DRIIE-European studies

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Understanding the internationalization of higher education as a policy process. The case of Romania - doctoral thesis
(Unilu - University of Luxembourg, 2016-09-12) Deca, Ligia
This doctoral thesis analyzes internationalization of higher education in Romania as a both an international norm diffusion process and as a discrete policy process, in a wider context of post-communist transition. It is conceived as a study of policy for policy, with the explicit aim of contributing to better decision-making at the national and institutional levels. As such, it is intended to facilitate a strategic pursuit of internationalization strategies in Romania, which may further inform our understanding of other similar (post-communist transition) national cases. The research objective is to understand the internationalization of higher education as a distinct policy process at the national and university level, by using a five-point star model of the policy field, which highlights the multiplicity of actors involved and acts as a ‘cat’s cradle’. A multi-theory approach for higher education governance is used for unpacking the complexity of this policy field. Stakeholder and resource dependency theories are employed for understanding the articulation of the interests, capacities and interactions between the actors, while discursive institutionalism is used to look at the role of ideas (norms) mobilized by actors to influence policy change and to construct policy frames. In terms of scope, the thesis addresses the rationales, drivers and impacts of internationalization of higher education, as well as its strategic use by relevant actors. The conclusion yields that internationalization in Romania, especially at the national level, is more a fruit of the existing context – the overall globalization trends, the Bologna Process and the EU pre- and post-accession policy processes – than a deliberate strategic pursuit based on either foresight or long term planning. Political and economic rationales are predominant, to the detriment of those linked to social and cultural considerations, given the competing pressures linked to the demographic downturn, reduced public funding to universities, the perceived need to ‘catch-up with Europe’ and the global competitiveness imperative. Another finding is that internationalization of higher education has never reached the stage of policy formulation at the national level and in most Romanian universities; it was used as a legitimating discourse within higher education reform, but a genuine commitment to comprehensive internationalization policies was lacking, leading to an over-reliance on European programs and a narrow focus on mobility and research partnerships. When looking at the agents of change, it can be inferred that success in pursuing internationalization activities was mostly influenced by policy entrepreneurs and leadership commitment and continuity, regardless of the institutional profile. At the same time, Romania has proven to be an exceptional laboratory for understanding internationalization as a distinctive public policy process within the higher education sector. This is due to the double centralization legacy of the higher education system (caused by its Napoleonic model of higher education system and the communist influence) and the over-sized influence of international actors in policy reform (e.g. UNESCO CEPES and the World Bank). A number of the overall conclusions, mainly aimed at improving decision-making at the national level, are also potentially relevant for a wider regional audience: the need to minimize the over-reliance on international funds and technical assistance of international organizations; limiting over-regulation based on international norms; and improving the national role in the global discussions on internationalization and fighting double discourse. This latter aspect points to the difficulties of replicating policy concepts across borders in a non-contextualized form, especially when domestic contexts differ significantly from the pioneering setting of a given policy.
Posted workers on the route to a European labour market: Case study: OSH-related vulnerabilities of posted workers in Spain
(Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi, 2019-04) Dodi, Ioana Antoaneta; Melenciuc Ioan, Ioana Roxana
The article aims at analyzing the main problems of posted workers in the European Union, especially the elements linked to the relationship between national and European authorities, taking into consideration the European multilevel governance system. The research on which this article is based on is the result of a project that encompasses 9 national study cases, with the aim of understanding how the EU-regulation and national OSH systems affect the health and safety of (posted) workers in a transnational workplace. The data used are gathered through desk-research, as well as fieldwork. The study-case presented within the article is that of Spain. Muddling through the complicated and complex institutional framework, we identified that the main vulnerabilities of the posted workers are related to the a) inequality of payment for the same work; b) poor living conditions; c) cultural and language barriers; d) lack of health insurance and different regulations on work accidents; e) poor representativeness.
Mihail S. Gorbaciov, ,,noua gândire” și sistemul relațiilor internaționale la sfârșitul Războiului Rece = Mikhail S. Gorbachev, ”new thinking” and the system of international relations at the end of the Cold War
(Faculty of Political and Administrative Sciences of “Petre Andrei” University of Iasi, 2022-12) Buchet, Constantin
In a problematization of the external reactions of the USSR and the ”party and state apparatus” during the period of Mikhail S. Gorbachev, we believe that the actions to contituite the new strategic thinking that ordered the political movement in the international environment must be included, with analytical priority for Soviet power. After the disappearance of two leaders from the Stalinist era, as a formative political vision, Andropov and Cernenko, the time had come to change the referential strategic concept for the Soviet Union on the lineage of détente. Thus, Gorbachev approached the relations with the USA through the prism of an improved political communication on the themes of disarmament, without excluding the competition for power through the arms race, the issues generated by the problem of German reunification, the discussion of the status of the Eastern European countries traditionally integrated into the communist bloc, the approach economic and ideological assistance for the Third World.
