Description
Processes of European integration have been developing in multiple and varying directions in recent decades. Countries in Europe have been developing various forms of attachment to the institutional arrangements of political and economic governance in the European Union. European integration, in short, is not and for the foreseeable future will not be a unifying and coherent process leading towards one dominant type of political unification process across countries in Europe. Slovakia and Norway are examples of countries with various degrees of integration into the EU’s political order. A comparative approach using the two country contexts as a point of departure and extending the research scope towards other country contexts in Europe and beyond provides a fertile ground for the study of differentiation and democratic governance in today’s Europe. The objective of the project is to setup a framework for sustainable inter-institutional cooperation and transfer of a set of best practices in research and teaching on democratic governance in Europe between Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia and the University of Oslo, Norway. Intensive PhD courses, research seminars, guest lecturers and summer school for PhD students will be organised. Mobilities of academic staff and PhD students from both organisations will take place. Joint edited volume on differentiation and democratic governance in Europe featuring chapters by scholars from ARENA, Comenius University as well as other invited scholars will be prepared. Donor project partner ARENA - Centre for European Studies is a research centre at the University of Oslo. The partnership will set up frameworks for transfer of a successful set of best practices in managing research and teaching excellence on the PhD level in the field of democratic governance.
Summary of project results
The project was needed because the PhD study in Slovakia lacks internationalisation and the benefits of the project have helped to improve the situation in the field of political science.During the implementation of the project, 10 research seminars were organized for Slovak PhD students, led by 3 Norwegian academics and academics from wider international academic environment. Two intensive two-week intensive courses for PhD students were organized, where lecturers and consultants were also from the partner organization. In cooperation with UNESCO, the Center for Human Rights Education at Comenius University in Bratislava, the project prepared and conducted a competition for the best essay and professional discussion for Slovak secondary school students in the spring of 2016. The PhD students had the opportunity to get acquainted with the latest research findings and trends in exploring democratic governance and the development of the EU's political order.
Summary of bilateral results
Donor project partner was an equal partner involved in all project activities.Project partner contributed mainly by providing expert and administrative staff, facilities.The objective of project was closer bilateral cooperation between Faculty of Arts of Comenius University in Bratislava and Centre for European Studies ARENA in Oslo. The main benefit were strengthened bilateral ties and new kinds of practices set up and maintained at Comenius University in Bratislava. The donor partnership achieved strengthened cooperation in research and education on differentiated governance and crises in the EU.