November 2011 – Conference 1: “Alternatives to Austerity in the EU and US: Monetary Policies,” led by Public Policy and economics Professor James Galbraith and organized by CES in consultation with LBJ.
November 2011 – EU Center of Excellence Anthropology Lecture Series. Speaker: Vincent Crapanzano, the Distinguished Professor of Anthropology and Comparative Literature at the City University of New York, Graduate Center.
January 2012 – May 2012 – European Scholar II: Class of Visiting Scholar position from Sweden (to teach a course on Sweden and the EU).
January 2012 – Texas EU Summit 1: “Connecting Central Texas Businesses to the European Markets.”
February 2012 – Conference 2: “The Euro Crisis,” led by EU Law Professor Professor Jens Dammann and organized by CES in consultation with Law. Proceedings to be published in The Texas Journal of International Law.
March 2012 – EU-US Distinguished Business and Politics Lecture Series 2: Reshoring in the US and Europe: The End of the Outsourcing Era?Caspar Hunsche, Senior Director, The Supply Chain Council, Inc.
March (mid to late), 2012 – Applications for EU Visit Program Competition due and selection committee deliberates.
April 2012 – Conference 3: “Elite Policymaking and Financing in the EU and US: Accountability or Paralysis?” led by the former Chair of Government, Professor John Higley, and organized by CES in consultation with the Department of Government, CREEES, and LBJ.
April 2012 – Finals of Euro Challenge, NY.
April 2012 – Award notifications of EU Visit Program Competition and planning stage for sending 3 UT students and 2 High School faculty to Brussels, coordinated with EU Network Coordinating Center.
April 2012 – EU-US Distinguished Business and Politics Lecture Series 3: Interdependencies in the Global Downturn and the Risks of Protectionism, Pankaj Ghemawat, Professor of Global Strategy, IESE Business School, Barcelona, and author of World 3.0: Global Prosperity and How to Achieve It.
Summer 2012 – Workshop 2: Teaching the European Union in Texas High Schools.
Summer 2012 – Coordination Meeting for the Creation of a Masters of Arts in European Studies.
PREPARING FOR YEAR TWO OF THE GRANT:
June-August, 2012 – Euro Challenge: Beginning planning stage.
June-August, 2012 – European Scholar II: Competition for visiting scholar from Sweden (to teach a course on the EU in the context of European Studies).
July 2012 (preparing for Year 2 of the grant) – Course Development I: Call for curriculum development and instructional grant for a business course (to be taught in the Spring of 2013) that would focus its empirical case studies on the EU.
July 2012 (preparing for Year 2 of the grant) – Course Development II: Call for a competitive curriculum development grant for a “Signature Course” on issues related to leadership in the EU. The grant will consist of funding to facilitate course development by the faculty member chosen to develop the course.
July 2012 (preparing for Year 2 of the grant) Organize course for at Huston-Tillotson [HT] on (1) “Comparative Government with a focus on Europe and the EU” for Fall 2012 and “Modern European History and the EU” for spring 2013, and co-ordinate guest lectures of UT faculty with HT.
Year 2: September 1, 2012 – August 31st, 2013
*All events in Year 2 will be assessed for impact based on number of applicants/participants and immediate feedback from applicants/participants (to be ascertained through a short email/written survey that all participants will be able to complete on a voluntary basis). We will be coordinating with CTL throughout the year to develop and implement an objective, outside measurement evaluation report for the three-year grant cycle.
September 1, 2012 – January 2013 – European Scholar I: Course by Visiting Scholar from Germany selected competitively by UT committee and DAAD, the German Academic Exchange Service (to teach a course on the EU in the context of European Studies).
September 1, 2012 – Summer 2013 – Graduate Travel Stipend: Competition for one stipend of $2,500 for UT School of Law students to take part in European Court of Justice in Luxemburg.
September 1, 2012 – Summer 2013 – PhD Research Grant: Competition for two grants of $2,000 each related to research on EU Public Policy or EU-US Relations.
September 1, 2012 – Summer 2013 – Faculty Research Grant: Competition for two grants of $4,000 each related to research on EU Public Policy or EU-US Relations.
September 1, 2012 – Call for one 10 hour-a-week research assistantship positions to facilitate conference, outreach, lecture series, and data collection activities (1 student worker).
September 1, 2012 – Call for two faculty research grants of $4,000 each with a focus on Business in the EU and Business relations between the EU and US.
Sept 1, 2012 – December 15, 2012 – Implement course for fall 2012 at Huston-Tillotson [HT] on “Comparative Government with a focus on Europe and the EU” and co-ordinate guest lectures of UT faculty with HT.
September 1, 2012 – Euro Challenge: Prepare for first round in March.
October 1, 2012 – Collaborative lecture and seminar exchange with École des hautes études en sciences sociales on the EU, Europe, and Muslim identity politics. Topic to be determined.
October 2012 – Workshop 1: “Grants and fellowships for studying in and researching on Europe” – One day workshop for students, faculty and researchers on obtaining grants and fellowships for research on/in Europe.
October 2012 – Information Session for Euro Challenge (2 days)
October 2012 – EU-US Distinguished Business and Politics Lecture Series 1. Topic to be determined.
November 2012 – Conference 1: “EU-US Energy: Comparative Energy Public Policies and Technologies,” led by Professor Michael Webber and organized by CES in consultation with LBJ and the Cockrell School of Engineering.
