Emre Gömeç is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Kassel and a Ph.D. fellow of Hans Böckler Foundation in Germany. Also, he is a researcher at The Academic-Industry Research Network (theAIRnet) in the United States. His research fields are financialization, corporate governance, and innovation as well as the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) sector. He compares the corporate governance models of two telecommunication companies, Nokia and Ericsson, as a case study in his dissertation.
Through its eclectic 20 principles, the European Pillar of Social Rights is an opportunity to break silos and look at social development as the network of challenges that it truly is.
Departing from the rather long history of European social rights, the implementation of the EPSR must follow a holistic approach, identifying synergies with discussions it already hints at in its 20 principles.
In order to contribute to the identification of such synergies, this paper attempts to shed light on three transversal issues that national governments and the European Commission must bear in mind when implementing the EPSR: civil rights; labour relations; and gender equality. The analysis departs from the setting of the current model of welfare state in post-World War II Europe and it ends with the Porto Summit 2021, reflecting on the documents approved and what they can mean for a post-COVID-19 Social Europe.
Political Mentor: YES Vice President and S&D MEP Alicia Homs Academic Mentor: Matjaz Nahtigal, Associate professor at the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ljubljana
Members
Publications
15/02/2022
Three ideas for a stronger Social Europe in a post- Covid 19 recovery
FEPS YAN
23/04/2018
Global Challenges and their impact in the Middle East
09/10/2014
Nine Suggested Principles to Guide EU-US Collaboration on financial regulatory reform
Justine works as a post-doctoral researcher at the Urban Big Data Centre at the University of Glasgow. Her current research focuses on the materialisation of the ‘smart city’ and the ways in which citizens interact with data and digital infrastructures in urban spaces, as well as on the collection, use and governance of data in local contexts. Her research interests sit at the intersection of digital sociology, critical data studies, governance and urban studies.
The European Investment Bank (EIB) is the EU’s multilateral development bank. In this FEPS YAN policy study, the authors suggest four reforms that would help progressive policymakers to utilize unlock the EIB’s potential to play a greater role in the EU economy and its transition to a more resilient, climate-neutral, and progressive economy.
First, the authors suggest the EIB adopts more comprehensive lending targets based on social and environmental criteria. Second, they highlight the need for a stronger focus on equity-like instruments rather than debt instruments, especially in the ongoing response to the Covid-19 crisis. Third, they propose to strengthen the EIB’s accountability towards the European Parliament to ensure a legitimate political direction and democratic control of its activities. Fourth, they propose to convert the EIB’s retained profits into paid-in capital, unlocking up to €110 billion of additional lending capacity. To simultaneously accomplish increased democratic accountability, the authors suggest converting the EIB’s retained profits into EU capital and thus making the EU an EIB shareholder.
Political Mentor: EP Vice President and S&D MEP Pedro Silva Pereira Academic Mentor: Carlo d' Ippoliti, Associate professor of political economy at the Department of Statistical Sciences of Sapienza University of Rome.
This policy brief is an attempt to sketch out the baselines of a new progressive approach towards remote work. An approach that fosters social justice. An approach that takes seriously the promises and perils of digital transformation. Crucially, an approach that is compatible with ecological boundaries. In other words, the fact that proximity does not seem to play as big a role in shaping our world of work as it used to play does not have to go hand in hand with the erosion of workers’ rights. It does not have to exacerbate the worst excesses of digital capitalism. And it does not have to compound the destruction of the planet. These drawbacks are outcomes of political choices – not of natural laws. They are not inevitable.
Across three strategic levels, the policy proposals illustrate that progressives all across Europe have powerful strategies and tools at their disposal to prevent these outcomes: information; institutions; and labour law.
Dr. Thomas Froehlich is a research fellow at the Department of War Studies at King's College London. His work focuses on the geopolitical implications of the global energy transition, but he is also interested in "how to get things done" in international politics. Thomas holds a Master's degree in Political Science from the University of Munich and a PhD in International Relations from King's College London, where he examined Brazil's international ethanol strategy. Thomas also works as a political risk adviser and a grassroots political organizer.
The European Green Deal (EGD) aims to make Europe climate neutral by 2050 while ensuring a just transition for all. However, the EGD’s high level of ambition and broad scope is not adequately reflected in member states’ commitments, and interest groups attempt to shape the EGD according to their preferences.
