Over the past decade, the European continent has experienced a ferment of change. Ten years ago, Europe's east-west division was still in place, and the European Union was still groping towards the fulfilment of the single market. For academics the contours of the new Europe are often puzzling and contradictory. Programme examines contemporary processes of political, security, economic, social and cultural change across the European continent, as well as issues of convergence and divergence and prospects for integration and fragmentation.
Many projects are cross-country comparisons.
Others evaluate the European institutions, in particular the European Union and NATO, in the context of eastern enlargement. Projects have been selected by a tough, peer-reviewed competition. Academic Innovation Projects in the Programme have been selected according to their ability to push forward theoretical thinking. Many projects cut across traditional social science boundaries combining elements of economics, politics, geography,law and sociology. Programme will generate a wide variety of outputs aimed at an academic audience.