Research – 91��Ƭ��

New book out! Activating European Citizens’ Trust in Times of Crisis and Polarization

Lucie Van Hoecke — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 12:39:38 +0000

Democracy, political trust and legitimacy

This open access book, result of the ActEU project funded by the European Commission as part of the Horizon Europe framework programme, explains why representative democracies need political trust and legitimacy: Political trust is a crucial yet underestimated element in Europe’s representative democracies.

A trusting relationship between citizens and the institutions of the state ensures the functioning of democratic systems, reduces transaction costs and facilitates the justification of political decisions. Without the commitment of a critical mass, democratic governments cannot gain legitimacy among the populace. While a stable relationship of trust between citizens and the state through political parties is a prerequisite for representative democracies in normal times, it is even more important in times of significant democratic change and turmoil, i.e., when democracies are in flux.

Accordingly, the contributions gathered here examine political trust and legitimacy in Europe using a new conceptual framework – the ActEU conceptual triangle, which draws on citizens’ political attitudes, their political participation, and the representation of their political preferences to map and assess the decline of political trust and legitimacy in Europe.

A chapter dedicated to trust and legitimacy in the French multi-level democracy

Max-Valentin Robert and Felix Von Nostitz (91��Ƭ��, Université Catholique de Lille) both contributed to the book with an article titled: France: Attitudinal, Behavioural and Representational Trust and Legitimacy in the French Multi-Level Democracy.

This chapter provides an overview of French public opinion in the turbulent political context of spring 2024. It focuses on levels of trust in the various political actors and institutions that structure France’s multi-level democracy, and how this trust relates to public attitudes on polarising issues in contemporary European societies, such as immigration, climate change and gender equality.

Workshop: “Justice in action: rethinking the energy transition from the margins”

Lucie Van Hoecke — Tue, 24 Mar 2026 09:57:14 +0000

This workshop aims to lay the foundations for a climate and energy justice clinic at the Catholic
University of Lille. Inspired by service learning, this initiative aims to pool interdisciplinary and
interprofessional knowledge by actively involving students in concrete actions with marginalized
populations or those at risk from the energy transition.

The workshop will serve as a collective think tank, bringing together researchers, practitioners,
public decision-makers, and field actors to identify the needs, existing models, and financing levers
for such a structure.

The goal: to build a truly fair energy transition, where law and justice become tools for inclusion,
social innovation, and sustainable transformation.

As such, it is a continuation of an interdisciplinary and intersectoral workshop organized at the
Wits Institute for Social and Economic Research, University of the Witwatersrand, in February
2026 as part of a pilot network project, “Redistribution of Value in African Mining Value Chains: A
Research and Action Program,” funded by the Fondation Maison des Sciences de l’Homme (FMSH).

Programme

Dates and times:

Thursday 9 April 2026, 9am to 8pm (open to the university community and the general public)
Friday 10 April 2026, 9am to 12 noon (closed workshop — by invitation only)

Contact

Sara Dezalay, Professeure à 91��Ƭ�� – Université catholique de Lille
sara.dezalay@univ-catholille.fr

© Crédit photo : Ors I, Sarah Ritter, 2022

The 2025 Susan Strange Prize: celebrating academic excellence in Political Science

Lucie Van Hoecke — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 16:01:33 +0000

91��Ƭ�� and its research laboratory, 91��Ƭ��-Lab, are pleased to congratulate the winners of the 2025 Susan Strange Prize, which recognizes academic excellence in the field of political science. Named after the renowned British political scientist Susan Strange, the prize highlights outstanding research conducted by 91��Ƭ�� students at both the undergraduate and master’s levels.

A competition celebrating excellence

The Susan Strange Prize rewards the best Master’s thesis and the best third-year undergraduate research paper. It recognizes exceptional work completed during the 2024–2025 academic year. To be eligible, candidates were required to achieve excellent grades, with a minimum of 15/20 for Master’s theses and 17/20 for undergraduate research papers.

Following a rigorous pre-selection process, students wishing to compete submitted a presentation of their work to a jury composed of members of 91��Ƭ��’s academic and research community. The jury then met to evaluate the submissions and select the winners.

Congratulations to the winners of the 2025 Susan Strange Prize

After careful evaluation, the jury awarded the 2025 Susan Strange Prize to one Master’s thesis and one undergraduate research paper. The winning works stand out for their quality, originality, and academic rigor. The students’ commitment, passion for research, and ability to address complex issues have made their work a remarkable contribution to the field of political science.

Best Master’s Thesis
Nozomi Miwa, Master’s in Digital Politics and Governance, for her thesis entitled: “”

Best Undergraduate Research Paper
Marème Bakaga, Bachelor’s degree in European Political Science, for her research paper entitled: “.”

