Policy reflection and networking workshop on Paradiplomacy

Events / Fri 10 May 2024

With the international activism of substate actors- cites, regions and states – on the rise, this research network makes an important and timely contribution to the wider understanding of this area of international relations.

The network is focused on reconsidering the salience of regional paradiplomacy towards the European Union. It was created at a time of re-emergent political controversy with regard to the external activity of some regions within the EU, which was perceived, periodically, as undermining state diplomacy and state authority. Taking a cross-national perspective, this research network has focused on understanding the causes of variation in territorial paradiplomacy across federal and regionalised states, as well as the impact of that paradiplomacy. The research collective as a whole has reconsidered the established body of literature, developed in the 1990s, and developed it for the 21ˢᵗ century context.

The network has extended its reach even further, to consider “Third Countries” with federal or decentralised political systems, and to explore the dynamics of paradiplomacy towards the EU within these contexts.

Areas of activity and project milestones:

  • The network has worked collaboratively to publish the findings of this research within a Special Issue of the academic journal Territory, Politics, Governance. Most of the papers are now published and available online; we will close on this later in 2024.
  • The network has coordinated panel submissions to international conferences to present work in progress, for instance at IPSA – the International Political Science Association, and the PSA – the Political Studies Association.
  • In July 2023, we hosted an excellent Summer School on Paradiplomacy at the Wales Governance Centre, Cardiff University, where members of the research network held stimulating exchanges with the next generation of paradiplomacy scholars.
  • Two of the network leading members will act as co-editors in a forthcoming collective book project on the state of the art in paradiplomacy research, to be published with Edward Elgar publishing.

Academic partners within the project:

Sandrina Antunes, Assistant Professor, Universidade do Minho, Portugal.

Noé Cornago, Associate Professor, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU).

Michelle Egan, Professor, American University, United States.

Maria Helena Guimarães, Associate Professor, Universidade do Minho, Portugal.

Michel Huysseune, Senior Researcher at the Center for Political Science, VUB, Belgium.

André Lecours, Professor, University of Ottawa, Canada.

Rachel Minto, Assistant Professor, Cardiff University, United Kingdom.

Stéphane Paquin, Full professor, École Nationale d’Administration Publique, Montréal, Canada.

Carolyn Rowe, Reader, Aston University, United Kingdom.

Elin Royles, Reader, Aberystwyth University, United Kingdom.

About the policy reflection and networking workshop:

The paradiplomacy research network of experts, in cooperation with the Coppieters Foundation, is organizing a workshop on Paradiplomacy on 10 May 2024.

This will be a closed event, where the network will share expertise and stimulate conversation in relation to our recent published academic scholarship on the subject of Why paradiplomacy matters: understanding conflict, cooperation and good governance in European substate diplomacy”. The implications of our scholarship for regional politics and policy development in the EU and in member states, as well as on the construction of an effective EU policy and in “third countries” will be discussed in the workshop.

Analysis and debate will centre on four key issues:

  • Developing a sharper understanding of the drivers of conflict and cooperation between levels of governmental authority within states (both EU and non-EU states) as to the development of policy positions and overall relations with the EU;
  • How alternative approaches to EU politics and policy issues between levels of government within a country can impact on intergovernmental relations? why that matters?
  • How can we enhance good governance in EU multilevel system despite distinctive regional and national governments’ approaches to EU politics and policy issues?
  • How can we improve regional engagement in the EU?

This workshop will run as a series of panel discussions between members of the research team, along with audience Q&A, allowing the research network to explain the primary practical conclusions of their work and to bring these into conversation with experts in substate governance in the EU.

. . .

The Coppieters Foundation is financially supported by the European Parliament. The European Parliament is not liable for the content of the event nor the opinions of the speakers.

. . .

Thank you for following our activities over the past few years. We hope our updates have been useful to you. We would like to keep informing you about upcoming events, new publications, summer schools and job vacancies. Subscribe to our newsletter to hear from us in your inbox.