FOR 1026:  The Transformative Power of Europe: External and Internal Diffusion of Ideas in the European Union

• Subject Area: Social and Behavioural Sciences
• Term: from 2008 to 2018
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 56726743

The Research Unit examines the role of the European Union (EU) as promoter and recipient of ideas, analysing the mechanisms and effects of internal and external diffusion processes. The diffusion of ideas has become a central research theme in political science, sociology, law, history and economics. Scholars have focussed on how ideas are spread across time and space, as can be observed especially in the EU in various sociopolitical fields. In this context, the Research Unit focusses on the theoretical and methodological challenges of identifying scope conditions for and interaction effects between the various causal mechanisms by which ideas are spread across time and space. We concentrate on the EU as an almost ideal laboratory for investigating processes and outcomes of diffusion.
Until now, the diffusion of ideas has mainly been studied from a structuralist perspective. However, the process evolves differently, depending on how diffusion is initiated. Existing studies on diffusion, furthermore, show that it is not a process free of conflict. Focussing on the EU, the Research Unit seeks to study the influence of actors, their interests and their power on the diffusion of ideas.
The Research Unit focusses on three different research areas. The first research area "identity and the public sphere" explores how the diffusion of ideas through and by the EU affects collective identities and their Europeanisation. The second research area "compliance, conditionality and beyond" focusses on the question how and to what extent European ideas have transformed the political-administrative, economic, social and cultural institutions of nation-states within and outside the EU. The EU perceives itself as a model for effective and legitimate governance to be emulated by other countries and regions. Last but not least the third research area "comparative regionalism and Europe's external relations" explores the effects of these efforts at diffusing regionalism as a distinctively European idea. The concept of "diffusion" works as a bridge between various meta-theoretical orientations and connects different methodologies to each other. By concentrating on five mechanisms of diffusion, the Research Unit attends to diverging approaches.

• DFG Programme: Advanced Studies Centres in SSH

Projects

• The Transformative Power of Europe: External and Internal Diffusion of Ideas in the European Union (Applicant Börzel, Tanja A. )
• The Transformative Power of Europe: External and Internal Diffusion of Ideas in the European Union (Applicant Börzel, Tanja A. )

• Spokespersons: Professorin Dr. Tanja A. Börzel; Professor Dr. Thomas Risse