Theorizing the EU in Times of Crisis

The present crisis underlines the essentially indeterminate and contested nature of European integration as a process and of the European Union as a polity. For this section, we invite panels and papers that advance original theoretical insights in reflection on the (recent) EU experience. Such contributions can be explanatory or normative in character and, while we select on their theoretical appeal, this certainly does not preclude papers with a substantial empirical component. In light of the conference theme, we are particularly interested in contributions that theorize the institutional and constitutional transformation of the EU. These may, for instance, take up on theories of integration as well as on theories of the specific polity and constituent power that the EU involves. We are particularly keen to receive contributions that engage with the emerging conceptualization and debate on disintegration and differentiated integration. Another relevant line of research concerns the analysis of fundamental normative issues in the EU. Of particular relevance in this context is, of course, the presumed democratic deficit of the EU and the way this has been affected by the handling of the crisis. However, we would also like to receive papers that theorize the frequent EU appeals to solidarity, transnational justice, and the distinct European model of a social market economy. Finally, beyond such more general normative analyses, we welcome studies that reconstruct or evaluate specific EU policies in light of certain well-specified normative principles.