Schmidt in Ethic on Democracy in Europe
Vivien Schmidt, Jean Monnet Professor of European Integration at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies and Director of the Center for the Study of Europe, was recently interviewed about how the crisis of confidence in the Eurozone has affected democracy across Europe.
Schmidt was quoted in a recent article in Ethic entitled “La búsqueda de Europa.”
From the translated text of the article:
Professor of International Relations Vivien Ann Schmidt writes that the crisis of confidence in the eurozone threatens even the sacramental concept of democracy . The bailout of Greece or the austerity policies imposed acutely felt by countries such as Ireland, Portugal or Spain have had an effect of double standards: on the one hand, have involved the public in the search for solutions and therefore has left somewhat ossified political scenarios and, ultimately, has evolved and given voice to new actors. The problem is that in many cases, these alternatives have embraced populism and have materialized in political formations that have fueled the skepticism towards the European project. For Schmidt, “the problem is not that the EU has invaded national competitions, but citizens have had little to say.”
You can read the entire article here.
Prof. Schmidt is Jean Monnet Professor of European Integration at Boston University. Her research focuses on European political economy, institutions, democracy, and political theory. She has published ten books, over 100 scholarly journal articles or chapters in books, and numerous policy briefs and comments, most recently on the Eurozone crisis. Her current work focuses on democratic legitimacy in Europe, with a special focus on the challenges resulting from the Eurozone crisis, and on methodological theory, in particular on the importance of ideas and discourse in political analysis (discursive institutionalism). You can learn more about her here.