Schmidt Explains “Discursive Institutionalism” During Federal University of Minas Lecture
On June 24, 2022, Vivien Schmidt, Jean Monnet Professor of European Integration and Professor of International Relations and Political Science at the Pardee School, gave a lecture at the Federal University of Minas Gerais’ Department of Political Science on “discursive institutionalism.”
The presentation, titled “Discursive Institutionalism: The Power of Ideas and Discursive Interactions in Theory and Practice,” was part of a series of international seminars with cutting-edge scholars that have contributed to the organization of fields of research that are at the heart of the program.
Schmidt’s talk focused on what she calls the ‘fourth’ neo-institutionalism in political science, discursive institutionalism, which is a methodological approach to explanation focused on the substantive content of idea and the discursive processes of interaction in an institutional context. It is complementary to other areas of institutionalism including rationalist, historical, and sociological. Schmidt discussed the philosophical foundations of the approach, the many different methodologies it encompasses, and the nature of ideational and discursive power, plus considered different examples of its application to political economy and democracy.
Vivien Schmidt is a Professor of International Relations and Jean Monnet Professor of European Integration at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies and was the first Director of BU’s Center for the Study of Europe, housed at the Pardee School. Schmidt’s research focuses on European political economy, institutions, democracy, and political theory—in particular on the importance of ideas and discourse in political analysis. Read more about Professor Schmidt on her faculty profile.