Given these circumstances, how can the promise of a green and just European Green Deal be realised? To shed light on this research question, the authors of this FEPS YAN Policy Study build on insights from political economy on the influence of interest groups in policymaking. Analytically, the authors propose a framework that integrates distinct sources of power (structural vis-à-vis instrumental) and a range of political strategies (quiet vis-à-vis noisy politics).
Empirically, they study two cases central to the EGD: the ‘EU Biodiversity Diversity Strategy for 2030’ to protect nature and ecosystems; and the ‘Hydrogen Strategy’ to power a climate-neutral economy. Based on lobbying activities with members of the European Commission and the European Parliament, the authors identify key stakeholders, their framing, and strategies. The findings have important implications for understanding the interplay of relevant actors and EU institutions and their influence on European policy.
Timon Forster is a Ph.D. candidate in International Relations at the Berlin Graduate School for Global and Transregional Studies, Freie Universität Berlin. His research interests include international political economy, deliberation, the distributional consequences of economic reforms, and global public health. In the FEPS YAN, he is studying the politics of the European Green Deal.
The European Green Deal (EGD) aims to make Europe climate neutral by 2050 while ensuring a just transition for all. However, the EGD’s high level of ambition and broad scope is not adequately reflected in member states’ commitments, and interest groups attempt to shape the EGD according to their preferences.
Given these circumstances, how can the promise of a green and just European Green Deal be realised? To shed light on this research question, the authors of this FEPS YAN Policy Study build on insights from political economy on the influence of interest groups in policymaking. Analytically, the authors propose a framework that integrates distinct sources of power (structural vis-à-vis instrumental) and a range of political strategies (quiet vis-à-vis noisy politics).
Empirically, they study two cases central to the EGD: the ‘EU Biodiversity Diversity Strategy for 2030’ to protect nature and ecosystems; and the ‘Hydrogen Strategy’ to power a climate-neutral economy. Based on lobbying activities with members of the European Commission and the European Parliament, the authors identify key stakeholders, their framing, and strategies. The findings have important implications for understanding the interplay of relevant actors and EU institutions and their influence on European policy.
Fabian Ferrari is a PhD candidate at the Oxford Internet Institute. His PhD thesis examines the political economy of artificial intelligence. Fabian holds an MSc in Politics and Communication from the London School of Economics and a BA in Social Sciences from Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf. Fabian is also a researcher at the Fairwork Foundation, an international action-research project that is working to analyse and improve pay and conditions for platform workers across the world.
This policy brief is an attempt to sketch out the baselines of a new progressive approach towards remote work. An approach that fosters social justice. An approach that takes seriously the promises and perils of digital transformation. Crucially, an approach that is compatible with ecological boundaries. In other words, the fact that proximity does not seem to play as big a role in shaping our world of work as it used to play does not have to go hand in hand with the erosion of workers’ rights. It does not have to exacerbate the worst excesses of digital capitalism. And it does not have to compound the destruction of the planet. These drawbacks are outcomes of political choices – not of natural laws. They are not inevitable.
Across three strategic levels, the policy proposals illustrate that progressives all across Europe have powerful strategies and tools at their disposal to prevent these outcomes: information; institutions; and labour law.
Katharina Bohnenberger is an Ecological Economist at the Institute for Socio-Economics (University of Duisburg-Essen) and consults as a policy advisor on topics like the just transition, green recovery and sustainable welfare. She has an academic background in Economics, Social Policy, Philosophy and Environmental Studies and has been working on sustainable digitalization for the Wuppertal Institute and the German Advisory Council on Global Change (WBGU). Her PhD is on Sustainable Welfare, a rising research field that analyses the integration of social and environmental policies and develops strategies to make welfare states resilient and in line with climate protection targets.
This policy brief is an attempt to sketch out the baselines of a new progressive approach towards remote work. An approach that fosters social justice. An approach that takes seriously the promises and perils of digital transformation. Crucially, an approach that is compatible with ecological boundaries. In other words, the fact that proximity does not seem to play as big a role in shaping our world of work as it used to play does not have to go hand in hand with the erosion of workers’ rights. It does not have to exacerbate the worst excesses of digital capitalism. And it does not have to compound the destruction of the planet. These drawbacks are outcomes of political choices – not of natural laws. They are not inevitable.
Across three strategic levels, the policy proposals illustrate that progressives all across Europe have powerful strategies and tools at their disposal to prevent these outcomes: information; institutions; and labour law.