November 2012 – EU Center of Excellence Anthropology Lecture Series. Speaker: To be determined.
January 2013 – May 2013 – European Scholar II: Class of Visiting Scholar position from Sweden (to teach a course on Sweden and the EU).
January 2013 – May 2013 – Implement course for spring 2013 at Huston-Tillotson [HT] on “Modern European History and the EU” and co-ordinate guest lectures of UT faculty with HT.
January 2013 – Texas EU Summit 2: “Connecting Central Texas Businesses to the European Markets.”
February 2013 – Call for applications for EU Visit Program Competition.
March 2013 – First Round of Euro Challenge.
March 2013 – Conference 2: “Reassessing EU/US Policy on Secession: The Lessons of Yugoslavia and Georgia,” led by Alan Kuperman and organized by CES in consultation with LBJ.
March 2013 – EU-US Distinguished Business and Politics Lecture Series 2. Topic to be determined.
March (mid to late), 2013 – Applications for EU Visit Program Competition due and selection committee deliberates.
April 2013 – Conference 3: “Comparative Politics of Identity in the European Union” led by Mary Neuburger and Robert Moser, and organized by CES in consultation with the Department of Government, CREEES, and LBJ.
April 2013 – Award notifications of EU Visit Program Competition and planning stage for sending 3 UT students and 2 High School faculty to Brussels, coordinated with EU Network Coordinating Center.
April 2013 – Finals of Euro Challenge, NY.
April 2013 – EU-US Distinguished Business and Politics Lecture Series 3. Topic to be determined.
Summer 2013 – Workshop 2: Teaching European Union in Texas High Schools.
PREPARING FOR YEAR THREE OF THE GRANT:
June-August, 2013 – Euro Challenge: Beginning planning stage.
June-August, 2013 – European Scholar II: Competition for visiting scholar from Sweden (to teach a course on the EU in the context of European Studies).
July 2013 (preparing for Year 3 of the grant) – Call for curriculum development and instructional grant for a business course (to be taught in the Spring of 2014) that would focus its empirical case studies on the EU.
July 2013 (preparing for Year 3 of the grant) – Course Development II: Call for a competitive curriculum development grant for a “Signature Course” on leadership in the EU.
July 2013 (preparing for Year 3 of the grant) Organize course for at Huston-Tillotson [HT] on (1) “European Politics and the EU” for Fall 2013 and “War and Peace in Europe and the EU” for spring 2014, and co-ordinate guest lectures of UT faculty with HT.
Year 3: September 1, 2013 – August 31st, 2014
*All events in Year 3 will be assessed for impact based on number of applicants/participants and immediate feedback from applicants/participants (to be ascertained through a short email/written survey that all participants will be able to complete on a voluntary basis). We will be coordinating with CTL throughout the year to develop and implement an objective, outside measurement evaluation report for the three-year grant cycle.
September 1, 2013 – January 2014 – European Scholar I: Course by Visiting Scholar from Germany selected competitively by UT committee and DAAD, the German Academic Exchange Service (to teach a course on the EU in the context of European Studies).
September 1, 2013 – Summer 2014 – Graduate Travel Stipend: Competition for one stipend of $2,500 for UT School of Law students to take part in European Court of Justice in Luxemburg.
September 1, 2013 – Summer 2014 – PhD Research Grant: Competition for two grants of $2,000 each related to research on EU Public Policy or EU-US Relations.
September 1, 2013 – Summer 2014 – Faculty Research Grant: Competition for two grants of $4,000 each related to research on EU Public Policy or EU-US Relations.
September 1, 2013 – Call for one 10 hour-a-week research assistantship positions to facilitate conference, outreach, lecture series, and data collection activities (1 student worker).
September 1, 2013 – Call for two faculty research grants of $4,000 each with a focus on Business in the EU and Business relations between the EU and US.
September 1, 2013 – Euro Challenge: Prepare for first round in March.
Sept 1, 2013 – December 15, 2013 - Implement course for fall 2013 at Huston-Tillotson [HT] on “European Politics and the EU” and co-ordinate guest lectures of UT faculty with HT.
October 2013 – Collaborative lecture and seminar exchange with École des hautes études en sciences sociales on the EU, Europe, and Muslim identity politics. Topic to be determined.
October 2013 – Information Session for Euro Challenge (2 days).
October 2013 – Workshop 1: “Grants and fellowships for studying in and researching on Europe” – One day workshop for students, faculty and researchers on obtaining grants and fellowships for research on/in Europe.
October 2013 – EU-US Distinguished Business and Politics Lecture Series 1. Topic to be determined.
November 2013 – Conference 1: “Sexual Citizenship and Human Rights: What Can the US Learn from the EU and European Law?” led by Professor Thomas Hubbard and organized by CES in consultation with Women’s and Gender Study, the Rapoport Center, and CREEES.
November 2013 – EU Center of Excellence Anthropology Lecture Series. Speaker: To be determined.
January 2014 – May 2014 – European Scholar II: Class of Visiting Scholar position from Sweden (to teach a course on Sweden and the EU).
January 2014 – May 2014 – Implement course for spring 2014 at Huston-Tillotson [HT] on “Modern European History and the EU” and co-ordinate guest lectures of UT faculty with HT.
January 2014 – Texas EU Summit 3: “Connecting Central Texas Businesses to the European Markets.”
February 2012 – Call for applications for EU Visit Program Competition.