Perceptions of Civil Society in Armenia and Azerbaijan in the Context of the Nagorno–Karabakh Conflict
(Civil Szemle Foundation, 2023-06) Brie, Mircea; Costea, Ana Maria; Petrila, Laurențiu
This paper aims to be a contextual, conceptual and factual analysis of the complicated relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan and what are the main perceptions of civil society in these countries in the context of the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, which is a dispute over the province’s status as a major source of tension between the governments of Armenia and Azerbaijan and the leadership of the self-proclaimed republic of Nagorno-Karabakh, in the mediation of which other international actors got involved, such as OSCE, the Minsk group consisting of France, the Russian Federation and the USA. Overall, whereas Armenia tends to be on a progressive scale with some concerns over the possibility to return to a non-democratic regime, Azerbaijan is already placed on a regressive scale. Given the topic of the paper, we had a closer attention to the 2020-2021 period of time since the Nagorno Karabakh war took place in the autumn of 2020 – thus, 2011 being the first year when the European Commission launched the European Integration Index for the Eastern Partnership states and 2022 being the year with the most recent data regarding the topic. In what regards the results of our research, both civil societies have been involved in the conflict resolution, but with various degrees, taking into consideration the different national ex-ante conditions. Armenia proved to be more resilient over the years, thus, although facing mass protests ending with the Parliament building being temporally seized, with a general feeling of fear towards the possibility of regressing, the democratic level remained the same, in 2021-2022 being declared as a partly fee country, whereas in the case of Azerbaijan it fell under the regressive paradigm with: a practically non-existent independent media, very limited tools to hold the state accountable, measures that were taken against the activists that declared themselves against the war and civil society organizations that do not have access to foreign funding.
Artificial Intelligence and Inequality in European Union
(National University of Political Studies and Public Administration - Department of International Relations and European Integration, 2020-01-12) Caradaică, Mihail
The paper aims to explore the roots of inequality in the European Union by focusing on the potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enlarge the actual digital divide. Each time a new technology is broadly implemented in society, it generates economic and social gaps. There are many similar examples in history when a new invention brought poverty for significant categories of people, who faced unemployment due to new industrial machines or found themselves unable to operate or afford new devices. Therefore, the research question that I will try to answer in this paper is: "does artificial intelligence have the potential to create more inequality in the European Union?". To answer this question, I will firstly address the issue of AI's state of the art and I will research how this new technology is industrially implemented, aiming to see to what extent it represents a threat to our jobs or our way of life. Secondly, I will search for social mechanisms that generate inequality by using the concept of digital divide. This theoretical approach focuses on the possibility of people impoverishing due to the lack of basic skills and the impossibility to afford new available technologies. Thirdly, I will develop a case study, a comparative approach on EU's member states strategies in the field of AI.
Neo-Gramscian Approach on Europeanization
(Faculty of Social and Administrative Sciences, Nicolae Titulescu University, 2014-07) Caradaică, Mihail
This paper belongs to the area of critical studies in European Integration and I will try to demonstrate that the concept of Europeanization is not able to capture the nature of social change which occurs in member states. Nowadays, this concept is largely used by scholars to describe all of the economic, political and social changes that are taking place in national domestic policy under the influence of the European Union, understood as a distinct polity. In other words, this approach of Europeanization is limited only to the European geographical space and, as a consequence, it cannot capture the wider context in which the European Union exists – globalization and the nature of world order. My aim is to analyse the concept of Europeanization through the neo-gramscian theoretical framework and to see if it can be overlapped with the process of European integration. I will do this by assuming a historical materialist view on the European integration process and international relations which will help me understand these changes through the Marxist perspective of structure and superstructure. Those concepts are mutually constructed in the neo-gramscian approach and they are represented by the agency of social forces and its superstructural dimension – the neoliberal ideology according to Baastian Van Apeldoorn, Andeas Bieler, Adam David Morton or Stephen Gill
European Union in the Age of Neo-Liberalism
(National University of Political Studies and Public Administration - Department of International Relations and European Integration, 2013-07) Caradaică, Mihail
This paper belongs to the area of critical studies of European Integration and tries to analyse the super-structural dimension of European Integration and to identify its role in two areas of policy outputs. The theoretical approach is neo-gramscianism, which is focused on social forces agency in the process of integration and super-structural dimension of European Single Market. Since 1980, the interests of big capital, gathered in the European Round Table, shaped a neo-liberal dimension of the European economy, adapting it to the context of globalisation. But this neo-liberal project was also able to capture social-democratic, trade union and centrist demands into a neo-liberal European order, called by Bastiaan van Apeldoorn "embedded" neo-liberalism. This European model has also his limits because it puts the interests of capital in front of social policies through the assurance of market efficiency by EU, leading to a neoliberal hegemony. My purpose here is to see if neoliberal hegemony in European Union has a real impact on policies outputs, analysing the Eastern Enlargement and Europe 2020 Strategy.
