OFFICE of RESEARCH SERVICES
Jean Monnet Chair
Dr. Andrea Wagner, assistant professor in the Department of Anthropology, Economics and Political Science was awarded the Jean Monnet Chair in 2019.
Dr. Wagner's research focuses on populism, populist attitudes and Euroscepticism and has been published in multiple top-ranked political science journals, including Political Studies, Journal of European Public Policy and Comparative European Politics.
The Jean Monnet Research Chair was established in September 2019; it was supported until September 2023 by a grant from the EU’s Erasmus+ Programme for Education, Training, Youth and Sport.
About Dr. Andrea Wagner
Dr. Wagner’s teaching and research agenda has led to her national reputation in the field of European Union politics. She has successfully applied to several grants (JMC, SSHRC, MacEwan Research Grants) for research and teaching. In addition, she has presented her work at numerous national and international conferences and has participated in and organized many JMC workshops. She is an extremely strong advocate of policy relevant research that is applicable beyond the narrow confines of academia.
As the Jean Monnet Research Chair, Dr.Wagner has brought together a network of scholars to capture and disaggregate populist and Eurosceptic attitudes in the European Union and beyond. Together with her co-author and colleague, Dr. Anna Brigevich (associate professor, Norwegian University of Science and Technology) she introduced a new public opinion dataset – the Varieties of Populist Attitudes (VoPA) dataset. Within the framework of the Jean Monnet Chair, they have completed the first wave of data collection, which covers Canada, the US, France and Italy. They are currently conducting the second wave, which includes Germany, Spain and Hungary (Wave 2). Wave 3 will include Poland, Brazil and Chile. Their analyses produces important new insight and provides a critical contribution to the literature in the field.
About the project
Dr. Wagner's Jean Monnet Research project, The Future of the European Union Post-Brexit, provides an essential point for teaching, research and dialogue about the European Union’s challenges after Brexit.
The thematic emphasis of The Future of the European Union Post-Brexit was the analysis of the rise of populism in some European Union (EU) member states and the political and economic repercussions of Brexit on the EU and Canada. The recent return of the specter of populism on both sides of the political spectrum in many EU member states has increased concerns about the state of democracy and the rule of law in certain EU member states. The current populist Zeitgeist is emerging alongside a general frustration with the direction and magnitude of the European integration process, what is known in the literature as Euroscepticism.
Research and teaching focused on whether the European Union (EU) citizen holds simultaneously both populist and Eurosceptic attitudes or whether the former is still amicable to the EU integration process even when they cheer for a populist party. It also focused on the European voter’s preferences and if they defer to the left or right-wing populist politician when they experience higher levels of economic anxiety and perceived economic vulnerability. Thus, the focal point of the Chair was the study of post-Brexit implications affecting the rise of populism in the EU. The Research Chair opportunity also improved MacEwan University’ s undergraduate program by opening new EU political science and economics courses in order to have more students interested in EU Affairs, a critical focus of the project.
Academic and outreach events
Through academic and outreach events (in the form of public talks and workshops), the Jean Monnet Research Chair aimed to engage academics, public servants and the civil society of Edmonton and Alberta in a fruitful exchange over the future of the Canada/Alberta-EU relations.
Keynote: Why Brexit Matters for Canada? Dr. Achim Hurrelmann
Roundtable: WEXIT: Lessons Learned from Brexit
On November 3rd, the United States chose a new president after a heated election campaign. The panelists discussed the lessons learned on the outcome of this election, presented the salient issues during the campaign of both candidates, and debated the broader impacts of a Trump vs. Biden Presidency for Canada. This event included a debate and discussion on the future of Trumpism in the US and in Canada as well as the implications for the next federal election in Canada. The event also included a question and answer period from the audience.
*In collaboration with York University and Carleton University
This event series brought together key stakeholders from Canada’s European Studies community all across Canada.
Event hosts: Dr. Andrea Wagner (MacEwan University); Dr. Amy Verdun (University of Victoria); Ann-Kathrin McLean (Royal Roads University); Dr. Emmanuel Brunet-Jailly (University of Victoria); Dr. Joan DeBardeleben (Carleton University); Laurence Claussen (University of Victoria); Noah Oder (University of Montreal); Dr. Oliver Schmidtke (University of Victoria); Dr. Ruben Zaiotti (Dalhousie University); Dr. Willem Maas (York University)
Organizer: MacEwan University
Lead: Dr. Andrea Wagner
Co-presenter: Dr. Willem Maas, York University
Panelists: Dr. Maria Popova, McGill University; Dr. Bohdan Harasymiw, Institute of Ukrainian Studies at the University of Alberta; Dr. Mathew Light, University of Toronto; Dr. Ivan Gomza, Kyiv School of Economics
Moderators: Dr. Andrea Wagner, MacEwan University; Dr. Willem Maas, York University
Panelists: Dr. Maria Popova, McGill University; Dr. Bohdan Harasymiw, Institute of Ukrainian Studies at the University of Alberta; Dr. Dominique Arel, University of Ottawa; Dr. John Paul Himka, University of Alberta; Dr. Habibe Ozdal, Istanbul Okan University; Dr. Joan DeBardeleben, Carleton University
Moderator: Parvin Sedighi, MacEwan Alumna
Panelists: Dr. Gaelan Murphy, MacEwan University; Dr. Jeffrey Rice, MacEwan University; Dr. Andrea Wagner, MacEwan University; Dr. Jean Christophe Boucher, University of Calgary; Tim Abray, journalist; Najib Jutt, policy consultant
Moderator: Dr. Andrea Wagner, MacEwan University
Panelists: Dr. Giulia Sandri, Université Catholique de Lille; Dr. Paolo Chiocchetti, European University Institute; Mr. Pelle Geertsen, Political Communications Advisor; Dr. Lorenzo Castellani, Research Fellow at Luiss Guido Carli, Rome; Dr. Marianna Griffini, King's College London