March 2014 – Conference 2: “EU and US Legal Approaches to Citizenship and Human Rights,” led by Karen Engle and organized by CES in consultation with LBJ, Law, Women’s and Gender Studies, and CREEES.
March 2014 – First Round of Euro Challenge.
March 2014 – EU-US Distinguished Business and Politics Lecture Series 2. Topic to be determined.
March (mid to late), 2014 – Applications for EU Visit Program Competition due and selection committee deliberates.
April 2014 – Conference 3: “The European Public Sphere: Understanding the Role of Mass Media and Interpersonal Discussion in Shaping Today's European Citizenship,” led by Homero Gil De Zuniga and organized by CES in consultation with the School of Journalism.
April 2014 – Award notifications of EU Visit Program Competition and planning stage for sending 3 UT students and 2 High School faculty to Brussels, coordinated with EU Network Coordinating Center.
April 2014 – Finals of Euro Challenge, NY.
April 2014 – EU-US Distinguished Business and Politics Lecture Series 3. Topic to be determined.
Summer 2014 – Workshop 2: Teaching European Union in Texas High Schools.
End of the Project: August 31, 2014
EU CENTERS 2011-14
Proposal Narrative Form
4. Detailed Description of Proposed Activities 4.A.1. Activities: Conferences and Workshops. Provide a summary of all conferences and workshops planned during each academic year of the entire 2011-14 grant period. For each, indicate themes to be addressed, the number and nature of expected attendees, any resulting information products, means of dissemination. Please also specify how these activities will further the program policy objectives and produce the related outcomes set out in section II of the Call for Proposals, and provide measurable criteria for evaluating their implementation. Attach additional page(s) if necessary.
CONFERENCES I (these conference events will vary by year) The Center will organize three “major” conferences (9-16 invited outside participants) every academic year (typically taking place in November, March, and April) that will seek to involve a large number of researchers, policy makers, and stake holders from both the US and Europe.
YEAR 1: November 2011 – Conference 1:
Alternatives to Austerity
The conference will bring together specialists from the US, Europeans working in the US, and selected specialists from Europe. The purpose of the conference will be to compare conditions and analyses, and to discuss alternatives to a prolonged economic decline, high unemployment, and sustained assaults on public institutions and the welfare state.
Proposed 17 participants: EU Participants:
Andor Laszlo, Hungary: European Commissioner for Employment
John Eatwell, UK, President, Queens College, Cambridge (Senior Adviser, British Labour Party)
Christian Chavagneux, France, Editor, Alternatives Economiques
Hugo Sousa, Portugal, Ministry of Economics
Alessandro Roncaglia, Italy, University of Rome
Bruno Amoroso, Italy, Roskilde University (Denmark) and Federico Caffé Society, Rome
Theodore Pelagidis, Greece, University of Piraeus
Anatole Kaletsky, UK, Journalist and author
Aurore Lalucq, France, Initiative for Rethinking the Economy
US Participants:
Jan Kregel, Levy Economics Institute (formerly University of Bologna)
Randall Wray, University of Missouri, Kansas City
Robert Guttman, Hofstra University and University of Paris
Steven Cohen, University of California, Berkeley
Norman Birnbaum, Georgetown University Law Center
Thomas Ferguson, University of Massachusetts, Boston
Robert Blecker, American University
James Galbraith, University of Texas at Austin
February 2012 – Conference 2:
Conference on the Euro Crisis In 2010, the EU experienced its first sovereign debt crisis as investors grew fearful that several of the Eurozone members might be unable to repay their government debts. Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece, Spain, and Belgium saw their government bonds downgraded and had to watch helplessly as the bond yield spreads between their own government bonds and those of more solvent member states such as Germany rose to new heights. The crisis soon became most acute in Greece, and on May 2, 2010, the International Monetary Fund and the remaining Eurozone countries agreed to a bailout in the form of a €110 billion loan. A week later, the member states of the EU and the International Monetary Fund went even further and pledged to make available as much as €750 billion to secure the solvency of the less stable Eurozone countries. While these measures have so far succeeded in averting sovereign defaults, the threat that the Euro Crisis poses is far from over.
The Euro Crisis has profound implications for law and policy in the EU and raises numerous questions of fundamental importance. Should the Treaty on the EU be amended to provide a clearer basis for financial rescue measures, and, if so, how should such amendments be designed? Should the Eurozone states move toward closer economic and fiscal integration? Should the EU at least be able to interfere in the economic and fiscal policy of individual member states if such interference becomes necessary to preserve the stability of the Euro? Should the EU consider the introduction of insolvency proceedings for member states? Does the Euro Crisis call for a redefinition of the role of the European Central Bank?
To discuss these and other questions, we plan to organize a conference on the Euro Crisis at the UT School of Law. The Texas Journal of International Law has agreed in advance to publish the main contributions.
