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Areas of interest

The following is a list of themes for a masters thesis the ARENA researchers might find of interest (researcher in parenthesis).

We recommend that you contact that researcher whose field your project ties in with whilst working on your project outline, before you apply for the ARENA student scholarship. There should be a distinct overlap between the thematic focus of the applicant's project and the projects of the ARENA researchers.

The list was updated May 2019

  • Public reason of expert institutions, such as (EU) agencies (Andreas Eriksen)

  • Democratic legitimacy and/or accountability, for example of EU agencies (Andreas Eriksen)

  • Welfare policy and citizen responsibility (Andreas Eriksen)

  • Professional ethics / integrity (Andreas Eriksen)

  • Organized interests and lobbying strategies in the EU (Alexander Katsaitis)

  • Democratic legitimacy & interest groups in the EU (Alexander Katsaitis)

  • European Parliament & Policy-Making Procedures (Alexander Katsaitis)

  • The Inter-institutional impact of Own Initiative Reports (Alexander Katsaitis)

  • The European Union's gender equality policy (Cathrine Holst)
  • The role of science and expertise in EU decision-making (Cathrine Holst)
  • The European Union and democratic theory (Cathrine Holst)
  • Use of digital media in political communication strategies (national and EU institutions) (Asimina Michailidou)
  • News media, digital media and crises (role of media in mobilization and protest, transnational solidarity, crisis communication responses, role of journalists, EU contestation / politicization, Euroscepticism) (Asimina Michailidou)
  • News media, digital media and democracy (transformation of journalism practices, pluralism, reporting standards, public perceptions / trust) (Asimina Michailidou)
  • Digitalization, democracy and public sphere theory (Asimina Michailidou)

  • Digital content: methods and research ethics of capturing and processing data in a digital landscape (Asimina Michailidou)

  • How news media play a vital role in shaping and conditioning European citizens’ perceptions of the EU integration project (Asimina Michailidou)
  • The relationship between Brexit and differentiated integration (John Erik Fossum)
  • The role of parliaments in fostering democratic reforms, for example in context of the Future of Europe debate (John Erik Fossum)
  • Europeanization of citizenship (John Erik Fossum)
  • Multilevel citizenship in the European Union: supranational, national, regional (John Erik Fossum)
  • The EU's foreign and security policies (Helene Sjursen)
  • Norwegian foreign and security policy and the EU (Helene Sjursen)
  • Democracy and European foreign policy (Helene Sjursen
  • EU and global justice (Helene Sjursen, Johanne D. Saltnes)
  • The EU's relationships with one or more of the BRICS states (Helene Sjursen, Johanne D. Saltnes)
  • The EU’s “Aid for Trade” policy (Johanne D. Saltnes)
  • The EU’s Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) with ACP (African, Caribbean and Pacific) countries (Johanne D. Saltnes)
  • EU and post national democracy – is a supranational democracy possible? (Erik Oddvar Eriksen)
  • Deliberative democracy – the relationship between argument and power in the EU (Erik Oddvar Eriksen)
  • Arguments, norms and views of justice in the EU's constitutional and expansion processes (Erik Oddvar Eriksen)
  • International public administration beyond the EU: How autonomous are international bureaucracies from their creators? Studies could be launched in cases such as the WTO, OECD, UN, African Union, etc. (Jarle Trondal)
  • The rise of a European Administrative Space (EAS): Characteristics, decision-making dynamics and consequences for national government institutions (e.g. ministries, agencies) (Jarle Trondal)
  • Governance in Turbulent Times: How persistent are governance dynamics (e.g. in ministries, agencies) when put under stress (e.g. the financial crisis)? (Jarle Trondal)
Published May 10, 2019 3:29 PM - Last modified Mar. 4, 2024 11:46 PM