, ist kostenlos und politisch neutral.

 

 

Talk and debate: "Germany before the European elections"

03 June 2024, 6 pm
Europaallee 8, 66113 Saarbrücken

Against the backdrop of the upcoming European elections, Stiftung Demokratie Saarland is organising an introductory event on the topic of European elections. In their joint lecture ‘Germany before the European elections’, Prof Daniela Braun and Prof Markus Tausendpfund will provide an introduction to and an overview of the topic of EU elections. In terms of content, they will look at various modalities and aspects accompanying the European elections. They will look at the EU election programmes and identify their theses: are they predominantly national or European in nature? At the end, the audience will be invited to discuss the question: ‘Are European elections actually European elections?’.

Further information

YouTube livestream

Press release

 

 

International Political Science Conference: Emotional Dynamics of (In)security and Politics

At the conference (11-13 June 2024) the relationship between feelings of (in)security and emotional protection needs as well as the political responses to them will be examined. Prof. Bethany Albertson (The University of Texas at Austin) has been secured as keynote speaker and will give her lecture entitled ‘What Counts as Protection in an Age of Insecurity?’ on 11 June 2024 at 6 pm. The final lecture on 13 June will be given by Prof. Iryna Hubeladze (Institute for Social and Political Psychology of the National Academy of Educational Sciences of Ukraine) with the title ‘Sense of Security and Civic Responsibility: The Identity of Ukrainians in the Conditions of the Russian-Ukrainian War’.

Prof Daniela Braun will host the second panel. The event is organised by the Chair of Political Science and Comparative European Studies at Saarland University. There is no conference fee. If you have any questions, please contact the organising team Dr Beatriz Carbone and Prof. Dr Georg Wenzelburger.

Further information

 

 

Vortrag von Beate Klünder, NABU e. V.

Im Rahmen der Vorlesung im Kernbereich des BA Europawissenschaften "Europäische Integration und politische Instrumente"( Prof. Dr. Daniela Braun), findet ein Vortrag zum Thema „Interessengruppen und Lobbyismus im EU-Mehrebenensystem aus der Perspektive des NABU“ mit anschließender Diskussion statt. Der Vortrag wird gehalten von Beate Klünder, die als persönliche Referentin des Fachbereichsleiters Klima- und Umweltpolitik, NABU – Naturschutzbund Deutschland e.V. in Berlin tätig ist.

Der Vortrag richtet sich insbesondere an die Studierenden der Fachrichtung Gesellschaftswissenschaftliche Europaforschung, welche herzlich zur Teilnahme eingeladen sind: Dienstag, 07.05.2024 ,14:15-16:45 Uhr, Raum 0.23, Gebäude C5.3.

 

 

Online voting aid VOTO

This year is a super election year: on 9 June 2024, not only will the European elections take place, but local elections will also be held at the same time in some German federal states - including Saarland.

Especially for this occasion, Saarland University is currently developing an online voting aid similar to the Wahl-O-Mat: ‘VOTO’. This online tool is intended to offer citizens the opportunity to compare their political preferences with the local parties' electoral offerings in order to obtain an overview of the range of local political options available to them.

Press release

 

 

SWR2-Interview mit Prof. Daniela Braun: Warum wir EU-Politik oft langweilig finden

Prof. Daniela Braun wurde am 03.05.2024 von SWR Aktuell-Moderator Pascal Fournier interviewt. Thema des Gesprächs im Rahmen des Formats „Aktuell“ war die im Juni bevorstehende Europawahl. Denn gemäß einer Infratest dimap-Umfrage, interessiert sich nur knapp die Hälfte der Deutschen Bevölkerung dafür. Warum das so ist, welche Bedeutung sie für uns im Alltag haben, wer sich besonders für Europathemen interessiert und was man ändern kann - darüber haben sie hier gesprochen: Zum SWR2-Interview. Das Interview wurde am 03.05.2024 um 12:00 Uhr auf SWR2 ausgestrahlt.

 

 

Talk by Prof Daniela Braun in Heidelberg

On 3 May, Prof. Daniela Braun will give a talk at the Europe Weeks organised by the Franco-German Cultural Circle in her former place of study, Heidelberg. The talk is entitled "The 2024 European elections - a Franco-German analysis in the run-up" and will take place in the Friedrich-Ebert-Haus from 18:00. It will be followed by a drink in the bakery. In her talk , Prof Daniela Braun will compare the German and French perspectives on the European elections: What are the differences in the process, what expectations are associated with the elections in the two countries and are European elections European?

Further Information

 

 

Panel discussion "Why gender studies?"