Proposed 10 Participants: EU Participants:
John Armour, Oxford University, United Kingdom (bankruptcy)
Dr. Armin von Bogdandy, Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law (EU constitutional law)
Dr. Gerard Hertig, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich, Switzerland (banking and financial services)
Luis Miguel Poiares Maduro, European University Institute, Florence, Italy (EU constitutional law)
Dr. Wolfgang Schön, Max-Planck-Institut for Tax Law and Public Finance (taxation)
Dr. Chiara Zilioli, Deputy General Counsel of the European Central Bank (EU law)
US Participants:
Grainne de Burca, Harvard Law School (EU constitutional law)
Anu Bradford, Chicago Law School (EU law)
Stavros Gadinis, Berkeley (regulation of financial markets)
Jens Dammann, UT (EU law)
April 2012 – Conference 3:
Elite Policymaking and Financing in the EU and US: Accountability or Paralysis? A central question in EU countries and the US today is the extent to which policymaking latitudes of government, state administrative, business, trade union, and other key elite groups are being constricted by globalization, climate change, resource costs, weak economic growth, high unemployment, ethnic communal tensions, and many other difficulties. Enthusiasts of unfettered democracy applaud and seek more constricted elite latitudes, believing this increases accountability to citizens’ needs and wishes. Others see in constricted latitudes a creeping paralysis of policymaking that will produce protracted economic stagnation and heightened social conflict. These competing views are abiding themes in theories and research about political elites in EU countries and the US: selectivity in recruitment, forms of social distinctiveness; rates of circulation; structures of policy networks; magnitudes of accord and discord on major policy questions; in short, the policymaking capacities and qualities of political elites in these countries. Relevant theories are, however, diverse, and research findings tend to be piecemeal. It is therefore proposed to convene a symposium at the UT in early April 2012 to aggregate and assess what we know and do not know about the capacities and qualities of elite policymaking. A dozen senior scholars who have long studied political elites in EU countries and the US, augmented by several prominent media observers, will be assembled. The symposium will be organized by the Center for European Studies and Department of Government at the UT in collaboration with the International Political Science Association’s Research Committee on Political Elites, whose current chair, Prof. John Higley, is a UT faculty member. Prof. Higley will later edit a volume containing symposium papers and discussions. Strong efforts to attract coverage of the symposium by National Public Radio, Deutsche Welle, The Economist, The New York Times, Financial Times, etc. will be made.
Proposed 16 participants: EU Participants:
Heinrich Best, Professor of Sociology and Director of the Collaborative Research Center, University of Jena, and an expert on European parliamentary elites
Maurizio Cotta, Professor of Political Science, University of Siena, and Director of the 17-country EU-funded project on elite and citizen views of European integration
Jean-Pascal Daloz, Professor & Research Director, C.N.R.S., France, and an authority on the social distinctiveness of historical and contemporary European elites
Patrick Dumont, Professor of Political Science, Univ. of Luxembourg, and a specialist on the recruitment and circulation of cabinet ministers in EU countries
William Genieys, Professor of Political Science and Director of the Center for Latin European Studies, Univ. of Montpellier, and an expert on French policymaking elites
Ursula Hoffmann-Lange, Professor of Political Science, Univ. of Frankfurt, leader of three studies of German policymaking elites and a fourth study now being launched
Miguel Jerez-Mir, Professor of Political Science, Univ. of Granada, and a leading student of Spanish ministerial and parliamentary elites.
György Lengyel, Professor of Sociology, Corvinus University, Budapest, and a leading scholar of East European business elites
US Participants:
Michael Burton, Professor of Sociology, Loyola Univ. Maryland, and co-author of Elite Foundations of Liberal Democracy (2006)
G. William Domhoff, Professor of Sociology, Univ. of California Santa Cruz, and author of six editions of Who Rules America?
Michael Lindsay, President of Gordon University, Boston, and director of a large new survey study of US elites
Gwen Moore, Professor Emeritus of Sociology, State Univ. of New York Albany, and an expert on the networks and gender compositions of US and European political elites.
John Higley, Professor of Government, University of Texas at Austin
EU and US Observers:
A senior EU official in the US to be chosen in consultation with the EU Commission
One commentator on elite policymaking in Europe.
One commentator on elite policymaking in the US.
YEAR 2: November 2012 – Conference 1:
EU-US Energy: Comparative Energy Public Policies and Technologies This conference will bring together representatives from European and American academia and industry for a collaborative conference on a variety of energy policies and technologies. We will focus on France as a partner country for a variety of historical, technical, and intellectual reasons. The central thesis is that France and the US both share a similar set of concerns related to the abundance, safety, reliability, and cleanliness of energy. However, we have taken very different approaches to achieving our goals. Consequently, each country has different positive and negative results to share. This conference would seek to share best practices for solutions to the energy problem while educating participants about the problems and solutions and establishing a collaborative relationship with our European peers. Future versions of this conference might focus on other countries (UK, Serbia, etc.) whose energy challenges are different.
Proposed areas of 14 participants: EU Participants:
One representative from GDF Suez (world-leading gas company)
One representative from EDF (world-leading electricity utility)
One representative from Total Petrochemical (5th largest oil/gas company in the world)
One representative from Areva (world-leading nuclear company)
Three academics and policymakers from French institutions.
US Participants:
Four academics from across the US (Berkeley, Stanford, MIT, Rice, UT, etc.)
Three representatives from US industry, labor unions, and environmental groups to the conference.
March 2013 – Conference 2:
Reassessing EU/US Policy on Secession: The Lessons of Yugoslavia and Georgia Several EU states and EU candidates face secessionist movements, violent or otherwise. It is vital and timely, therefore, to assess the lessons learned from recent US and EU policy on unilateral secession in two countries: the former Yugoslavia and Georgia. In 2008, the US and a large majority of EU states recognized the independence of Kosovo from Serbia. Later that year, Russia and a small handful of allies, but not the US or any EU states, recognized the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia from Georgia. In both cases, most of the international community did not recognize the unilateral secessions, resulting in ambiguous sovereignty that inhibits regional integration, economic growth, and stability. These events also raise dangerous precedents for ongoing secessionist conflicts in EU states, including Spain, and potential EU candidates, including Moldova.