New patterns of europeanisation: digitalizing Romania's educational system during COVID-19 crisis
(National University of Political Studies and Public Administration - Department of International Relations and European Integration, 2024-07-15) Caradaică, Mihail; Cucută, Radu Alexandru; Negrescu, Victor; Ungureanu, Radu-Sebastian
As a result of the major pressure exerted by the COVID-19 pandemic and its management on students and teachers, the EU member states and institutions face the necessity to accelerate the digitalization of education. The EU interventions in this field open the debate on whether digital education will be another subject of Europeanisation as the supranational institutions are acquiring more competences, and whether a new European policy approach was generated by the pandemic. Therefore, the paper investigates whether the COVID crisis represents a major shift in the Europeanisation of digital education in the EU. We will thus try to assess this transformation by analysing the impact of the crisis on digital education, showcasing Romania and the manner in which the national government designed its public policies against the background of the EU positions, recommendations and measures.
Civil Society as the Arena of the New European Climate Hegemony: A neo-Gramscian Approach to European Green Transition
(Civil Szemle Foundation, 2024-07-30) Caradaică, Mihail
Using a neo-Gramscian approach, this paper explores the concept of civil society as an arena where European climate hegemony is built. The EU's green transition, which involves deep social and economic transformations, needs extensive popular support to avoid social instability and the rise of populist parties. To achieve this, the European Com-mission is trying to construct a counter-hegemonic discourse that challenges the traditional modes of a fossil fuel-based economy by creating an alliance of actors around the ideology of just transition. Therefore, the study addresses the following research question: who are the change agents within European civil society that have aligned with the alliance, and how is fostering a counter-hegemonic discourse against the traditional economic model? By employing a qualitative methodological approach, the study explores the crucial function of civil society in the European green transition, exposing the most important agents and how these agents facilitate the formation of a new climate hegemony.
Applying securitisation theory to EU competition policy
(European Institute of Romania, 2021-12) Anglițoiu, George
Is the competition policy connected and relevant to security? Is a nonjuridical and non-economic theory capable to cover the dynamics of EU competition issues? The answers included in this article will focus on the unconventional dimensions of security as interconnections between social and economic layers of individual, business and public interests. The final outcome would be alternative scenarios and solutions for a better understanding of the overall human security in relationship with the deepening of EU Competition Policy.
The perspectives of the public policies and programs evaluation system in Romania in the context of implementing the National Recovery and Resilience plan
(National University of Political Studies and Public Administration - Department of International Relations and European Integration, 2023-12) Toderaș, Nicolae
The implementation of the Recovery and Resilience Facility boosts the EU’s power to transform Member States, especially in the field of public management. The conditioning of the Member States to link proposed investments in their plans in order to overcome the effects of the crisis generated by the COVID-19 pandemic, but also to boost the implementation of the Green Pact on structural reforms transforms this temporary instrument in the main driver for deepening European integration. In the case of Romania, one of the important results pursued as part of the reforms related to the public administration sector, correlated with those related to the reform of public finances, refers to the improvement of the planning system of public policies and programs in accordance with budgetary scheduling. In this context, it is expected that following the implementation of these structural reforms, the national system for public policies and programs evaluation will strengthen significantly. The article aims to discuss certain aspects related to the dynamics of the use of public policies and programs evaluations in various stakes specific to the public management sector. Thus, in the first part of the article, the dynamics of the institutionalization of the national system for public policies and programs evaluation is described and analyzed. In the second part, the strengthening premises of the national evaluation system for public intervention are analyzed as a result of the implementation of a package of structural reforms which are specific to strategic planning and public management.
