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February 2016
Note from the Editor
This will be my first Digest as the new Events and Communications Manager for the EI, having started here in January 2016. Although new to the EI, I have been working at the LSE for the past five years at research centre LSE Cities. I also graduated from LSE in 2014 with an MSc in Politics and Communications, so I know the school very well indeed! I am looking forward to bringing you all the latest news, events and outreach from the EI each month.
The EI is also now on LinkedIn, so please do follow us.
With best wishes,
Emma Rees
Events & Communications Manager
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Professor Kevin Featherstone has become Head of the European Institute, following the ill-health of Professor Maurice Fraser. We send our best wishes to Maurice and his family at this difficult time.
Kevin has served as the EI Head on two previous occasions (2004-7; 2011-12) and his current term is due to run until 2018. He commented, “The European Institute is a great place to work and study – it’s a very friendly environment and one with immense talent. The LSE is one of the most ‘European’ universities in the world, both by students and by faculty. At a time when Europe faces so many challenges, and when Britain is debating its own long-term future, the School rightly has a major platform for research and teaching in this area. We have an exciting future ahead as we seek to review what we do best and how we can do certain things better. This should be a large conversation involving students and faculty and I look forward to taking the EI forward”.
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The Hellenic Observatory celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2016. To commemorate this important milestone they have produced a video which showcases the Observatory’s achievements and activities over the last 20 years and a series of special events. For more information and to join in the celebrations check out lse.ac.uk/HOanniversary #20YearsHO.
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European Institute PhD student Giulia Pastorella has been selected as one of the 30 under 30 policy influencers in Europe by Forbes. The list includes 300 of the top young leaders, creative inventors and brash entrepreneurs in 10 different sectors.
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The European Institute will have an exhibition stand at the 17th EU Studies Fair 2016, which takes place on Saturday 6 February at the Hotel Crowne Plaza in Brussels. The European Institute exhibition stand will be open to the public from 10am - 4pm and is a unique opportunity for students and young professionals to discover both academic and career opportunities.
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The Commission on the Future of the UK in Europe has now organised it's fifth panel session. The panels have been well attended, and we have been delighted with the interest and commitment shown at senior level. With the referendum announcement imminent the Commission will soon be drafting a final report to add to those already on the EI website, and is planning a launch event in May or September with senior key note addresses expected.
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HELLENIC OBSERVATORY VISITING FELLOWSHIP SCHEME
The Hellenic Observatory welcome applications for Visiting Fellows, Visiting Senior Fellows and Visiting Professors by academics or policy practitioners who may want to spend a period of between 6-12 months at the LSE to conduct independent research on a topic relevant to the work of the Hellenic Observatory. Application deadline: Friday 1 April, 5:00 pm (UK time). Click here for more information.
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Sara Hagemann has been awarded one of the ESRC Senior Research Fellowships in the UK in a Changing Europe Programme. She joins Iain Begg, who is also a fellow for the programme.
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Iain Begg is serving as a specialist adviser to sub Committee A (Financial Affairs) of the House of Lords European Committee for an inquiry into completing economic and monetary union.
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EVENTS
Thursday 4 February, 18:15-19:30, Shaw Library, LSE
'Hungarian perspective on the future of Europe'
The European Institute Perspectives on Europe Series
Speaker: Mr Péter Szijjártó (pictured above)
Organised by the European Institute
Friday 5 February, 16.30 - 18.00, COW 1.11 Cowdray House, LSE
‘Inside the Berlaymont: EU policy-making in development, communication and social policy’
Speaker: Lieve Fransen
Organised by the European Institute
Friday 5 February, 11am - 12noon, LSE campus
'Britain and the EU: A view from the European Parliament'
The European Institute Perspectives on Europe Series
Speaker: Martin Schulz (pictured above)
This event is ticketed and tickets will be available here from 6pm on Monday 1 February.
Organised the the European Institute
Tuesday 9 February, 18:00-19:30, COW 1.11 Cowdray House, LSE
'The agent-structure issue in foreign policy analysis: The "Macedonian" issue'
Speaker: Georgios Evangelopoulos
Organised by the Hellenic Observatory
Wednesday 10 February, 18.30 - 20.00, Wolfson Theatre, LSE
'Cyprus and New Security Issues in the Eastern Mediterranean'
Speaker: Euripides L. Evriviades (pictured above)
Organised by the Hellenic Observatory
This event is free and open to all, but registration is required via Eventbrite.
Friday 12 February, 16.30 - 18.00, COW 1.11 Cowdray House, LSE
'Five years as EU High Representative: Lessons from foreign policy’
Speaker: Baroness Catherine Ashton
Organised by the European Institute
Tuesday 23 February, 18.00 - 19.30, COW 1.11 Cowdray House, LSE
'Still Europeanized?: Greek Foreign Policy During the Eurozone crisis'
Speaker: Angelos Chryssogelos
Organised by the Hellenic Observatory
Thursday 25 February, 19.00 - 20.30, Thai Theatre, LSE
'One School, Two Visions'
Speakers: Professor Michael Cox, Professor Chandran Kukathas
LSE Government Department, European Institute and LSE IDEAS Literary Festival discussion
E-tickets will be available to book online after 10am on Tuesday 2 February via LSE online store.
