Research Strategies in European Union Studies: Beyond Dichotomies

Abstract

The contributing chapters of this book all illustrate the richness and diversity of problem-driven research in EU studies. This concluding chapter draws together the insights of this rich diversity in order to move the study of research strategies beyond the dichotomies of the past towards a new agenda for research on Europe. The crisis gripping the EU in the 21st century is not just an economic crisis, it is a crisis of belief in the EU. Research on the EU is deeply implicated in this crisis, not least because of the questions it does not ask, but also because of the perceived weakness of demonstrating the methods and evidence used. A new agenda for research on Europe needs to acknowledge these weaknesses of the past and move beyond dichotomies towards greater openness and awareness of the importance of research strategies, designs and methods. In many respects this agenda has its origins in Rosamond’s (2008) call for ‘open political science’ in EU studies, as has been discussed here in his Chapter 2 on methodology in EU studies. Hence, the new agenda for research on Europe should be ‘open’ in the sense that it respects a plurality of methods; it is inclusive of the broadest range of single-, inter- and transdisciplinary EU studies; and it embraces critical and normative thinking about the EU and EU studies (Rosamond, 2008: 603; Manners, 2007; see also Warleigh-Lack’s Chapter 19 in this volume).