KEEENZ · Knowledge and Expertise Exchange Europe - New Zealand

Knowledge and Expertise Exchange Europe - New Zealand

Keenz is a collaborative project between the London School of Economics and Political Science (UK), Lund University (Sweden), Primorska University (Slovenia), Newcastle University (UK) and the University of Canterbury (New Zealand) to explore the collaboration between the European Union and the rest of the world mixing insiders and outsiders perspectives, and focusing on three particular dimensions: - Global trade, agriculture and finance (theme 1) - Norms importation and exportation (theme 2) - Identities, mutual perceptions, and third country visions of the EU as global authority (theme 3) Our research systematically balances the perspectives of European Union and non-European Union scholars, senior and junior researchers, and practitioners on each and everyone of those topics. As a testimony of our work, our project has already delivered five books, two journal special issues, 29 articles in refereed journals, 18 chapters in edited volumes, as well as multiple other publications, presentations, etc. Each of the three themes has led to multiple publications. Only taking into account the books and articles: - theme 1 resulted in one book and six articles, - theme 2 resulted in two books, one special issue, and 16 articles, and - theme 3 produced 2 books, one special issue, and 9 articles. Our project also resulted in significant dissemination efforts, including outreach meetings in Brussels, Berlin, and London, collaboration with the Asia-Europe Foundation, and an initiative to train junior diplomats through the “Analysis of the perceptions of the EU and EU’s policies abroad” (theme 3). While focusing on the three main themes of research and investigation, our team particularly highlighted a number of major research questions pertaining to identity and perceptions across continents, gender, norm formulation and exportation, diplomacy, and agriculture. Those themes formed the backbone of our publication and dissemination output and will serve as a basic structure to consolidate further collaboration between team members across countries and continents. The themes of our five books and two special issues provide a good summary of the range of topics that we have focused on, as they dealt with: Theme 1: - Transition in post-Communist Europe and its relevance to Europeanisation (book) Theme 2: - The importation of EU norms (book) - Power, norms, and intervention in international relations (book) - Women and politics (special issue) Theme 3: - Asia in the eyes of the European public and elites (book) - Politics and the media (book) - The EU-Pacific relationship between perceptions and collaboration (special issue) Throughout the project period and despite severe consequences of the terrible earthquakes that devastated our main partner university in New Zealand (The University of Canterbury) and the city where it is located (Christchurch) a mere few days after our project had started, which, in addition to the obvious human and material losses suffered by our friends and colleagues, also resulted in a severely impaired project in practical terms (much of the city became impracticable and closed to the public, the university itself was severely damaged including the building hosting the main project partner: the National Centre for Research on Europe, which had to be rehoused in temporary sheds for years), we managed to collaborate extensively, notably hosting four physical sandpits in Europe (London, Brussels, and Lund) and two in New Zealand, where we ensured continuous collaboration and joint work and leadership.

Текст от CORDIS, на английски · Данни: CORDIS, © Европейски съюз