The Susan Strange Prize: a commitment to the future

These students distinguished themselves through their academic excellence, methodological rigor, and the originality of their research. With a €1,000 award for each winner, the Susan Strange Prize highlights their significant contribution to political science and international relations.

We warmly congratulate the winners for their outstanding achievements and their commitment to research. Their work reflects the quality of 91��Ƭ��’s academic training and the richness of the intellectual debates that animate our institution. We wish them every success in their future careers and are confident that their achievements will inspire future generations of students.

See you in 2026 for the next edition of the Susan Strange Prize!

Justice, Climate and Extraction: an international workshop co-organised by 91��Ƭ�� in South Africa

Lucie Van Hoecke — Fri, 20 Feb 2026 14:30:36 +0000

On 26 and 27 February 2026, a workshop entitled “Justice, Climate and Extraction: Rethinking Global Justice from the African South” will take place. It is co-organised by Sara Dezalay, Professor of International Relations and International Law at 91��Ƭ��, Université Catholique de Lille, and Jonathan Klaaren, Professor at the Wits Institute for Social and Economic Research (WiSER – University of the Witwatersrand).

Organised with the support of the Fondation Maison des Sciences de l’Homme (FMSH), the event will bring together scholars, practitioners, and representatives of civil society from Africa and around the world to explore new approaches to justice, law, and extraction in a post-carbon transition context. The aim is to foster dialogue and reciprocity, as well as to co-produce knowledge across regions and disciplines, with a particular focus on developing equitable frameworks for sustainable development.

Programme

Building on this momentum, 91��Ƭ�� will host another workshop on 9 and 10 April in the same spirit, focusing on the themes of justice and extractivism.

© Photo credit: Ors II, Sarah Ritter, 2022

“Géoéconomie du lithium: Équilibre de la dépendance de la filière lithium française”

Lucie Van Hoecke — Tue, 17 Feb 2026 08:41:41 +0000

PhD closing lecture — Lucas MIAILHES — 91��Ƭ��, Université Catholique de Lille

General seminar: “Political Theory of Work – Political Organization of Work in Idealist, Utopian and Market Rational Traditions”

Lucie Van Hoecke — Tue, 17 Feb 2026 08:32:56 +0000

In this paper I examine the question of the political organization of work through classics of idealist, utopian and market rational thought traditions. I begin with the analysis of the concept of work in the classic of idealist tradition, that is, Plato’s Republic. Plato’s argumentation concerning the political organization of work is based on the dichotomy between work and reason. The division between thinkers and physical labourers is fundamental, socially unequal and tension producing dichotomy, which calls for political resolution. I analyse how Plato aims to resolve this crucial problem. Secondly, I turn first classical utopian text, Thomas More’s Utopia. With More I am also interested on how he attempts to resolve the contradiction between workers and intellectuals. I argue that at the core of both classical works lies the question of a rational reorganization of labour, which is expected to solve the social injustices and problems arising from an improper distribution of work. After analysing these two canonical texts I move on to examine the intellectual framework that challenged them during the 17th century: the fundamentally anti utopian tradition of liberal political economy, committed to private property, market society, and the rationality of market processes. Following primarily the line of argument presented in John Locke’s Two Treatises of Government, I outline the fundamental principles of the market process, rationality, and division of labour that classical political economy assumed to constitute the natural organization of society. In the conclusion I ask what these three analyses can inform about the role of work in classical political theory, and how these aspects could be investigated within contemporary political theory.

Mikko JAKONEN is Professor of Social and Public Policy at the University of Eastern Finland, Finland.

Conference: “Inutiles et parasites”

Lucie Van Hoecke — Mon, 16 Feb 2026 16:48:58 +0000

La pensée politique contemporaine est traversée par une série de figures repoussoires – le parasite, l’inutile, l’oisif, le profiteur – qui structurent en creux les normes de l’utilité sociale et de la légitimité politique. Loin d’être de simples éléments de langage politicien, ces figures jouent un rôle central dans la définition de l’appartenance politique, de la citoyenneté et des critères justifiant les politiques d’aides sociales. Elles participent d’une grammaire politique durable dans laquelle les droits, la solidarité et la reconnaissance sont conditionnés à des normes implicites ou explicites de mérite, de productivité ou de performance.

Programme

Ce colloque propose d’analyser la construction historique, philosophique, sociologique, et juridique de ces figures de « parasites » et d’ « inutiles », depuis leur élaboration dans les doctrines libérales et économiques jusqu’à leurs usages contemporains dans les politiques publiques et la gestion des biens communs. A travers l’étude de ces figures, c’est la norme qui lie utilité publique et productivité et qui marginalise ceux qui ne peuvent faire la démonstration de leur efficience que l’on interrogera lors de ce colloque. Une attention particulière sera portée aux dispositifs contemporains de conditionnalité, d’incitation et de contrôle dans les politiques sociales, où le soupçon d’abus invite à toujours plus de discipline envers les prétendus « inutiles » et « parasites ».