CES proposes a conference of scholars and practitioners from the US and EU, comprising three panels: 1) Serbia/Kosovo; 2) Georgia; 3) US/EU policy lessons learned.
Proposed 14 participants UT faculty:
Alan J. Kuperman of the LBJ School of Public Affairs
Mary Neuburger of the Center for Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies (CREEES)
Zoltan Barany of the Government Department
Zachary Elkins of the School of Law
US Participants:
Gerard Gallucci, retired US diplomat
Gordon N. Bardos, Columbia University
Nicholas Burns, Harvard University
Prof. Julie George, Queens College
Matthew J. Bryza, US State Department
Prof. Cory Welt, Georgetown University
Jason Sorens, University at Buffalo
EU Participants:
Rafael Garranzo, Foreign Ministry of Spain
Neophytos G. Loizides, Queens’s University Belfast
One additional EU expert from Europe
April 2013 – Conference 3:
Comparative Politics of Identity in the European Union This conference will explore models of identity politics, with a focus on ethnicity, race, and religion, in the EU, as well as in the US. In the broadest sense, the conference will draw on scholars and practitioners from a range of disciplines and professionals from both Europe and the US in an effort to examine and compare models of state policy and political engagement as related to issues of identity. More specifically, we will see how widely divergent state policies translate into differing modes of political engagement by ethnic, religious, and other social groupings in these various contexts. Participants will address such questions as: how effective are American, Western or Eastern models or structures of political participation by ethnic or religious groups in ameliorating tensions among majority/minority populations? From the point of view of minority populations, which models have allowed for the greatest latitude in preserving ethnic or religious identities through education, media, etc.? Finally, which state or grass roots models of political involvement tend to provoke minority or majority radicalism or tensions between various constituents? In short, the American melting pot model, as well as model of grass roots political engagement, will provide a point of comparison for the very different models that continue to evolve in the European setting, particularly as it expands East into contexts where historical and contemporary models are quite different.
Proposed 13 participants: From UT and Austin:
Rob Moser, UT Government Department
Zoltan Barany, UT Government Department
Mary Neuburger, UT History Department
Marko Papic, Stratfor
EU Participants
Member of the EU Commission, preferably from the office of Viviane Reding, DG Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship.
Member of the EU Commission from the office of Stefan Fule, DG Enlargement
Dr. David Chadwick, University of Kent
Thomas Risse, Freie Universitat Berlin
Patrick Simon, INED (Institut National d'Etudes Demographiques).
US Participants:
Mathias Kaelberer, University of Memphis
Benjamin Cohen, UC Santa Barbara
Benedict Anderson, Cornell University
Two policy-makers from the U.S. State Department with experience in European affairs.
YEAR 3: November 2013 – Conference 1:
Sexual Citizenship and Human Rights:
What Can the US Learn from the EU and European Law? This conference will confront several areas of legal dispute in both the US and Europe: (1) extension of marital and adoption rights to non-traditional families, (2) anti-discrimination laws protecting sexual minorities in housing and employment, (3) transgender rights, (4) age of consent and the sexual rights of minors, (5) regulation and protection of sex workers, (6) definition of child pornography, and (7) punishment and treatment of sex offenders. We will bring to UT experts in these areas from various European countries who can speak about the evolving legal situation in Europe and/or sexological, sociological, or criminological research pertaining to European practices that may differ significantly from those in the US. In addition, we will seek the participation of several American scholars who work on these questions.
Proposed 10 participants: We have so far secured the interest of the following from Europe:
Noted sexologist Dr. Erwin Haeberle of the Magnus Hirschfeld Institut in Berlin
Prominent human rights attorney Dr. Helmut Graupner of Vienna, president of Rechtskommittee Lambda, the leading gay rights organization in Austria
Former British MP Peter Tatchell
Dr. Laura Agustin of Sweden (recently Visiting Professor of Women’s Studies at the University of Geneva in Switzerland)
Overall we anticipate inviting 5 European authorities, and the same number of American counterparts.
March 2014 – Conference 2:
Comparing European Union and North-American Approaches
to International Law and Human Rights The objective of the conference is to bring experts from Europe and the US to discuss the differences and convergences in the approaches to human rights and international legal issues in the legal and political institutions of the EU and the US. The conference will pair scholars from both sides of the Atlantic and discuss their different perspectives on similar themes. It will be tied to a workshop seminar taught at the law school, though the talks will be open to the public.
Proposed Topics and 10 Speakers (to be narrowed down when the conference is to take place, based on the availability of the scholar and paired commentators from Europe and the US): EU Participants:
Women’s Rights in the EU: Christine Chinkin (London School of Economics)
European Harmonization of Private Law: Horatia Muir Watt (University of Paris I (Pantheon-Sorbonne)
The EU as an International Actor in the Fight against Terrorism: Martin Scheinin (European University Institute, Italy)
The Rights of Migrant Workers in the EU: Gregor Noll (Lund University, Sweden)
The EU and Refugees: Patricia Tuitt (Birkbeck School of Law, University of London)
US Participants:
Judging in the EU and US: Mitchel Lasser (Cornell Law School)
Governance and Legitimacy in the EU: Joseph Weiler (New York University School of Law)
The Limits of Integration in European Governance: David Kennedy (Harvard Law School)
European Family Law: Philomila Tsoukala (Georgetown University)
European Contract Law in Comparative Perspective: Daniela Caruso (Boston University School of Law)
April 2014 – Conference 3:
European Public Sphere: Understanding the Role of Mass Media and Interpersonal Discussion in Shaping Today’s European Citizenship. This conference seeks to advance the understanding of today’s European citizenship. And it does so in a particular way: it takes up the challenge to explore the role of the mass media and people’s interpersonal discussion habits about politics in explaining civic and political participatory behaviors that foster an European citizenship.