The implementation of "the virtuous triangle" through the recovery and resilience facility : Romania's experience
(National University of Political Studies and Public Administration - Department of International Relations and European Integration, 2024-06) Toderaș, Nicolae; Costăchescu, Alina
Over the past decade, the EU has notably reimagined the application of European funds to ensure they foster a conducive environment for coordinated investment stimulation, structured reform implementation, and the enforcement of responsible fiscal-budgetary policies. This framework, dubbed as the „virtuous triangle” by the European Commission (EC), has constructed an expansive conception of European public policy implementation over the past ten years. This case study delves into the application of the virtuous triangle approach via financial instruments crafted to counter the ramifications of the pandemic – specifically examining the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF). The RRF employs the European Semester (ES) to bolster and predetermined control mechanisms and set national priority agendas. The study further explores the resulting initial wave of institutional effects on Member States (MS) and provides an overview of Romania’s experience in formulating the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP).
The path-breaking potential of the recovery and resilience facility: an analysis of the shifts in EU's distributional policy mode with insights from Romania's experience
(European Institute of Romania, 2024-06) Toderaș, Nicolae
In May 2020, the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) was presented as a unique instrument, due to its ambition, form, and the mechanisms with which it is equipped. Both the EU institutions and the epistemic and administrative communities in the field of European affairs saw it as a path-breaking instrument in the implementation of EU policies. This article analyses this hypothesis, and whether the RRF has the potential to generate a new path dependency in the EU’s distributional policy mode. It looks at the elements of the EU’s coordination mechanism through the RRF, as well as the aspects that set it apart from other EU policies, especially the EU Cohesion Policy. Also, primary evidence relating to Romania’s experience in drafting the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, and in implementing it, is presented and discussed from the perspective of the adjustments required by the specific approach of the RRF.
European Union a polity in search of a mission?
(Ecozone Publishing House, 2012-04-22) Ungureanu, Radu-Sebastian
The unique features of the European Union generate permanent political and theoretical debates; the fact is unsurprising, since simply describing this entity is a challenge. Despite the impressive literature on the topic, there is no widely recognized understanding of EU‟s nature as a polity. The paper considers that the most appropriate term from the usual political vocabulary to designate it is that of „empire‟. EU is based on an imperial myth, comprises many former imperial powers, can be considered an empire, but does not display the behaviour and ideology expected from one. The article suggests that the answer for this dissonance can be found in considering that the defining feature of a given empire is its „mission‟ – the ideological project that legitimizes and guides it. From the theoretical position of social constructivism, the paper investigates the characteristics of EU‟s mission as an innovative polity.
BOOK REVIEW: Miruna Troncotă. 2014. Bosnia and Herzegovina: A Critical Case Study of Europeanization, Bucharest, Tritonic Publishing House, 327 pages, ISBN: 978-606-8571-36-2
(National University of Political Studies and Public Administration - Department of International Relations and European Integration, 2015-09) Ungureanu, Radu-Sebastian
EU Crises as «Catalysts of Europeanization»? Insights from Eurobarometer Data in Romania on the Impact of the Refugee Crisis and Brexit
(National University of Political Studies and Public Administration - Department of International Relations and European Integration, 2018-06) Butnaru Troncotă, Miruna; Loy, Alexandra
For the last decade, the EU was confronted with an unprecedented series of subsequent and often overlapping crises - the constitutional crisis, the Euro crisis, the massive influx of migrants and refugees and last but not least, the Brexit referendum. They were all very different in structure, but they had a common element - they put to test the European Union's (EU) legitimacy. The main assumption of the study is that these recent crises in the EU directly influence the debates in the national public spheres, and affect the way in which solidarity among EU citizens and EU states is imagined and enacted in media. Thus, the study aims to explain variation in the Romanian public opinion for the period 2014 to 2017. It identifies exogenous factors that relate to the EU polity, its policies and national politics and how they shaped public debate in Romania around two main Pan-European crises - the refugee crisis and Brexit. The paper discusses the impact of the two crises on the Romanians' level of trust in EU institutions and assesses possible causes of this 'superficial Euro-enthusiasm' on the overall context of the Europeanization of public sphere in Romania. The findings are discussed in light of three main conditions of a Europeanized national public sphere: the role of Romanian media in building EU legitimacy; very high levels of polarization and contestation around the 2 topics of common concern; and a clear 'European dimension that transcends national topics.
