Growth Strategies in the EU’s Semi-Periphery: The Role of Party Systems, International Migration, and Economic Expertise
 

Max Nagel (University of Bremen)

What explains the diverging growth strategies of semi-peripheral countries in the EU after the eurozone crisis? The focus of attention lies on changes and continuities in national economies that are embedded in a constantly evolving international economic and financial system. Centering on semi-peripheral countries, this research is particularly interested in explaining government interventions in countries that are often analyzed as being constrained by supranational (EU) rules. With a focus on Southern and Eastern EU member states, the research lines are (1) investigating the effect of different party systems on growth strategies, (2) analyzing the function of international migration for growth regimes, and (3) scrutinizing the impact of peripheral economic expertise on changing growth strategies. These three lines are interrelated and form crucial building blocks for explaining changes in semi-peripheral growth strategies. The empirical analyses will combine both quantitative (including text analyses of parliamentary debates) and qualitative (including interviews with policymakers) methods. The research is conducted in the context of the DFG-funded project “Paradoxes of the EU Freedom of Movement of Persons” with Christof Roos, Martin Seeliger, Hanna Kieschnick, and Kseniia Cherniak.