Will Europe reform it’s economy?
Are the economic reforms demanded by the European Union (EU) and linked to the European COVID-19 investment package actually being implemented? Political scientist and public administration expert Markus Haverland of Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) has been awarded funding by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) to investigate this. With this grant from the Open Competition, of 580.000 euros, he can carry out research without having to meet thematic preconditions. Covid-19 has also hit the EU economically hard, some member states harder than others, threatening the stability of the EU. In response, the EU has made a huge budget available for investment, coupled with the requirement to finally implement economic reforms, in areas such as the tax regime, the labour market, and public pensions, requested by the EU. Haverland will investigate whether the additional funds will enable this to happen. Will the political playing field change as the players in favour of reform are strengthened? Will they take up the challenge by framing reforms cleverly and breaking through resistance, or will Eurosceptic forces hold them back? Haverland will focus his research on Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain. Markus Haverland: "I am delighted with this funding because it allows to delve deeply into the fascinating political dynamics shaping Europe's reform capacity. Especially now, with the war in Ukraine on top of the consequences of the corona crisis. How resilient is Europe really?
