Research Area EURO - European Developments: Policy & Politics

The task of the EURO Programme is to synthesize information of public interest deriving from specific policy-focused findings. It works on the meta-level of generalizing the findings of policy studies in specific areas carried out by the specialists of the institute.

Policy questions of specific interest to the EURO programme are:

• The process of EU enlargement;
• The creation of a European polity;
• Studies on democracy;
• European public services;
• Public participation in decision-making.

Another important function of the EURO Programme is dissemination. The general policy of the institute with regard to dissemination is to promote a useful and substantial science-policy interaction, with an emphasis on the independence and critical stance of science. We do this by setting up policy think-tanks and by linking these to academic networks or associations.
The salient element of this science-policy interaction is the consolidation of expertise and knowledge across disciplinary boundaries. In order to promote this, the ICCR ACADEMY, part of the EURO Programme, organizes regular seminars and lectures for ICCR staff and external participants on social and political theory, economics, methodology and public policy analysis.

The EURO Programme is responsible for publications besides research reports:

• The quarterly journal INNOVATION – The European Journal of Social Sciences
• The ICCR book series Contemporary Trends in European Social Sciences
• The ICCR Working Papers Series
• The ICCR Rapid Report Series