On 8 May, the panel discussion "Why gender studies?" will take place in the Ratshausfestsaal Saarbrücken from 6 to 8 pm. The panel discussion is part of the lecture series "Facets of Diversity - Gender Research and its Significance for Society" and the UdS Diversity Weeks 2024. It will be followed by a comic reading by Elisabeth Pich.

Guests:

  • Prof Andrea Geier (CePoG Trier)
  • Prof Ulrike Zöller (htw saar)
  • Prof Astrid Fellner (UdS)
  • L Crescimone (Queer-Referat AStA UdS)
  • Dr Sybille Jung (Equal Opportunities Office UdS)

Moderation: Dr Lisa Juliane Schneider (Women's Representative LH Saarbrücken)

Event information

 

 

Event info: Prof. Michaela Maier (RPTU): "Shades of EU scepticism 2024"

As part of the lecture series "Politics in Europe" of the joint political science colloquium of the chairs of Prof. Dr Daniela Braun and Prof. Dr Georg Wenzelburger, a lecture will take place on 2 May 2024.

Prof Dr Michaela Maier is Professor of Communication Psychology at the Institute of Communication Psychology and Media Education at the Rhineland-Palatinate University of Technology Kaiserslautern-Landau. In her lecture entitled "Shades of EU secpticism 2024", she summarises how Eurosceptic and pro-European parties strategically communicated their respective positions during the election campaign for the last European elections and compares the results with materials from the current election campaign.

Event information

 

 

Lecture: "What data and AI reveal about the world - new opportunities and risks"

Prof Dr Daniela Braun and Prof Dr Ingmar Weber will give a lecture entitled "What data and AI reveal about the world - new opportunities and risks" on 24 April from 6 to 8 p.m. in building E1 7 on the UdS campus. The interdisciplinary lecture serves as an excursion destination for the course "ChatGPT and co - Understanding Artificial Intelligence" organised by the Protestant Academy in Saarland.

Further information

 

 

Lecture: "European elections 2024 - how motivated are the parties and voters to get involved?"

As part of the Open Day programme, Prof Dr Braun will give an insight into political science. The European elections will take place in Germany on 9 June 2024. Against this background, we would like to look at the motivations of voters as well as the parties standing for election on the previous day. These elections are the only direct elections at European level. They were introduced over forty years ago to strengthen the importance of the parliament in the institutional system of the European Union (EU) and at the same time to increase the democratic legitimacy of the confederation of states. At the same time, these elections are known for their characterisation as less important elections with comparatively low voter turnout and little interest on the part of the population. The lecture will take place from 12:00 in room 0.03, building B3 2.

 

 

Presentation in Spain on political parties in border regions

From 1 to 5 April, Dr. Rosa Navarrete attended the Autonomous University of Madrid (Spain) with funding from the Erasmus+ Staff Training Mobility program. During her stay she engaged in teaching and research activities and presented her work done in cooperation with Prof. Dr. Daniela Braun, Dr. Giuseppe Carteny, Dr. Alexander Hartland and Djamila Jabra about political parties in border regions in the context of the lecture series of the Research Group "Elites and Political Actors".

 

 

Series of lectures: "Politics in Europe"

As part of a joint political science colloquium of the chairs of Prof. Dr. Daniela Braun (focus on European Integration and International Relations) and Prof. Dr. Georg Wenzelburger (Comparative European Studies) of the Department of European Social Research and the Cluster for European Studies CEUS, the lecture series "Politics in Europe" will take place again in the summer semester with three contributions:

 

02.05.2024, 16:30-18:00, Building B3 1, Room 0.13
Prof. Michaela Maier (RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau)

Shades of EU scepticism 2024
Event information

18.06.2024, 16:30-18:00, Building C1 7, Room 0.08
Dr. Paul C. Bauer (Uni Freiburg
)
Is there an Affective Component of Political Trust Ratings in Surveys?
Event information will follow shortly

25.07.2024,16:30-18:00, Building B3 1, Room 0.13
Dr. Martin Gross (LMU München)

How Salient is Cohesion Policy for Regional Governments? Empirical Evidence from Germany
Event information

Interested parties are cordially invited to attend. Please register in advance at vinciane.pilz(at)uni-saarland.de.

 

 

"Who cares about Europe?" - Dossier of the bpb

What is the state of public support for the EU? How do international crises influence political trust? And how are the EU institutions perceived? These questions are addressed in a dossier by Prof Daniela Braun, published by the Federal Agency for Civic Education (bpb) under the title "Who cares about Europe: Public opinion on the European Union and its elections".

