Books & ideas

A Return to Liberal Democracy

Laurent Warlouzet — 2026-01-22T07:00:00Z

Popular sovereignty and the rule of law are inseparable: the idea that there could be “illiberal democracies” is groundless and plays into the hands of populists.

In Defence of a Federative European Republic

Valéry Pratt — 2024-05-23T10:52:00Z

The political construction of the European Union has broken down. Restarting it would require profoundly changing our ways of thinking about sovereignty, the people and democracy – we must find a new way of thinking about our citizenship.

The Anti-Europeans

Agnès Louis — 2019-12-09T08:00:00Z

Nowadays, criticism of Europe has become the outlet for democratic disarray. While disintegration threatens the European Union, what are the forces opposing it, and what are they going after exactly?

European lobbies under scruntiny

Chloé Bérut — 2019-02-25T06:00:00Z

European lobbies are said to be constantly seeking to influence political decisions. A detailed study of the European Association of Craft, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, reveals the range of their activities.

Northern Ireland and Brexit

Thibaud Harrois — 2019-01-31T07:00:00Z

How will the different regions in the UK be impacted by Brexit? Mary C. Murphy's book explores the unique case of Northern Ireland, a region isolated both geographically and politically from the rest of the country, in the run-up to the referendum as well as in its aftermath.

Little Englanders vs Human Rights?

Anne Cousson — 2018-06-11T07:00:00Z

Why has the Human Rights Act of 1998 become such a politically charged issue in the United Kingdom? In a militant book, Conor Gearty debunks the myths surrounding the British human rights regime and calls for more comprehensive legislation.

How to Live in a Hostile World

Michal Kozlowski — 2018-02-22T08:00:00Z

How can the rise to power of the far-right in Poland in 2015 be explained? Was it the result of an effective propaganda strategy? Or because of the refugee crisis? Michal Kozlowski discusses the underlying causes and consequences of this new political situation within the European Union.

A European Unemployment Insurance Scheme?

Thomas Vendryes — 2017-11-13T08:00:00Z

First evoked in the 1970s, the idea of a European unemployment benefit scheme has recently become a topics of debate among academics and policy-makers, as it could constitute a way to deal with the macroeconomic imbalances within the EU and the Eurozone. In this interview, Sebastian Dullien presents how such a scheme could work, its potential economic consequences - and whether it would be politically realistic.

Politicizing Europe, Europeanizing Politics

Stéphanie Hennette & Thomas Piketty & Guillaume Sacriste & Antoine Vauchez — 2017-10-05T07:00:00Z

Though they share the diagnosis of an unprecedented democratic crisis of the European project, our critics remain firmly rooted in a “communitarian” tradition that is no longer able to meet the challenges faced by the government of the euro area.

Waiting for Europe

Laurent Warlouzet — 2017-10-02T07:00:00Z

The treaty proposed by Piketty et al. makes it possible to overcome the sterile opposition between sovereignists and federalists. Yet, rather than democratizing Europe, the creation of a new assembly risks increasing the prevailing institutional confusion.