En contrepoint, le colloque entend également explorer les contre-discours qui remettent en cause la centralité de l’utilité productive et proposent des formes de solidarité alternatives fondées par exemple sur l’inconditionnalité, le care ou la décroissance. En croisant les apports de la philosophie politique, de l’économie, du droit, de la sociologie et de l’histoire, cette journée d’étude vise à interroger les effets normatifs sous-tendus par les figures du « parasite » et de l’ »inutile » et à ouvrir des perspectives alternatives pour penser la justice sociale au-delà du paradigme productiviste.

Book presentation “French Democracy in Distress. Challenges and Opportunities in French Politics”, Springer 2025

Lucie Van Hoecke — Mon, 16 Feb 2026 16:38:14 +0000

Authoritarian populism is challenging contemporary democracies, raising concerns about their resilience. Using France as a magnifying lens, the authors show that while the gap between political elites and ordinary citizens is widening, the French remain strongly committed to democratic values, calling for greater participation and responsiveness of institutions. French democracy is on a razor’s edge, with mounting citizen frustrations and awaited reforms.

Speakers:

Max-Valentin ROBERT, Audencia, France
Felix VON NOSTITZ, 91��Ƭ��, Université catholique de Lille

Conference: “L’empathie, ferment de la démocratie”

Lucie Van Hoecke — Wed, 11 Feb 2026 13:18:00 +0000

By Andrew GLENCROSS, Director of 91��Ƭ�� and Professor of Political Science, and Olivier DE SCHUTTER, UN Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights (UCLouvain – Sciences Po Paris).

The conference will examine the structuring role of empathy in democratic life.

How can this capacity to step outside oneself and recognize the vulnerability of others enrich public debate, sustain disagreement without violence, and guide fairer collective decisions?

At a time of polarization and identity-based divisions, the discussion will explore the conditions for a clear-sighted empathy, capable of strengthening civic bonds without yielding to manipulation or bias.

Free event and open to all.

Conference “Detached, distrustful, disengaged?”: Rethinking democracy in today’s Europe (TEPSA)

Lucie Van Hoecke — Fri, 30 Jan 2026 10:27:11 +0000

On 5 February 2026, TEPSA will host a high-level conference in Brussels to find the answer to one crucial question: is political trust declining under the pressure of crises and growing polarisation?

The event, titled “Detached, distrustful, disengaged? Rethinking democracy in today’s Europe”, will take place at the Press Club Brussels Europe in Rue Froissart 95, 1040 and will mark the Final Conference of the Horizon Europe-funded ” Activating European Citizens’ Trust in Times of Crises and Polarization” () project. The project, launched in 2023, has gathered experts from leading universities and research institutes across Europe, including 91��Ƭ��, to investigate persistent problems of declining trust, legitimacy and representation in Europe.

The Final Conference will comprise interactive panel discussions, encouraging questions and input from the audience. The event will feature high-level speakers from EU institutions, the media, and civil society organisations. It will also be an occasion to showcase ActEU’s numerous communications activities, including the winning video of the “Through my eyes: Stories of democracy”, which ran in the autumn of 2025.

Commenting on what to expect from the Final Conference, ActEU coordination Prof. Dr. Michael Kaeding (University Duisburg-Essen) and Scientific Lead Prof. Dr. Daniela Braun (Saarland University) stated, “Across Europe, citizens are confronted with problems of trust between the citizens and its elites and intensifying divides over issues such as migration, climate change, and gender equality. These challenges have a clear effect on representative democracy. The ActEU project has pioneered innovative ways to measure political trust and democratic resilience. With this conference, we not only wish to share our results, but also include practitioners, policy-makers, and young citizens into the discussion and generate solutions to recapture legitimacy and reinforce political trust.”

Registrations are now on TEPSA’s website. Click to view the conference’s agenda.

About

is a Horizon Europe-funded, consortium project, launched in 2023 under the leadership Prof. Dr. Michael Kaeding of the University of Duisburg-Essen as Coordinator and Prof. Dr. Daniela Braun of Saarland University as Scientific Lead. Alongside the University of Duisburg-Essen and Saarland University, the ActEU consortium includes Paris-Lodron-Universität Salzburg (Austria), Institute of International Relations, Prague (Czechia), Åbo Akademi University (Finland), Institut Catholique de Lille (France), Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece), University of Trento (Italy), Uniwersytet SWPS (Poland), University of Oviedo, CSIC (Spain), and TEPSA (Belgium).

For interviews and press inquiries, please email Barbara Vanotti, TEPSA’s Communications Manager.