To the dossier

 

 

Podcast episode of the State Agency for Civic Education of Baden-Württemberg with Prof Daniela Braun

For the "Politisch bildet" podcast, the State Agency for Civic Education of Baden-Württemberg has invited Prof Daniela Braun as a discussion partner. The episode entitled "European elections 2024: Are the European elections European enough?" focuses on the relevance of the European elections for the population, the effects of the lowered voting age in the upcoming European elections this year and, of course, the question of how European the European elections are. Towards the end, Prof Braun will give tips to first-time voters on how to make the decision to vote easier. Prof Braun wrote an analysis on the topic for the state agency's magazine "Deutschland & Europa" last year.

To the podcast episode

 

 

Lectures for the public lecture series "Facets of diversity - gender research and its significance for society" have been announced

The lecture series "Facets of Diversity - Gender Research and its Significance for Society" is organised by Prof Daniela Braun and Prof Astrid Fellner and is part of the Diversity Week programme initiated by the Equal Opportunities and Diversity Management Office. In terms of content, it poses questions, offers answers and aims to illuminate and discuss the significance of various diversity factors in science and society. Based on the latest findings from feminist theory, gender, queer and trans studies as well as empirical gender research, selected experts from various research areas will provide an insight into recent research areas and current research approaches in the humanities, cultural studies, social sciences, law and natural sciences. Exciting findings from current research projects will be explained and the significance of this research and its findings for society will be demonstrated. The events are open to all interested parties without registration and are free of charge.

The lectures of the public lecture series have been published in a press release.
Information on the overall programme of Diversity Week 2024 can be found here.
Further information

 

UACES panel discussion with Prof Daniela Braun

The University Association for Contemporary European Studies (UACES) is hosting a panel discussion on 27 March 2024 entitled "Beyond the Ballot Box: Domestic Politics & the Future of the European Union", in which Prof Daniela Braun will participate. The webinar will focus on the upcoming European elections and how the challenges of the last five years will affect the election and what influence domestic events and elections of the individual EU member states will have.

Further information

 

 

Djamila Jabra elected as ECIB spokesperson

From 20 to 22 March 2024, the 17th Early Career Conference on International Relations of the DVPW took place at the Academy for Political Education in Tutzing. Djamila Jabra, M.A. gave a presentation entitled "From Warnings to Wars - A Comprehensive Review of IPCC Reports on Climate and Conflicts" as part of her doctoral project. She was also elected to the team of speakers of the Early Career Group International Relations (ECIB).

ECIB on Twitter

 

 

Interview with Prof Daniela Braun on Saarländischer Rundfunk

An interview with Prof Daniela Braun was featured in the "Aktueller Bericht" programme on Saarländischer Rundfunk on 21 March 2024 on the topic of crises. Prof Braun spoke about the influence of crises on politics, to what extent they pose a threat, but also to what extent they offer opportunities to enable a rethink. The programme is available in German in the ARD media library, the report starts at minute 14:00, the interview at 16:45.

Programme in the ARD media library

 

 

EU project ActEU turns one year old

The Horizon-funded EU project ActEU has now been running for a year. Prof Daniela Braun and Dr Alex Hartland will present the first results in June at the conference Emotional Dynamics of (In)security and Politics at Saarland University, in July at the annual EPSA conference in Cologne and in September at the DVPW Congress in Göttingen.

The ActEU project aims to find answers to the following questions: How can we conceptualise and empirically measure political trust and legitimacy beyond the usual survey question "How much trust do you have in the Parliament?"? Does the multi-level nature of European representative democracies require an identical level of support from citizens at regional, national and EU level? To what extent does social polarisation on key political issues of our time - immigration, climate change and gender inequality - challenge political trust in democratic political systems and their legitimacy? And what can political decision-makers and civil society do to overcome these challenges?

Further information

 

 

Presentation of the "ProConEU" project at the Conference of European Affairs Ministers

On 20 March 2024, the project "ProConEU - Proponents and Opponents of the European Union: The Consequences of an Increasing Divide in Europe" of the BMBF funding line "Cohesion in Europe" will be presented at the meeting of the Standing Working Group of the Conference of European Affairs Ministers. The aim of the project, led by Prof Dr Daniela Braun, was to investigate the consequences of increasing division in and for Europe in the areas of party politics, the behaviour and attitudes of the electorate and the new social media.

Further information

 

 

New seminar on the 2024 European elections

As part of the seminar "The 2024 European Elections: Issues, Parties and Voters", students at Saarland University, led by Prof Dr Daniela Braun, will be developing topics for the online voting tool Voto (similar to Wahl-O-Mat).

The European elections are (so far) characterised as so-called "second-order elections": i.e. they are characterised by low participation and low interest among the population. At the same time, however, more and more Eurosceptic parties are winning these elections and political decisions are increasingly being made at EU level. In this respect, public attention may have increased as a result. Against this background, we will take a closer look at the election campaign, voting behaviour, the parties and the voters around the European elections.

