JEI@50 - Reflecting on five decades of academic research on European integration

Abstract

The round table brings together senior scholars in the field to reflect on the evolution of published research about the EU integration process over the past five decades. The 50th anniversary of the Journal of European Integration provides a suitable occasion to consider how academic work on the EEC/EU has evolved over this period, how and why emphasis may have shifted across particular sub-fields, and how the attention of researchers relates to changes in the development of the European Union, in the member states and in the global context. Starting with a presentation of bibliometric data derived from the analysis of the journal’s publishing history since its inception in 1978, panelists will then take turns to reflect on four key aspects in the study of the EU integration process: institutional dynamics at the European level, the role of public opinion and of cleavages in European societies, the pursuit of economic and monetary union and transatlantic relations. The round table discussion will start off with brief opening statements from each of the panelists, before opening up to questions from a floor and a general discussion about past trajectories, current state and future perspectives of EU integration research.