For years researchers have inquired about the mechanisms that elicit today’s EU. There seems to be a consensus in the academic community that points to certain aspects as being central for the advancement of the EU. Social identity features, cultural traits, a strong and deliberative public sphere, and sociopolitical elements have all been theorized to provide a healthier, more cohesive, and more participatory EU. Some authors argue that the key to solidifying the EU is for it to be accepted by the large variety of cultures within the EU as well as it is to promote political engagement among its citizens. In fact, Article 109 of the Treaty on EU addresses this issue and regards particular nations’ cultural legacies as basic pillars in constructing the new Europe as citizens get involved with their governing institutions at all levels. Nevertheless, how Europeans participate and get involved in the political process is largely mediated, and this aspect has been somewhat overlooked. That is, the ways in which European citizens engage in civic and political activities greatly depend on the effects of the mass media and the ways in which citizens discuss important public issues among themselves. Hence, the importance of studying the role of the mass media and how people discuss relevant issues for public life, perhaps generating a European public sphere. The communication mediation model has provided evidence that interpersonal networks of political discussion and informational uses of media result in increased community integration and civic participation. Similarly, communication practices have a direct effect on participatory behaviors, but they also have indirect effects through gains in political knowledge and political efficacy that also result in participation.
Drawing from the expertise provided by academics, professionals, and media experts from the US and the EU, this conference aims to shed light over all these processes as they shape today’s European citizenship.
Proposed 11 participants: EU Participants:
Jacob Groshek, Rotterdam University
Gumersindo Lafuente, Director El Pais
Jose Madariaga, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos I
Claes De Vrees, Director AsCOR, Amsterdam University
Begoña González Cuesta, IE University at Segovia
Marion Demossier, University of Bath at United Kingdom
US Participants:
Dhavan Shah, University of Wisconsin at Madison
Bruce Bimber, University of California at Santa Barbara
Markus Thiel, Florida International University
Hernando Rojas, University of Wisconsin at Madison
Homero Gil de Zúñiga, University of Texas at Austin
Fulfillment of Objectives for Conferences I:
Common threads:
All Conferences will have in common the Information, Dissemination and Measurable Criteria Aspect:
The conference will be open to the public. The Center will inform its partner educational institutions in Austin and Central Texas to send their students and faculty. The Center will invite State government officials, business leaders, and non-governmental organizations to the event. Local Austin media will be informed of the event and invited to cover it.
The conference lectures will be available online in video format.
Participants will be asked to fill out a satisfaction survey that will help the Center improve future conferences. All conferences will be evaluated through continuous feedback and adaptation and monitored by CES’s Outreach Coordinator in consultation with UT’s Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL), which will oversee our measurement and evaluation.
Policy-makers from the State Capitol and Governor’s Office will be asked to provide their input on how to improve the conferences to better fit their needs and policy concerns.
All conferences will target having a minimum of 75-100 attendees. Most conferences will indeed have many more.
All conferences will dovetail with more general curricula courses taught not only in the professional schools but also the humanities. For example, Karen Engle, Director of the Rapoport Center, has structured her conference (see below, Year 3) to dovetail with a workshop in the Law School on Human Rights in the EU.
All Conferences will have in common that they will fulfill Objective 1: “Develop centers of academic excellence in EU studies with a view to broadening and deepening the base of European Union studies, and increasing awareness of the Union’s policies.”
Conferences will all fit the description of “academic research conferences devoted to issues of applied EU and EU-US public policies, and also encourage interaction between researchers and practitioners.” All of our conferences will have a heavy emphasis on invited practitioners, business leaders, and policy makers.
The conferences will have the effect of increasing the “numbers of university faculty and other scholars, including professional school faculty and graduate students” who will become interested in “conducting research on issues of applied EU and EU-US public policies.” As is evident from the topics we have chosen for our conferences with our partners in the professional schools, the emphasis is squarely on “issues of applied EU and EU-US public policies.”
We will aim with the conferences to produce “informed books, articles, and briefing papers devoted to issues of applied EU and EU-US public policies published.” For instance, we have already received confirmation that The Texas Journal of International Law has agreed to publish the main contributions of our conference in year one on “The Euro Crisis.” We will work to disseminate the results of our conferences through other such publications.
All Conferences will have in common that they will fulfill Objective 2: “Promote greater understanding of the EU and EU-US relations among regional outreach constituencies.”
By being open to the public and by being advertised with the regional universities and colleges, which will form our core partner institutions, the conferences will create effective outreach in the regional community.
The Center will also target business leaders and State officials (who are conveniently located mere blocks away from the Center location and conference facilities) and make sure that they are aware and present at our events.
Media will be informed of the Center events and encouraged by facilitating their presence.
Speakers from EU institutions and EU member states will be invited to all of the below listed conferences.
All Conferences will have in common that they will fulfill Objective 5:
“Attract additional support for Center activities.”
The Center will organize a wide array of policy relevant conferences that will tie into the already well-developed, policy-focused research community within UT.
