PhD defence
Bastiaan Redert defended his doctoral thesis Between a rock and a hard place: stakeholder involvement as a legitimation strategy in European Union agencies on 25 May 2021.
Current position
Postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Political Science, University of Antwerp
PhD project
During and after the financial crisis in the EU, the European institutions established three supervision authorities (ESAs) to regulate the financial sector and its hazardous behaviour that caused the economic crash of 2008/2009. Previous research, however, shows that the legislative output of these Authorities is relatively industry-friendly, due to the large mobilization of financial sector interest groups. My PhD project aims to map and explain interest group involvement in the ESAs, and the effect it has on legitimacy of the EU.
- Supervisor: Peter Bursens, ACIM, University of Antwerp
- Co-supervisor: Jarle Trondal, ARENA Centre for European Studies, University of Oslo
Secondment
- Kellen, Brussels
Background
During my studies, I became highly interested in the mobilization and influence of interest groups in the EU. I think it is fascinating to get a glimpse in an area that is often portrayed as shady and devious: the ‘black-box’ of lobbying. When I read about PLATO, and this project in particular, I realized that it would fit me like a glove. Together with the multi-disciplinary and international research community that is PLATO, I am highly motivated to find answers on the salient issue of legitimacy in the EU. Nationality: Dutch.
- MSc Political Science, University of Antwerp
- BSc Public Administration and Organizational Sciences, Utrecht University School of Governance (USG)
News
Publications
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The politics of legitimation in the EU: legitimacy recovered?
The overall conclusions of the PLATO project are available in a joint book with contributions by supervisors and PhD researchers. The book develops a better understanding of how the politics of legitimating the EU are actor-dependent, context-dependent and problem-dependent.
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From clubs to hubs: analysing lobbying networks in EU financial regulation after crisis
Bas Redert shows that the networks of interest groups concerned with financial regulation become less 'club-like' after the financial crisis in this new Journal of Public Policy article.
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Stakeholder mobilization in financial regulation: a comparison of EU regulatory politics over time
Bastiaan Redert has published an article in the Journal of Common Market Studies in which he investigates the participation of stakeholders in public consultations of the European Supervisory Authorities.
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The difficult role of consumer groups in the shaping of financial regulation
Although European financial regulation directly affects citizens as consumers, it is only to a limited extent exposed to public debate. There has also been widespread criticism that European regulators were too close to the financial sector, both before and after the financial crisis. The EU introduced permanent advisory councils, so-called Stakeholder Groups, to include more diversified societal interests in the shaping of new regulation. Despite these efforts, Bastiaan Redert finds that the instrument largely disadvantaged consumer interests over the financial industry rather than ensuring truly balanced information.
Post-Crisis Democracy in Europe blog, 20 April 2020
Presentations
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PLATO kick-off conference
PLATO's kick-off conference brings together the project's partners in Oslo for academic discussions and networking.
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Research findings from PLATO at ECPR
A number of PhD researchers and supervisors will attend the ECPR General Conference in Wroclaw, which takes place from 4-7 September 2o19, including a full panel devoted to PLATO research findings.
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Synthesising research findings (RTC4)
ESRs will be presenting their contribution to the PLATO anthology and their overall research results, with an emphasis on the first.
