Book Salon at 2026
I was delighted by the great discussions of my book by Daniel Béland, Leonard Seabrooke, Manuela Moschella, and Jacqueline Best at the 38th annual SASE conference in Bordeaux on July 3. The book salon was chaired by Juliet Johnson of McGill University.
From Florence to China: The Book Tour Begins
My book The Power of Ideas and Discourse in Political Analysis (Oxford University Press) came out in April, with a first book launch in Florence at the European University Institute. I then spent much of May in China, presenting the book in a number of places, meeting wonderful Chinese scholars and students.
Book Talk at the Chinese University of Political Science and Law in Beijing
I’m delighted to have been invited toChinese University of Political Science and Law in Beijing for a great discussion of my new book: The Power of Ideas and Discourse in Political Analysis.
The Rise of Populism: Geopolitical Consequences
On April 1 of this year, I gave a virtual talk for the Geopolitics Institute at the ESCP Business School in Paris on the geopolitical consequences of populism.
The EMU Lab 2026 Florence Report: Reconfiguring Europe in a Fractured Global Economy
In April, I published a chapter on The Twin Political Challenges for the EU: US Geopolitical Disruption and National Populist Fragmentation in the Florence Report of the EMU Lab of the European University Institute, which provides policy analysis and recommendations for how the EU can succeed in an increasingly unstable world.
Dissensus over Liberal Democracy: How the EU Responds, Reflects, and Rebuilds through its Internal and External Policies?
On Thursday evening , December 11, as part of the concluding conference of the Horizon Europe--RED Spinel project, I took part in a panel discussion with Judge Iulia Motoc of the International Criminal Court.
Book Talk at Free University of Brussels
On December 10, I gave a talk for the Institute of European Studies at the Free University of Brussels on my forthcoming book, The Power of Ideas and Discourse in Political Analysis: A Discursive Institutionalist Perspective, due out in April.
Keynote at Conference on Political Trust: A Challenge for Democracies
I gave a keynote presentation on “Political Trust and Legitimacy in the Age of Populism” for the Conference on Political Trust organized by CEVIPOF at the French Political Science School, Sciences Po, Paris (December 5-6, 2025).
Contribution to Handbook of Comparative Political Economy
I contributed a chapter an the Edward Elgar Handbook on Comparative Political Economy, in which I focus on how ideas and discourse influence political economy in a comparative perspective: “The Role of Ideas and Discourse in Comparative Political Economy.”
How Much Do Experts’ Ideas Matter for the European Union’s Political Agenda?
I recently contributed an article to the Critical Debate section of Journal of Common Market Studies’s Annual Review Issue (2025).
Talk for Utrecht University Advisory Board
On September 11, I gave a virtual talk for the the Open Science Advisory Board at Utrecht University on how to think about procedural legitimacy in higher education.
Democratic Legitimacy in Turbulent Times
Yesterday, June 24, I joined Federico Fabbrini and Kalypso Nicolaidis on a keynote panel for the EU Horizon 2020 project REGROUP investigating the effects of Covid 19.
Wake Up, Europe: How to Make the EU Fit for Purpose in a Changing World
I was honored to delivery a keynote talk for the European Academy of Management’s EURAM 25 Conference at the University of Florence’s School of Economics and Management from June 22-25.
Trump and the Far Right in Europe, Asset or Liability? It Depends.
I was extensively interviewed by Portuguese journalist Hélder Gomes for a May 7 piece on the impact of Trump and his policies on extreme right leaders and parties in Europe.
Talk at the University of Bologna
On April 11, 2025, I gave a talk at the University of Bologna’s Political Science Department on “The Power of Ideas and Discourse in the Rise of Populism: A Transatlantic Perspective.”
Trump Is Proving More Liability Than Asset for Right-wing Politicians Abroad
Trump was once seen as an asset to right-wing populists abroad. No more.
Wake Up Europe: The US Is Dying and the New Is Yet to Be Born.
On Feb. 27, 2025, I gave a keynote presentation for The New Institute in Hamburg, a center for innovative thinking on the main challenges facing Europe and the world today.
Protecting Democracy in Europe: Webinar Recording with Dr. Tom Theuns
I was delighted to take part in an EU-VALUES Network event featuring Dr. Tom Theuns of Leiden University, who presented key insights from his latest book, Protecting Democracy in Europe. Theuns explores the critical challenges of safeguarding democracy in the EU, including the rise of autocracy, threats to pluralism, and the tensions shaping European governance.
European Economic Governance: Still Not Fit for Purpose?
On Nov. 20, I went to the University of Padua to give a talk for the seminar series of the Department of Political Science on economic governance in the EU, with a focus on the reform of the fiscal rules.
The Power of Ideas and Discursive Interactions
On November 7, 2024, I gave a talk at the Vienna University of Economics and Business on “The Power of Ideas and Discursive Interaction” for management faculty interested in applying my analytic framework of “Discursive Institutionalism” to management practice, and in particular to questions of sustainability management.