The seminar is part of a block seminar entitled "Super election year 2024 in Saarland: European and local elections" with Prof. Dr Georg Wenzelburger, in whose seminar theses on local political issues will be developed.

Event information

 

 

Talk by Prof Braun at the practical day of the Master of Public Policy programme at the University of Duisburg-Essen

At the practical day of the Master of Public Policy at the University of Duisburg-Essen on 6 March 2024, Prof. Daniela Braun will give a talk entitled "Elections in the EU: European Institutions, Parties and Policies". This will be followed by a discussion with the audience. The practical day with the topic "Super election year 2024: Elections in Germany, the EU and worldwide" will take place at the NRW School of Governance.

Full programme of the practical day

 

 

Facets of diversity: gender research and its significance for society

Prof. Dr Daniela Braun and Prof. Dr Astrid M. Fellner
Every wednesday 18-20h c.t. (17.04. to 24.07.)
Location: Town hall and UdS campus (Building B3 2, Room 0.03)

In cooperation with the Gender Studies Forum of the UdS, the Equal Opportunities Office of the UdS, the Queer Working Group of the UdS, the ZelL, the htw, the Women's Office of the City of Saarbrücken and the FrauenGenderBibliothek Saar

What actually is gender research? What does it deal with? And why is the consideration of gender and other diversity factors an important aspect of many scientific disciplines and why is this important for society? To what extent are other dimensions of social, ethnic, cultural and sexual differentiation processes connected? The interdisciplinary lecture series "Facets of Diversity: Gender Research and its Significance for Society" poses questions, offers answers and aims to shed light on and discuss the significance of various diversity factors in science and society. Based on the latest findings from feminist theory, gender, queer and trans studies as well as empirical gender research, selected experts from various research areas will provide an insight into recent research areas and current research approaches in the humanities, cultural studies, social sciences, law and natural sciences.

Further information (LSF)

 

 

BGA European Committee event with Prof. Daniela Braun

The European Committee of the Federation of German Wholesale, Foreign Trade and Services (BGA), which represents the interests of the German economy, is organising a digital exchange on 5 March 2024 with Prof. Daniela Braun as keynote speaker.

The event, chaired by BGA Vice President and Committee Chairman Till Blässinger, will focus on the European elections on 9 June and questions about the future of the European Union: How must the EU be shaped so that trust in it grows again? How can we achieve long-term stability, less bureaucracy and a competitive economic area? The aim of the event is for as many companies as possible that are members of the BGA to enter into a constructive dialogue with the European level in order to increase interest in the elections and exchange views on current forecasts.

Further information (in German)

 

 

Event information: Presentation of Prof Dr Armin Schäfer

The lecture of Dr Armin Schäfer (Uni Mainz): 'Sore losers? Populism and the acceptance of election results in Europe' on 23 January 2023, 16:30-18:00, Building B3 2, HS 0.03 as part of the lecture series 'Politics in Europe' of the joint political science colloquium of the chairs of Prof. Dr Daniela Braun and Prof. Dr Georg Wenzelburger is CANCELED!

Prof Dr Armin Schäfer has been a Professor of Comparative Politics at the Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz since April 2022. He began his academic career by studying political science and economics at the Philipps University of Marburg. After completing his studies, he earned his doctorate at the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies in Cologne in 2004 and then worked as a research assistant at the University of Bremen.

In 2014, Armin Schäfer completed his habilitation at the Ruprecht Karls University of Heidelberg and accepted a professorship in political science specialising in 'International Comparative Political Economy' at the University of Osnabrück. He later moved to the Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, specialising in comparative politics, and returned to the MPI as a visiting researcher. Armin Schäfer has also been the spokesperson for the Political Economy section since 2012 and a member of the board of the German Political Science Association since 2015.

 View complete programme

 

 

Tagesschau interview with Daniela Braun: How trust in politics can be restored

In a personal interview with Corinna Emundts, federal political correspondent for tagesschau.de, Prof Daniela Braun looks back on the political year of the 'traffic light' coalition and, against the backdrop of the last budget debates, examines the question of whether politics, and the coalition in particular, is experiencing a crisis of confidence – and if so, what could be the reason for this and what could be done to change it.

Full interview

 

 

New publication on "How European are the European elections?"

In their article published in the Zeitschrift für Gemeinschaftskunde, Geschichte und Wirtschaft, Prof Dr Daniela Braun and Prof Dr Markus Tausendpfund explore the question of how European the European elections are.