The Center will cooperate with a number of other academic and research units on campus, raising its profile and building strong partnerships.
All Conferences will have a consistent and robust participation by the UT’s academic community, which will be informed of planned events and involved in the planning.
CONFERENCES II (these conferences do not vary year by year) The Center will organize two sets of conferences related to outreach in business and secondary education.
January 2012/2013/2014 - Conference 1: Texas EU SUMMIT, 1, 2, & 3:EU Center of Excellence “Connecting Central Texas Businesses to the European Markets” Texas is the second largest exporting state to the EU. Total Texas export to the EU in 2010 exceeded $26.5 billion. The UK, Germany, and France are the leading Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) sources in Texas. The existing trade relationship between Texas/US and the EU will be highlighted for new-to-export and established firms as well as exposing small businesses to the growing trade opportunities in emerging markets within the EU.
The Texas EU Summit will include plenary sessions led by international trade policy experts and political and business leaders, as well as EU chambers of commerce, which will set the stage for the focused breakout sessions. The focused breakout sessions will provide attendees with the hands-on information that they will need in order to successfully do business with the EU. This will include much information on international marketing and sales, understanding the legal requirements and risks, how to ship products into foreign markets, payment methods and export financing alternatives. There will also be a session focused on investment opportunities and incentives.
Target Audience:
We project that 150 to 200 small businesses, economic development entities, and government officials from throughout Texas and the EU will attend each summit.
Partnering Organizations will include:
US Department of Commerce
Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce
Small Business Development Center, The State of Texas
International Business Institute, Austin Community College
German American Chamber of Commerce
French American Chamber of Commerce
Italy American Chamber of Commerce
German Consulate Office in Texas
Italian Consulate office in Texas
French Consulate Office in Texas
Hungarian Consulate/Swedish American Chamber of Commerce
Fulfillment of Objectives for the Texas Summits:
Information, Dissemination, and Measurable Criteria Aspect:
We will involve the local media in these business summits.
The Center will use the contacts with local and State business partners that the McCombs School of Business has developed in order to attract a wide audience for these summits.
All participants will be asked to fill out a satisfaction survey and offer suggestions on how the summits could be more useful for their needs. All conferences will be evaluated through continuous feedback and adaptation and monitored by CES’s Outreach Coordinator in consultation with UT’s Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL), which will oversee our measurement and evaluation.
Objective 2:
These summits will “promote greater understanding of the EU and EU-US relations among regional outreach constituencies,” which in this case is the business community.
These summits will provide a venue for trade representatives of the various EU Member States to make the case for increased investment in Europe by the Texas business community.
Objective 5:
The summits will continue a long tradition of the McCombs School of Business working closely with the Texas business community in developing strategies for investment.
The summits will raise the profile of the Center in the business community, leading to new sources of funding.
All Business workshops will have a consistent and robust participation by the UT’s academic community, especially those from the McCombs School of Business and the UT School of Law.
October and March 2012/2013/2014 – Conference 2:
Euro Challenge The Euro Challenge program introduces students of global studies, world history, European studies, and beyond to the field of economics, and offers a unique learning experience that moves them out of the classroom into the real world. For the competition, students research problems and solutions to Europe’s economic challenges. A team of three to five students presents its findings in a competition format in a conference setting.
Overall Goals:
Increase students’ knowledge and understanding of the EU and the euro.
Promote an understanding of economic challenges facing EU member nations.
Support local learning standards related to global studies and economics.
Foster economic and financial literacy and understanding of economic policy issues.
Develop communication, critical thinking, and cooperative skills.
Encourage students to participate in a conference setting and learn to share knowledge in a conference setting.
Target Audience:
10 high school teachers for the 2-day Orientation in October.
6 groups of 5 Texas high school students for the UT Challenge in March.
Fulfillment of Objectives for Euro Challenge:
Objective 2: Promote greater understanding of the EU and EU-US relations among regional outreach constituencies.
This event will involve secondary school teachers by allowing them to prepare their students for an exciting and inter-school event.
This conference will directly involve high school students and will promote the Center and UT as a viable career path to pursue their interest of global affairs in general and of the EU in particular.
WORKSHOPS((workshops do not vary year by year) The Center will organize two sets of workshops.
October 2011, 2012, 2013 – Workshop 1: “Grants and fellowships for studying in and researching on Europe” – One day workshop for students, faculty, and researchers on obtaining grants and fellowships for research on/in Europe.
Target Audience: Entire university community as well as the researchers, faculty, and students from our regional partner universities and colleges in Austin and Central Texas.
Fulfillment of Objectives for Workshop 1:
Information, Dissemination and Measurable Criteria Aspect:
The Center will conduct a university-wide information campaign to maximize attendance at this event.
We will measure the success of our workshop both in terms of numbers of attendance and in terms of satisfaction, measured by a survey voluntarily completed by those attending.
Our external evaluator, CTL, will oversee the measurement and evaluation process to determine the efficacy of these workshops and suggest how to improve on them through continuous monitoring and adaptation.
Objective 1:
These annual workshops will increase the numbers of doctoral students who focus their dissertation research on EU and EU-US relations by opening up new research grant avenues.
The workshops should also increase the number of faculty conducting research on EU issues.
Objective 2:
The Center will make sure that participation from regional partner universities and colleges is high by advertising the workshop event year round.