EURO zone crisis and EU governance: Tackling a flawed design and inadequate policy arrangements (an essay)
(Akademiai Kiado, 2012-09) Dăianu, Daniel
This paper focuses on the roots of strain in the European Monetary Union (EMU). It argues that there is need for a thorough reform of the EU governance structure in conjunction with radical changes in the regulation and supervision of financial markets. The EMU was sub-optimal from its debut and competitiveness gaps did not diminish against the backdrop of its inadequate policy and institutional design. The euro zone crisis is not related to fiscal negligence only; over-borrowing by the private sector and poor lending by banks, as well as a one-sided monetary policy also explain this debacle. The EMU needs to complement its common monetary policy with solid fiscal/budget underpinnings. Fiscal rules and sanctions are necessary, but not sufficient. A common treasury (a federal budget) is needed in order to help the EMU absorb shocks and forestall confidence crises. A joint system of regulation and supervision of financial markets should operate. Emergency measures have to be comprehensive and acknowledge the necessity of a lender of last resort; they have to combat vicious circles. Structural reforms and EMU level policies are needed to enhance competitiveness in various countries and foster convergence.
Which way Goes Romanian Capitalism? - making a case for reforms, inclusive institutions and a better functioning European Union
(European Institute of Romania, 2013-12) Dăianu, Daniel; Murgescu, Bogdan
This paper examines the Romanian economy and its version of capitalism from a long-term perspective and in a broad context. It focuses on economic prospects in the face of a legacy of backwardness and the endurance of domestic weaknesses, in the context of the Great Recession and the eurozone crisis. Romania has a pressing need to mobilise its internal resources and absorb EU funds on a much greater scale so that it can enhance economic growth and mitigate external shocks. To this end, Romania needs to undertake thorough reforms in the public sector, combat rent-seeking and waste, foster domestic savings. The functioning of institutions and of taxation should convey a sense of fairness to citizens. Romania needs to rethink its growth model. Romania must improve its education system by increasing the level of resources assigned to education and creating coherent policies to strengthen institutional capacities and to improve quality standards. The Romanian economy would benefit significantly from EU policies that are more responsive to the economic and social fractures revealed by the current crisis. Not least, financial markets have to be tamed in Europe and elsewhere if they are to serve economies.
A central bank’s dilemmas in highly uncertain times - a Romanian view
(Institute for Economic Forecasting, 2015-03) Dăianu, Daniel
This paper looks at policy dilemmas the National Bank of Romania has faced over the years, with the analysis framed in a European and historical context. Some of these dilemmas are of an older vintage, such as how to deal with massive capital flows, how to combat high inflation when resource misallocation is a very burdensome legacy and expectations of high inflation are well entrenched. Other dilemmas are pretty new, or have got salience during the Great Recession. Romania has had to undertake a painful correction of its large macroeconomic imbalances. "Light" inflation targeting has provided leeway for mitigating the fallout from the financial crisis, although high euroization has dented its efficacy. The specter of stagnation in the Euro Area, financial deleveraging, unconventional policies which are pursued by key central banks, the ongoing reform of banking regulation and supervision, a growing shadow banking, how will the Banking Union evolve, etc, make up a very complicated European context and pose a range of big challenges for the central banks of New Member States (NMSs).
When policies fuel economic cycles
(Institute for Economic Forecasting, 2017-03) Dăianu, Daniel
The Great Recession has brought back into the limelight the issue of cycles, of policies which fuel, or mitigate crises. There is a specter of much lower economic growth in the industrialized world. Central banks are over-burdened. This makes central bankers’ life much more complicated and obfuscates the borders between monetary policy and fiscal policy, especially when financial stability gets to center stage. New systemic risks show up in capital markets. The Eurozone has escaped collapse owing to ECB’s extraordinary operations and large macro-imbalance corrections in its periphery, but major threats persist. This paper focuses on economic cycles and policies in an international (European) context. The financial cycle is a key concept in the logic of this paper. The experience of European emerging economies is taken into account. Attention is paid to linkages between domestic cycles and financial cycles, drivers of financial cycles, finance deregulation and systemic risks, ultra low interest rates, the international policy regime and global stability.

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