"From 6 to 9 June 2024, the citizens of the European Union (EU) will be asked to elect the European Parliament (EP) for the tenth time. MEPs have been directly elected since 1979. The aim of these elections was to strengthen the role of the Parliament in the EU's institutional system and to address the much-cited democratic deficit in the EU. Nevertheless, since their introduction, the European elections have been known for their secondary election character" Full article

 

 

Policy webinar "Europe has the choice - programmes and economic perspectives for the future of Europe" with Prof. Dr. Daniela Braun

On Tuesday, 05.12.2023 from 10:00-16:00 there will be a policy webinar organised by ISWA on the above lecture. 

The webinar, organised by the Institute for Social and Economic Policy Education (ISWA), will focus on the upcoming European elections and the fundamental question: What are the priorities that European policy should focus on? Various topics will be discussed with experts from politics, business, science and the media. Prof. Dr Daniela Braun, Professor of Political Science with a focus on European Integration and International Relations at Saarland University, together with Dr Manuel Müller, ‍Senior Research Fellow at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs (FIIA) and founder of the blog The (European) Federalist, Helsinki (Finland), will discuss the topic of forecasts for majorities in the European Parliament - significance for decision-making, economic policy and Europe as a business location. 

Further information and registration

 

 

Dialogue evening on the climate crisis, transformation and democracy

As part of the "Baustelle Nachhaltigkeit" lecture series, Jonas Schaible, Spiegel editor and author of the book "Demokratie im Feuer. Warum wir die Freiheit nur bewahren, wenn wir das Klima retten - und umgekehrt" will be speaking on Wednesday, 6 December from 6 p.m. in the main hall of the vhs-Zentrum at the Schloss (Am Schloßplatz 2, 66119 Saarbrücken, 1st floor) on the topic of the climate crisis, transformation and democracy.

In the subsequent discussion with Dr Frank Nägele, Saarland Commissioner for Structural Change, Jörn Didas, Director of the Adolf Bender Centre and Prof. Dr Daniela Braun, political scientist at Saarland University, these and other questions will be explored in greater depth. Ulrike Dausend, Network Coordinator of the One World Promoter Programme in Saarland and Managing Director of NES e.V., will moderate the event.  

Further information

 

 

Student assistant in the EU-funded project ActEU to start on 15 January 2024

As part of the EU-funded project ActEU, the Chair of Political Science with a focus on European Integration and International Relations is looking for a student assistant with 8 hours per week to support research activities from 15 January 2024.

To apply, please send your CV and a letter of motivation (as a single pdf) with the subject "Student Assistant Application" to Alex Hartland by 30 November 2023.Call for applications

 

 

Event information: Dr Isabelle Guinaudeau (Science Po Paris): "Mandates, Pledge fulfilment and Representation in France and Germany"

Lecture on 21 November 2023, 16:15-17:45, Building B3 2, HS 0.03 as part of the lecture series "Politics in Europe" of the joint political science colloquium of the chairs of Prof. Dr Daniela Braun and Prof. Dr Georg Wenzelburger.

Dr Isabelle Guinaudeau holds a double degree in social sciences from Sciences Po Bordeaux and the Institute of Social Sciences at the University of Stuttgart. She also completed a Master's degree in German language, literature and culture at the Université de Strasbourg. She completed her Franco-German doctorate in political science at Sciences Po Bordeaux and the University of Stuttgart with summa cum laude honours. In addition to her position as a CNRS researcher at Sciences Po Paris, she is a visiting professor at the University of Zurich.

Her research focuses on comparative politics, party competition, European integration, parties in policymaking and policy analysis. In recent years, she has been studying, among other things, public support for European integration in a comparison of time and countries, the conditions for the implementation of electoral programmes, contemporary changes in political parties in a Franco-German comparison and the significance of party programmes in policy-making.

Interested parties are cordially invited to register in advance at Vinciane Pilz.View complete programme

 

 

Student assistant to begin on 15 January 2024

The Chair of Prof. Dr Daniela Braun for Political Science with a focus on European Integration and International Relations in the Department of European Social Research has a vacancy for a student assistant (without a degree) for eight hours per week from 15 January 2024.

To apply, please send your CV and letter of motivation in one file to Vinciane Pilz  by 30 November 2023.

Job advertisement

 

 

Lecture series "Politics in Europe"

As part of a joint political science colloquium of the chairs of Prof. Dr. Daniela Braun (focus on European Integration and International Relations) and Prof. Dr. Georg Wenzelburger (Comparative European Studies) of the Department of European Social Research and the Cluster for European Studies CEUS, the lecture series "Politics in Europe" will take place in the winter semester with three contributions (see poster).

Interested parties are cordially invited to attend. Please register in advance at Vinciane Pilz.

View poster

 

Lecture "Representative democracy in decline"

On October 19, Alex Hartland gave his lecture "Representative democracy in decline" at Fraunhofer ISI. He presented an overview of the ActEU project.

The ISI lecture series bundles exciting topics from the Fraunhofer ISI portfolio and offers opportunities for discussion and exchange at regular intervals.