Wilko is a PhD candidate in Employment Relations at the University of Glasgow and work as Graduate Teaching Assistant within the Adam Smith Business School. His research focuses on job quality and worker representation in the context of “Industry 4.0”, with a particular focus on the role of ICTs to potentially exacerbate already existing inequalities among workers. Before commencing his doctoral studies, Wilko served as research trainee at the International Labour Organization, where he worked on “Future of Work” and “Social Dialogue” related projects. Wilko holds a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy and a master’s degree in Work, market, environment, social policies and social work, both earned from the University of Bologna. During his postgraduate studies, Wilko spent one year at the University of Tartu (Erasmus Programme) and three months in Brussels to carry out research for his final dissertation at the European Trade Union Confederation.
This policy study focuses on trade union approaches to the multiple crises in a sector critical for the sustainability transformation: aviation. Based on empirical research, the authors find that unions, under pressure to face contradictory and complex problems, take divergent positions on societal-environmental issues and their solutions - verging from social-ecological transformation-focused to defensive stances, also in their collaboration with social movements for change.
Political Mentor: EP Vice President and S&D MEP Evelyn Regner Academic Mentor: David Bailey, Senior Lecturer, Department of Political Science and International Studies, School of Government, University of Birmingham
Dominic Afscharian is a research officer and Ph.D. candidate at the Institute of Political Science of the University of Tübingen. He holds degrees in political science and economics, received his previous academic training at Heidelberg University, and has worked with think tanks, consultancies, and academic institutions in the past. Specialising in mixed-methods public policy analysis, he primarily focuses on European social policy. Beyond conducting analyses of this subject in and of itself, he also considers its intersections with other policy fields along with national social policy, particularly in Germany. At the University of Tübingen, he is currently completing his dissertation on different visions of a “Social Europe”. In his further research, he engaged amongst other things with issues such as migration, labour market policy, European crises, and welfare state performance on various interdisciplinary and international projects. For FEPS and the Renner Institut, he explored progressive perspectives on a European Universal Basic Income. Finally, he worked as a FEPS YAN ambassador, researching challenges and solutions around democratic resilience for FEPS and for the Progressive Alliance.
Across the political spectrum, there is widespread agreement that the European Union (EU) needs a palpable social dimension. In this FEPS YAN policy study, the authors provide a research-driven policy proposal on how this social dimension can be achieved in the light of the diversity of national welfare systems in the EU.
They argue that a Universal Basic Income (UBI) could be a conceptually appealing policy to be implemented at EU level, complementing national welfare states. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the policy is receiving unprecedented and ever-increasing attention, and enjoys widespread public popularity, but is viewed with scepticism by major political parties.
This paper is a unified source of information for progressive policymakers, advocates, consultants, and researchers who are interested in (a) how a European UBI could be concretely designed and (b) the reasoning and justifications behind its concrete design decisions. In order to formulate a policy proposal that could potentially foster cross- partisan compromises and move public policy preferences and political reality closer together, the authors conducted a comprehensive review of historical and contemporary UBI debates, gathered the key arguments presented in academic, popular, political, and organisational sources, and reflected on them from logical, normative, and empirical perspectives.
Based on the most plausible arguments for and against a UBI, they designed a concrete policy proposal for a UBI at the EU level that responds to broadly progressive ideals from different partisan backgrounds. The result is an ambitious yet feasible proposal that bridges political divides and, if implemented, would be the most substantial leap for Social Europe yet.
Through its eclectic 20 principles, the European Pillar of Social Rights is an opportunity to break silos and look at social development as the network of challenges that it truly is.
Departing from the rather long history of European social rights, the implementation of the EPSR must follow a holistic approach, identifying synergies with discussions it already hints at in its 20 principles.
In order to contribute to the identification of such synergies, this paper attempts to shed light on three transversal issues that national governments and the European Commission must bear in mind when implementing the EPSR: civil rights; labour relations; and gender equality. The analysis departs from the setting of the current model of welfare state in post-World War II Europe and it ends with the Porto Summit 2021, reflecting on the documents approved and what they can mean for a post-COVID-19 Social Europe.
Read the Paper:
Three ideas for a stronger Social Europe in a post- Covid 19 recovery
Political Mentor: YES Vice President and S&D MEP Alicia Homs
Academic Mentor: Matjaz Nahtigal, Associate professor at the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ljubljana