Austerity and Law in Europe

In the wake of the global financial crisis, which peaked in 2008, the concept of ‘austerity’ assumed center stage in European politics, polarizing domestic constituencies, and leading to the formation of anti-austerity political parties in a number of countries. The project ’The Architecture of Postnational Rulemaking’, in cooperation with ACCESS EUROPE (European Constitutionalism Theme), is organising a two-day workshop on 16-17 June 2016.

The virtues and dangers of austerity policies have dominated political debates and electoral campaigns both at the EU level and in a number of its member states. While several scholarly contributions have engaged with the consequences of austerity from the perspective of various political and legal fields (such as monetary union, economic governance, or European semester), a more systematic debate about the conceptual foundations, and legal and political consequences of ‘austerity politics’ is yet to take place in Europe. The workshop aims at laying down this framework for discussing the concept of austerity, including diverse synergies between austerity, the law and institutions in contemporary Europe.

Confirmed Speakers

• Prof. Emilios Christodoulidis (University of Glasgow)
• Prof. Costas Douzinas (Birkbeck University of London)
• Prof. Isabel Feichtner (Goethe University Frankfurt)
• Ioannis Katsaroumpas (University of Sussex)
• Dr Clemens Kaupa (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam)
• Dr Aristea Koukiadaki (University of Manchester)
• Clara Mattei (Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna)
• Prof. Agustín José Menéndez (Universidad de León/ARENA)
• Prof. Donatella Della Porta (European University Institute)
• Prof. Margot Salomon (London School of Economics)
• Prof. Harm Schepel (University of Kent)