More information

 

CEUS Conference "Border Regions as Laboratories for European Research"

On 9 and 10 October 2023, the interdisciplinary conference of the CEUS (Cluster for European Research) took place at the Villa Europa in Saarbrücken with the theme "Border Regions as Laboratories of European Research". The starting point was the assumption that Europe's political, social, legal, historical, cultural and linguistic fault lines become more prominent in inner-European border regions, as became clear, for example, during the so-called "refugee crisis" and the Corona pandemic, when border regions were particularly affected by controls or even border closures. However, quite independently of these crisis phases, it can be assumed that in such inner-European border regions certain developments that are given within Europe or the multi-level system of the EU are more prominent (e.g. support for politics in Europe; identification with the EU; European party politics).

Prof. Dr. Daniela Braun was the moderator of the conference and Dr. Rosa Navarrete, Dr. Giuseppe Carteny, Dr. Alex Hartland and Djamila Jabra, M.A. also participated from the chair team.

View programme

 

 

TEPSA Training: "Inside the European Parliament"

Prof. Daniela Braun will participate in the Trans European Policy Studies Association's online seminar from 11-13 October 2023. 20 students will have an opportunity to gain first-hand insights from researchers, EU practitioners, and policymakers on the functioning of the European Parliament, its role in the complex architecture of EU governance, and the role of youth electoral participation. The event takes place in the framework of the ActEU project.

View programme

 

New publication by Dr Rosa M. Navarrete

"Protecting the climate to challenge the centre? Secessionism and climate policy preferences in Catalonia"

Climate policy is mostly ruled by national governments, which in multi-level systems creates tensions with sub-national tiers.  In this research, the authors analyse whether the salience of climate change in the manifestos of parties competing in the 2017 and 2021 Catalan regional elections varies between them and if these differences are associated with the aforementioned cleavage. The empirical findings reveal that the prominence given to climate change in the manifestos of the parties studied tends to be higher the more pro-periphery the positions of parties are, and the more salient decentralisation and independence.

Read article

 

Interview series "life after the PhD": Alex Hartland

"Life after the PhD" is a series of interviews conducted with former University of Manchester postgraduate students, discussing the multiple paths available for students once they finish their doctoral research. In this issue, a summary of the conversation with Alex Hartland is presented, who finished his PhD in Politics at the University of Manchester to take on a role as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Saarland, Germany.

Read article

 

New article by Prof. Daniela Braun in the Zeitschrift für Politikwissenschaft

"Arising calls for national sovereignty in times of European crises and the political Zeitenwende"

The recent periods of multiple crises go hand in hand with calls for more national sovereignty. Drawing on data provided by the Manifesto Project, this contribution seeks to study empirically how widespread the wish to ‘take back control’ is reflected through political parties all over Europe. We show that although ‘sovereignist’ issues across EU member states were not among the political top priorities in the past, parties’ issue emphasis has increased in the shadow of the last decade’s multiple crises. On top of that, we argue that sovereignist aspirations have the potential to further increase alongside upcoming international challenges. In particular, events such as the Russian-Ukrainian war and the declared Zeitenwende may raise calls for more national sovereignty.

Read article or download article

 

 

Lecture by Prof. Daniela Braun

"How can we Measure, Study and Improve Citizens' Dissatisfaction with Representative Democracy in the EU's Multi-level System?" - Prof. Daniela Braun will give a lecture on this topic on 19 September 2023 from 12-13:30. This will provide an insight into the ActEU project funded by Horizon Europe.

The event will take place in building A 5 6 in room A 231. Further information

 

 

Dr Rosa Navarrete in a podcast on the situation in Spain

Spain does not yet have a majority capable of governing. The separatist Carles Puigdemont and his party could now be decisive. 

Detektor.fm presenter Nina Potzel spoke with Dr Rosa Navarrete about the political situation in Spain. She comments on the situation in the podcast "Government with separatists?".

Listen here

 

New research institute "Interdisciplinary Institute for Societal Computing (I2SC)"

On 7 and 8 September 2023, the "Interdisciplinary Institute for Societal Computing (I2SC)" will be inaugurated at Saarland University with a two-day symposium. The institute promotes interdisciplinary research at Saar University and offers a platform for exchange between social sciences, humanities and computer sciences. It is headed by Ingmar Weber, Humboldt Professor of Artificial Intelligence, and Daniela Braun, Professor of Political Science. Read full article

 

Official announcement of the new focus of the Bachelor's degree programme in European Studies "Politics - Law - Society"

How does the interaction of political institutions in Europe work? What influence do national governments have? And how do culture and economy differ in the individual EU member states? These are the questions that the new focus of the Bachelor's programme in European Studies examines, concentrating on politics, law and society in Europe. Enrolment in the admission-free degree programme is still possible until 30 September. This article  officially announces the new specialisation.

