UNDERSTANDING POLITICAL LEADERSHIP IN EUROPE

The course aims to examine the actors and the political management tools in historical and vertical comparison to show, keep and implement political leadership. It addresses these five leading questions: Normative: Can a leader be both truly European and genuinely national? Is there still space for traditional political leadership (visionary, charismatic, somehow strong and personal, party ideological) within the constraints of globalization, tech powers and Europe or there is a decline of the idea of leadership in favour of power sharing governance where different actors (tech tycoons mainly) make up for the absence of a leader? Institutional: How does the architecture of EU governance shape political leadership in Europe, at home, and in the international arena? Does participation in EU institutions change leaders’ political styles? How can ideological leaders be successful in the EU’s system of compromise without hurting their image at home? Comparative: What distinguishes European leadership styles from presidential or executive models in other regions (e.g., the U.S.)? Historical: Which national leaders have most successfully influenced the direction of the EU despite institutional constraints? Partisan: How do European party families (EPP, S&D) develop and project leadership across borders? This seminar starts with a theoretical explanation of what “leadership” can be and explains the institutional framework of the EU, also with the question of how to lead – as and for states, EU institutions, political parties or personal actor. In a second step it follows the historical developments in different circumstances and evolving competences from the “founding fathers” to today’s EU politics and policy. On this basis, it analyses how political leadership in Europe has evolved from post-war reconstruction to today’s European Union and examines how leadership changed with the EU integration process, how it shapes institutions, responds to crises, and navigates between its own interests tools and European commitment. In a third step, this course focuses on the toolbox leaders have to express their influence by using political management, communication, and creating a supportive network (mainly in parties). A concluding fourth step will ask whether specific patterns of EU leadership exist by comparing them to the leading style of US presidents and other international figures. Based on qualitative interviews in the course of the seminar and the study visit to Strasbourg (beginning of 2027), the students will have the chance to discuss with practitioners and experts about forms, changes, challenges and limitations of political leadership within the EU.

Undergraduate degree in Political Sciences

By the end of the course, students will acquire: Knowledge of the functioning of the European Union with focus on the institutional settings, key political actors, and decision-making process; Analysis on the understanding of political leadership, its forms, actors, historical developments, challenges and limitations; Insights of political leadership by experts. Applying knowledge and understanding: Students will be able to apply the acquired knowledge in their future professional activities, in several ways. In particular, they will be trained in: Collecting and engaging with relevant academic as well as non-academic literature and grasping the key content; Discussing topics and readings in class with the instructor and with colleagues; Preparing analytical strategic notes or memos aimed at political decisions’ makers and other stakeholders; Understanding the importance of high-quality academic work and its translation into politic insights. Carrying out research (either academic or for professional purposes) on the content of the course, also applying the relevant methodologies of the discipline, in particular in qualitative interview techniques; Writing academic papers. Making judgements: Due to the emphasis placed on re-elaboration and discussion of the readings, the case studies and the qualitative interviews students will be able to: Critically analyse complex phenomena related to European Union and national political systems as well as political decision-making process in general, and contextualize them in the light of the knowledge acquired in the course; Develop problem-solving capacity and the ability to work as a team; Differentiate between academic work approach on the one side and the practical work on the other side, and understand that the first one can give structure and insights in the second one. Thanks to the understanding of the course’s key topics, debates and expert interviews, develop an autonomous and critical judgement about EU politics and its leadership. Communication skills: During the course students will be asked to contribute to the discussion in several ways, through presentations followed by discussion and questions from the instructor or through encouragement to present their argued and critical view on a certain topic, defend their contributions, such op eds and press releases, and to discuss with experts. Because of this, they will: Improve the control of course-related terminology in English whilst simultaneously gaining the ability to present complex content in an easily accessible form; Become acquainted with engaging in critical discussion in front of a larger audience, communicating questions or comments in a clear way to the rest of the class, thus stimulating a general debate; Present themselves in a political environment, such as the EU institutions.

Political leadership and the EU political system

S. Fabbrini. 2010. Compound Democracies: Why the United States and Europe Are Becoming Similar. Oxford: Oxford University Press. A. Capati. 2026. The Politics of Financial Assistance in Times of Crisis: Rescuing Europe. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan. Krastev, I. 2017. After Europe. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.

Lectures and seminars

Written midterm exam during the course (1/3 of final grade) and final written exam at the end of the course (2/3 of final grade). For non-attending students, extended final written exam at the end of the course (3/3 of final grade)

Active participation during the course and final grade equal or greater than 28