PROJECTS
[1] EUN-NET: Research Network on EU-UN Relations (06/2016 - 08/2019)
Scope: The proposal brings together established academics with a proven record of research and teaching excellence in the field of EU-UN relations. The aim is to promote research on and studying of the EU-UN interactions by encouraging exchange of academic best-practice and creating a thematic trans-national research group. At the same time, we aim to forge a broader common public space for informed analysis, comment and broader debate of current EU-UN issues. The former will be achieved by the use of a variety of teaching methodologies and the establishment of a research network comprising academics and young researchers that will outlive the duration of the program. The latter will entail an enhanced cooperation between the academia and civil society stakeholders, in order to fully comprehend and disseminate the dynamics of EU-UN relations. The Network is an offspring of an international research workshop organised in 2015. Given this Network’s orientation, the undertaken activities will revolve around three axes: education, research and dissemination of knowledge. Educational activities will take the form of (a) gathering supporting material and articulation of a comprehensive curriculum for EU-UN system studies as well as a comprehensive state-of-the-art Handbook on EU-UN relations; (b) teaching exchange visits among the partners of the Network; (c) a webinar on the EU-UN system relationship; (d) the development of classroom simulations and (e) training sessions for professionals. Research activities will lead to the above-mentioned Handbook, a Dataset of EU interventions in the UN and individual publications by the Network partners. Dissemination activities comprise both the set-up of an EU-UN Observatory to work as a data repository and support research and teaching on EU-UN relations, public events at national level to raise public awareness about the EU-UN interactions and a final event to present research findings and Network activities.
[2] XENO@GR: Examining xenophobia in Greece during the economic crisis: A computational perspective (09/2015 - 01/2017)
Scope: Xenophobia reflects a deep-rooted form of fear and hostility towards the ‘οther’, who is perceived as a “stranger” (in Greek “xenos”) to the group oneself belongs to. After the 1980s, Europe experienced the rebirth of xenophobia. The sense of threat of the national identity and of the homogeneity of the ethno-cultural community activated and mobilized negative feelings and hostility against the “foreigners”. The Great Recession in 2009 and the deteriorating of the economic conditions in crisis-ridden Europe prepared the fertile ground for a new wave of xenophobia. How have the prejudices and stereotypes about the ‘other’ been shaped over time? And, how does the economic crisis affect these beliefs and perceptions? The XENO@GR project examines the evolution of the phenomenon of xenophobia in the contemporary Greek society from the 1990s onward. The main research puzzle is whether (or not) the phenomenon of xenophobia is an outcome of the recent financial crisis or it comprises a long-lasting social perception deeply rooted in the Greek society.
[3] EUP@UNGA: The EU Performance at the United Nations General Assembly (02/2014 - 09/2015)
Scope: The project “EU Performance at the United Nations General Assembly” examines the EU international performance in the UN General Assembly (UNGA) and other related fora (main Committees, Commissions, Working Groups, Conferences, etc). The adoption of Resolution 65/276 in May 2011 has changed considerably the EUinstitutional representation in the UNGA, broadening the scope and modalities of the EU intervention in the debates taking place in the UNGA, its subsidiary bodies and conferences help under its auspices. The main research objective of the project is to identify the implications of Resolution 65/276 for the EU international role in the UN, especially in light of the hybrid, post-Lisbon Presidency system of the EU. In parallel to that, the project examines the intra-EU political and institutional consequences of these developments, in particular their impact on the inter-institutional balance in the EU foreign policy-making process. Both research axes contribute to the assessment of the EU international performance.
[4] RECONEU: Reconnecting Europe in Greece (09/2014 - 08/2017)
Scope: In a period of major changes in Greece due to the economic crisis, there is a widespread disappointment among citizens over the management of economic crisis in EMU countries. Disappointment is combined by lack of knowledge over the actual opportunities that the EU offers to citizens in order to transform their lives. RECONEU aims to provide and disseminate essential knowledge on how the EU works, the rights of EU citizens and practical information on EU policies and programs ameliorating the lives of citizens. The participants in the RECONEU events will acquire knowledge enabling to progress their educational/ professional plans in the EU and enhance their civic skills.