Objective 3:
The workshops will “encourage greater synergies with other programs sponsored by the European Commission, including the Jean Monnet Action and other elements of Erasmus Mundus, and the EU-US Higher Education and Vocational Training Agreement.”
Objective 4:
By stressing external funding opportunities, the workshops will also foster networking and coordination with other EU Centers of Excellence
Summer 2012, 2013, 2014 – Workshop 2: “Teaching the EU in Texas High Schools.”
The Center will sponsor annual workshops for secondary school (high school) teachers on how to integrate EU issues in their curriculums. The Center will provide administrative support as well as the venue.
Target Audience: Secondary school teachers of all disciplines. The workshop will vary from year to year. All high school teachers from Texas are eligible and will be encouraged to attend. We are targeting approximately 30 high school teachers per workshop.
Fulfillment of Objectives for Workshop 2:
Information, Dissemination and Measurable Criteria Aspect:
All workshop materials will be available on the internet so that the secondary school teachers can use the information throughout their school year.
We will measure the success of these workshops both on the number of participants and on their satisfaction. All participants will be asked to take a voluntary survey indicating the level of satisfaction with the project.
Our external evaluator, CTL, will oversee the measurement and evaluation process to determine the efficacy of these workshops and suggest how to improve on them through continuous monitoring and adaptation.
Objective 2: Promote greater understanding of the EU and EU-US relations among regional outreach constituencies.
This event will involve secondary school teachers by allowing them to prepare their classes in a way that involves EU issues.
The workshops will provide curriculum development exercises.
The workshops will provide information materials on the EU.
EU Visit Program The EU Visit Program, which takes place typically in mid June and will be organized by the designated Network Coordinator, will focus on the dynamic changes taking place in today’s integrating Europe and the future of the transatlantic relationship. Three UT undergraduate students and two Texas high school faculty will be selected to participate in the visit program, and they will join students and faculty from across the US for a four-day visit in Brussels where they will meet both US and EU officials, touring the city and the major EU and international institutions based there. The itinerary will include site visits to the European Commission, NATO headquarters, the US Mission to the EU, and the European Parliament. All UT undergraduate students and faculty in Texas high schools in fields of study related to the EU and contemporary Europe will be eligible to apply to the EU Visit Program. UT undergraduates who can demonstrate in their letter of applications that their senior capstone projects or senior theses will focus on the EU or EU-US relations will receive priority. In this way, the Center aims to strategically tie the EU Visit Program to curricular development and overall undergraduate degree planning focused on Europe.
All UT undergraduate students and Texas high school teachers will be required to submit a “Statement of Purpose,” an approximately two-page statement addressing why it is important for them to study the EU and how a visit to Brussels will enhance the applicant’s undergraduate education or high school teaching practices in the area of contemporary Europe, transatlantic relations, and the EU. All UT undergraduate students must also submit with the application an unofficial UT transcript, as well as official transcripts from any other colleges or universities attended before transferring to UT. Furthermore, all UT undergraduate students must have one academic letter of recommendation from a UT instructor; all Texas high school teachers must have a letter of support from the principal. Applications will be publicized and made available in February by CES; completed applications will be due in the office by mid March; and the EU Center of Excellence selection committee will notify applicants of the results in April.
Target Audience: 3 UT undergraduates and 2 Texas high school teachers.
Fulfillment of Objectives for EU Visit Program:
Objective 2: Promote greater understanding of the EU and EU-US relations among regional outreach constituencies and increase awareness of the EU among undergraduates.
High school teachers will experience Europe and EU in a manner that will allow them to renovate their classes in light of their observations.
The visit will allow secondary school teachers to develop information materials on the EU.
The visit will target undergraduate students who focus on the EU in their overall degree plans, as evidenced particularly in plans for final senior capstone projects and/or senior theses, and in a manner that supports curricular development. We are thus tying the visit to undergraduate research.
EU CENTERS 2011-14
Proposal Narrative Form
4.A.2. Activities: Faculty and Student Research Grants. Indicate all faculty and research grants planned during each academic year for the entire 2011-14 grant period, including the likely nature and impact of grant recipients’ activities. All grants in this category must be made by competitive process, and none can be awarded to EU Center staff (see section III of the Call for Proposals). Please also specify how these activities will further the program policy objectives and produce the related outcomes set out in section II of the Call for Proposals, and provide measurable criteria for evaluating their implementation. Attach additional page(s) if necessary.
All research and travel grants will be awarded through a competitive process and will not be open to the EU Center of Excellence staff, the Director, or members of the Executive Board. Furthermore, students working as research assistants for the faculty members sitting on the Executive Board or the Director will also not be able to apply for the research grants.
We will evaluate our research grant program by requiring the recipients to produce a report of activities following the conclusion of their grant. The report will be read by the members of the Executive Board and the Director and taken into consideration for the next round of the grants.
The EU center will offer the following 4 grant programs in each of the three years of its program:
September 1 – Summer – European Court Graduate Travel Stipend: Competition for one stipend of $2,500 for UT School of Law students to take part in the European Court of Justice in Luxemburg.
September 1 – Summer – PhD Research Grant: Competition for two grants of $2,000 each for research on EU Public Policy or EU-US Relations.
September 1 – Summer – Faculty Research Grant: Competition for two grants of $4,000 each for research on EU Public Policy or EU-US Relations.
September 1 –Summer – Business Studies Stipend: Competition for two faculty research grants of $4,000 each with a focus on Business in the EU and Business relations between the EU and US.