 

 

 

Dr. Rosa Navarrete talks to BBC about the election results in Spain

Dr. Rosa Navarrete is a research assistant at the Chair of Political Science with a focus on European Integration and International Relations in the Department of European Social Research. She is an expert in the field of politics in Spain and was interviewed by the BBC about the results and their interpretation in the context of the current electoral events in Spain.

Link to the Spanish article

Translation by Dr. Navarrete in English

 

 

Presentation of the degree programme "European Studies: Politics - Law - Society (B.A.)"

Three questions - three answers: in this video, Prof. Dr. Daniela Braun, Prof. Dr. Georg Wenzelburger and Prof. Dr. Martin Schröder introduce the Bachelor's programme "European Studies" with a specialisation in Politics - Law - Society at Saarland University. They answer the questions: "What can I expect during my studies?", "Why should I study in Saarbrücken?" and "What job opportunities will I have afterwards?".

 

 

Event information: Prof. Dr. Joachim Schild (University of Trier): "Deutsch-französische Beziehungen in der Zeitwende"

Lecture as part of the series "Politik in Europa" on 13.07.2023, 16:30-18 h, Building B2 2, HS II (R. 1.08)

Prof. Dr. Joachim Schild of the University of Trier will give his lecture as a part of the series "Politik in Europa", which is organised as part of the political science colloquium of the two chairs of political science Prof. Dr. Daniela Braun (focus on European Integration and International Relations) and Prof. Dr. Georg Wenzelburger (Comparative European Politics) of the Department of European Social Research and the Cluster for European Studies CEUS.

The speaker, Prof. Dr. Joachim Schild, is Professor of Political Science/Comparative Politics at the University of Trier. His research focuses on French European policy, Franco-German relations, political economy of European integration and the political system of the V French Republic.

Interested persons are cordially invited, pre-registration to Vinciane.Pilz(at)uni-saarland.de is requested.

 

 

Event information: Dr. Katjana Gattermann (University of Amsterdam): "The personalization of politics in the European Union"

Lecture by Dr. Katjana Gattermann (University of Amsterdam) as part of the series "Politik in Europa" on 20.06.2023, 16:30-18:00, Building B3 1, R. 0.14.

Dr. Katjana Gattermann from the University of Amsterdam will give her lecture in the lecture series "Politik in Europa", which is organised as part of the political science colloquium of the two chairs of political science Prof. Dr. Daniela Braun (focus on European Integration and International Relations) and Prof. Dr. Georg Wenzelburger (Comparative European Politics) of the Department of European Social Research and the Cluster for European Studies CEUS.

The speaker, Dr Katjana Gattermann, is a researcher at the University of Amsterdam in the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, specialising in Political Communication and Journalism. Research interests include political communication, political behaviour, public opinion, journalism and legislative behaviour with a regional focus on the European Union. Her work addresses issues concerning the relationship between representatives and representatives and, in particular, the unifying role of the media in this relationship, thus feeding into debates on the legitimacy and accountability of politics.

Interested persons are cordially invited to attend. Please register in advance at Vinciane.Pilz(at)uni-saarland.de.

 

 

Prof. Daniela Braun is a member of the CEUS Board of Directors

As the central academic institution of Saarland University, the Cluster for European Studies (CEUS) offers European researchers at the University an interdisciplinary platform for exchanging ideas, networking and implementing joint research and project ideas. The board of directors is composed of three interdisciplinary members of the college, each of whom belongs to one of the three participating faculties (Empirical Human Sciences and Economics HW, Faculty of Philosophy P, Faculty of Law R).

 

 

 

We are pleased to welcome Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Hermann Schmitt as a visiting scholar at Saarland University!

Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Hermann Schmitt's research interests include the following:

  • Party democracy, in particular the conditions and mechanisms of the responsiveness of political parties to changes in the policy preferences of their electorates
  • European elections (which he, together with Karl-Heinz Reif, first characterised as "second-order elections" in 1980)
  • Questions of political representation
  • Public opinion, especially the emergence of policy moods and the problem of non-attitudes

He examines these questions with regard to German politics and the multi-level system of the European Union, but also in international comparison. Methodologically, this mostly involves international comparative survey analyses and quantitative content analyses, as well as the linking of both. For a long time, he was one of the main authors ofEuropean Election Studies.

His habilitation (venia legendi for political science) took place at the Free University of Berlin and at the University of Mannheim, his doctorate in social sciences (Dr. sc. pol.) at the University of Duisburg. Hermann Schmitt is Professor Emeritus of Electoral Politicsat the University of Manchester and is a Research Fellowat the Mannheim Centre for European Social Research (MZES).