Friday 26 February, 16.30 - 18.00, COW 1.11 Cowdray House, LSE
'Winning hearts and minds: Opportunities for and limits of EU soft power’
Speaker: Gijs de Vries
Organised by the European Institute |
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PODCASTS
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Kevin Featherstone made a presentation of his recent book Prime Ministers in Greece: the Paradox of Power during a lecture to the European Court of Auditors in Luxembourg on Monday 11th January 2016, attended by some 150 guests. He did so with his co-author, Professor Dimitris Papadimitriou (Manchester), and both took part in separate seminar discussions.
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December 2015 was a busy month for the Executive MSc in Political Economy of Europe. We welcomed a new class of students on campus for their first module of the programme: Key Issues in the Political Economy of Europe. We look forward to seeing them back on campus in April. While we were welcoming the 2017 class at LSE, we were also saying a fond farewell to the class of 2015, who graduated on 16th December, the first ever class to graduate with an eMSc from the LSE's European Institute. We wish them all the best for the future and hope they will stay in touch by using our new EI Alumni LinkedIn group.
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Sara Hagemann chaired a panel at the ESRC event 'What influence? The UK and Europe’ and also spoke at an LSE Alumni Zurich event on ‘The Future of Europe’ on 18 January 2016 where LSE Director Craig Calhoun, Professor Simon Hix, Professor Iain Begg and Professor George Gaskell also took part.
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Lorenzo Codogno gave a presentation on “Unconventional Monetary Policies and Their Impact on Financial Markets” at a conference organised by Oliver Wyman on “Unconventional policies and financial stability: implications for banks and financial markets” in Rome on 15 December 2015. He was then a witness in a Hearing before the House of Lords EU Financial Affair Sub-Committee on “Completing Europe’s Economic and Monetary Union” on January 13 2016.
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Tena Prelec presented the outcomes of the research: 'UAE Policies towards the Western Balkans: Investment Motives and Impact' during the conference 'Europe and Asia: Economic Integration Prospects' on the 25 January at the Belgrade Banking Academy in Belgrade, Serbia. The paper was written by Will Bartlett, James Ker-Lindsay, Kristian Alexander (of Zayed University) and Tena Prelec - and the research project was funded by the LSE Middle East Centre.
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Vassilis Monastiriotis’ article in Oxford Economic Papers [Oxf. Econ. Pap. (2016) 68 (1): 174-196; co-authored with R. Christopoulou] titled “Public-private wage duality during the Greek crisis” was listed in the journal’s list of most-read articles for two consecutive months (No7 in December 2015).
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SIXTY-SECOND INTERVIEW
...with Anna Murton
Postgraduate Student Liaison Officer at the European Institute
You have just taken up the new role of Postgraduate Student Liaison Officer at the EI. Can you tell us a bit more about the job? How have you found your first few weeks at the EI?
My role as Postgraduate Student Liaison Officer means that I look after the Administration for all Postgraduate Students enrolled with the EI. As the student facing representative for the EI administration team I am also responsible for any problems and queries current or prospective students may have. I am an LSE graduate, so I found settling in here relatively easy. After a few years away it kind of felt like coming home. I have a lovely team to work with and everyone I have met thus far has been really friendly and obliging. It’s nice to be back.
Over the past few years you have been working and living overseas. Where is the most interesting place you have visited?
I have spent an inordinate amount of time travelling solo in the last decade and absolutely love the sensory overload that comes from immersing yourself in a new place, especially when you don’t speak the language. I love the challenge of getting to know a place, although it often feels as if I can never really ‘know’ anywhere. I have spent a total of one year in Central and South America, eighteen months across Asia, two years in New Zealand, six months in Sub Saharan Africa and a good amount of time in Europe (although admittedly it is my least travelled region- I guess the one’s close to home often are). As a result I would say I have visited many interesting places and have experienced them in lots of different ways. I have an insatiable love for the mountains, and so my favourite places often include them, with Nepal ranking in my top three countries.
What book are you currently reading and which have you enjoyed most in the past?
I am currently reading “Never let me go” by Kazuo Ishiguro. Well, actually I’ve just finished it… It was pretty good, but not my favourite read ever. I tend to love books that really delve into human experiences, the books that make you think and ask questions. As such I have read a lot of books by authors like Jodi Picoult, Douglas Kennedy and Lisa Genova, as their style and subject is – for me- really enjoyable. That said, I am an avid reader and will give anything a fair look.
Name three things you cannot do without.
- My memories. I spend a lot of time thinking about (and being very grateful) for all the incredible places I have been and all the wonderful people that I have met. I would be very sad without them.
- My passport. If I ever feel low or scared it’s nice to know I can always get on a plane back to my comfort zone. I couldn’t cope with the knowledge that I could never travel again.
- A good shower and a fluffy towel. Nothing beats being clean, especially after a long hike.
What is the strangest dish you have ever tasted?
I guess that depends on what you consider strange! Having spent so long teaching myself to try and do anything (and to do-away with the concept of ‘strange’), nothing much phases me, especially when it comes to food. I have eaten a whole host of bugs and animals that wouldn’t be found in the average English family home. I wasn’t much keen on eating whole chicks in Asia, nor did I like fermented eggs. Everything else has been pretty manageable!
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EI IN THE NEWS
European Institute, London School of Economics and Political Science
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