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Transformations in Global Governance: Europe and the World Order in Historical Perspective

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The old Westphalian order of sovereign nation-states is increasingly being transformed into a “postnational constellation” (Habermas) in which political authority is divided among different layers of national, international and supranational governance. Although most clearly expressed in the European Union, this process can also be observed in the international system. The global trading system, the global security order and global environmental politics are examples for new structures of governance in which the nation-state must share its authority with other states and international organizations. 

How has this new structure emerged? Which were its driving forces and who were the major political actors? Although rich in empirical detail and theoretical reflection, a survey of the political science literature reveals a notable absence. Most contributions use a time-invariant approach that does not consider the transformative elements of international interaction. The past is generally only implicitly included in the picture as a bygone “golden age” (Albrow) or as the “Westphalian order” (Krasner). A systematic, empirical examination of the transformation processes and interest constellations that led to the creation of the new international order is not included. Yet, many international organizations, treaty systems, and regimes have only emerged through decades long processes.

Historians as well have barely addressed the emergence of today’s world order. Most contributions concentrate on the international relations of the 19th century or at best examine the phase of political rebirth and reorientation that followed the Second World War. Only recently have studies been released that combine historical genesis and contemporary-based analysis (e.g. Kennedy 2006). Still absent, however, is a systematic research agenda to the numerous institutions that shape contemporary politics (World Bank, OECD, WTO/GATT, etc). 

The potential benefits from a close collaboration between political science and the historical sciences extend beyond tapping the examined thematic overlap. The two disciplines are quasi natural candidates for a close collaboration. While in political science elaborate analytical concepts like the concept of path dependency and institutional learning emphasize the importance of the past for understanding the present, historical researchers have developed highly sensitive and critical methods for analyzing historical sources and accessing empirical material that are too often neglected by political scientists. Both disciplines could profit from a closer look at the methodological toolkits available to historians and political scientists, which generally receive little cross-disciplinary attention.

The proposed joint doctoral program will combine both research disciplines and their respective methodological and theoretical strengths – placing the historical genesis of the contemporary world order in the center. We will focus our attention on the emergence and development of those institutions and organization that gave rise to the recent era of globalization. We do not only consider formal organizations such as the WTO, the IMF, and the World Bank as crucial for understanding this process but will also analyze informal institutions and soft law as they can be found in the lex mercatoria or private codes of conduct. Even though a main focus will be on the post-1945 era, long-term developments can (and should) be addressed. This may also include cross-temporal comparative studies of the international order before 1914 and after 1945.

Although open to the thematic suggestions of applicants, the joint doctoral program puts special emphasis on the three thematic issues:

• How has the role of Europe changed in view of the global dynamics of the past 100 to 150 years? Globalization and decolonization have re-dimensioned Europe’s political and economic power in the world. In no other world area, the dissolution of national sovereignty and territoriality has been more pronounced than in Europe. On the other hand, the process of political and economic integration has contributed to strengthen and – partly – regain Europe’s position as a global player during the past decades. It is therefore especially important to analyze how European integration and global governance are interrelated. While most studies emphasize the role of the United States in setting the agenda for the international order after 1945, we are exploring the specific role of European institutions and actors in the global system. 

• Global governance was never a unique and uncontested concept, but reflected different cultural traditions and political interest. We are specifically interested in comparative studies which analyze the emergence of competing strategies and notions of “global governance” in different world regions. Is there a specific European approach in defining the role of global institutions, and how does this differ from concepts developed in other regions of the World? Comparative studies could, for example, focus on the role of different regional actors and trading zones (EU, ASEAN, NAFTA, OAU) in constructing international institutions. 

• The international arena has since the middle of the last century become an increasingly attractive space for domestic policy-making. The primary motivation of intergovernmental cooperation was often not the need to cope with cross-border problems by means of cross-border cooperation but the governmental interest to bypass domestic opposition and be better able to control the domestic political agenda. Often-cited cases are the French acceptance of the Treaty of Rome in 1958, the unilateral liberalization of capital markets by the British government in the late 1970s and the post-9/11 process of “securitizing politics” by concluding international agreements that allow for a rebalancing of state security and individual freedom. We are looking for proposals which aim at critically examining the preferences of governments and which ask for the importance of domestic motivations to foster global governance.

We aim at primarily attracting doctoral candidates from history, political sciences, sociology, International and European Studies. We are also open, however, to students from other disciplines such as anthropology or cultural studies if their proposals fit the outline of the program. We particularly welcome applications from candidates with a non-European academic background. Interest in interdisciplinary research and a record of international experiences is expected from all applicants.

All activities of the program, including seminars and research papers, will be held in English. Basic Knowledge of German language is thus helpful but not a prerequisite.

Research training, study program and supervision

The research and study programs are jointly developed and supervised by Jürgen Neyer and Alexander Nützenadel. All doctoral students will be integrated into the Viadrina Graduate School. However, supervision and research training is adapted to individual needs and requirements. In the first semester, attendance of a research seminar is obligatory. In this seminar, methods and theories from both political and historical sciences are elaborated and discussed. After this first introductory seminar, regular seminars and colloquia will be organized. Doctoral students are encouraged to undertake writing parts of their thesis from the first year onwards, to ensure gradual completion of the dissertation within three to four years. By the end of the first year doctoral students are required to complete a satisfactory 'research paper'. This document presents a preliminary literature review and theory development work, and sets out the future research program. By the end of the second year, doctoral students are expected to have completed drafts of about a quarter of their theses.

All doctoral students must have an excellent ability in either English or German and at least a good passive command of the other language at the beginning of the program. After the third semester, all doctoral students are expected to have language skills on the level of DSH II and TOEFL in both languages.

International Cooperation

The members of the Graduate Program will collaborate closely with our foreign academic research partners. Doctoral candidates are expected to attend at least one international conference, where they should present a research paper. Moreover, we strongly encourage research stays at universities and research institutes abroad. We will actively support the Ph.D.-students to raise external funding sources and fellowships for their research stays.

For more information please contact:

Prof. Dr. Jürgen Neyer politik2@euv-frankfurt-o.de or

Prof. Dr. Alexander Nützenadel nuetzenadel@geschichte.hu-berlin.de