 

 

New publication by Dr. Rosa M. Navarrete and Marc Debus: "The Importance of EU Issues in German Elections"

The decision-making processes employed by German politicians and voters in elections to the German Bundestag matter decisively for policy-making at the European level. When casting their vote, German voters choose their representatives and are in a position to use federal elections to keep European Union (EU) policy accountable and better defend their national interests. Nevertheless, the German press and political parties—with the exception of those on the radical right, like the Alternative for Germany (AfD—Alternative für Deutschland)—tend not to use EU issues to mobilize voters and do not politicize EU integration policy. This pro-European vocation would suggest there is no place for EU issue voting in Germany; however, this is not the case. This contribution disentangles the apparent consensus about the EU and assesses the nuances that indicate the Europeanization of German elections. 

Acces the publication here

 

Series of lectures: "Politik in Europa"

In the summer semester 2023, the lecture series "Politik in Europa" will take place as part of a joint colloquium of the two chairs of political science Prof. Dr. Daniela Braun (focus on European Integration and International Relations) and Prof. Dr. Georg Wenzelburger (Comparative European Politics) - both political science chairs at the Cluster for European Studies CEUS. Event poster

Unfortunately, the lecture by Ms Isabelle Guinaudeau announced for 11.05.2023 had to be cancelled at short notice. A colloquium of our political science chairs of the Department of European Social Research of the CEUS Cluster is planned again for the winter semester 23/24, in which she will present her lecture. As soon as the planning is finalised, we will be happy to forward the exact event information to everyone interested.

The other event dates remain unchanged and we look forward to a lively participation!

Please register in advance at Vinciane.Pilz(at)uni-saarland.de. You will then be informed of the respective rooms by e-mail.

 

 

New research projects on democracy promotion and gender-related party politics in Europe

How can political trust be strengthened and how can gender-related issues be adequately taken into account in party politics? Two new European research consortia are dealing with these questions on European politics. Daniela Braun, professor of Political Science with a focus on European Integration and International Relations and a member of the Cluster for European Studies at Saarland University, is involved in them.

Read full article

 

Latest publication

New publication on the topic of pan-European parties: What are pan-European parties, how have pan-European party activities developed and what are their major challenges?

View book

 

Invitation to the inaugural lecture

The Department of European Social Research cordially invites you to the joint inaugural lecture of Prof. Dr. Daniela Braun, Prof. Dr. Martin Schröder and Prof. Dr. Georg Wenzelburger on Wednesday, 25 January 2023 at 4:30 pm.

The event will take place in the large lecture hall, building A1 7.

Further information can be found in the invitation.

 

 

Europe Podium 2023: Between Europeanisation and Renationalisation. How much political trust does the EU generate?

Panel discussion on Thursday, 19 January 2023 at 6:30 pm in the Festival Hall of St. Johann Town Hall. Discussing:

  • Prof. Dr. Daniela Braun (Saarland University)
  • Patrick Lobis (Representation of the European Commission in Germany, EU Regional Office in Bonn)
  • Prof. Dr. Birte Wassenberg (Sciences Po Strasbourg)
  • Moderation: Marc-André Kruppa (Saarländischer Rundfunk)

For further information, please see the invitation.

 

 

60 Years of the Élysée Treaty: Interview with Professor Daniela Braun

On Sunday it will be 60 years since the Élysée Treaty was signed and 60 years later Europe seems to be at a crossroads: Some would like to dare more Europe, others are once again increasingly sounding nationalistic tones. Where is Europe heading? And what role do Germany and France play in it?
A conversation between Prof. Daniela Braun and Katrin Aue on SR 2 on 17 January 2023.

Listen here

 

 

Recent publication: "Who holds the union together? Citizens’ preferences for European Union cohesion in challenging times"

Although polarisation risks breaking up the European family, such conflicts paired with transnational challenges can also raise awareness of the need for more European Union (EU) cohesion. In order to approach the hitherto underspecified concept, this article connects the recent literature on social cohesion with research on various facets of public EU support – integration preferences, identity, voting behaviour, and solidarity. Building on survey data from 10 EU countries taken at the end of 2020, a latent class analysis identifies two distinct groups of preferences for EU cohesion: its friends and its foes. EU cohesion can be achieved by highlighting personal advantages of European integration and by stressing joint approaches to crises, civic education, and democratic processes.

Read entire article

 

Prof. Dr. Daniela Braun: New Professor of Political Science with a focus on European Integration and International Relations

Prof. Daniela Braun, formerly Academic Councillor at the Geschwister Scholl Institute of the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, is the new Professor of Political Science with a focus on European Integration and International Relations.

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