Political scientist Mügge receives prestigious Jean Blondel Award 2009
Daniel Mügge, university lecturer at the University of Amsterdam’s Department of Political Science, has won the Jean Blondel Award 2009. He received the award in recognition of his thesis "Widen the Market, Narrow the Competition: The Emergence of Supranational Governance in EU Capital Markets", for which he was conferred a cum laude doctorate last year.
Daniel Mügge, university lecturer at the University of Amsterdam's Department of Political Science, has won the Jean Blondel Award 2009. He received the award in recognition of his thesis "Widen the Market, Narrow the Competition: The Emergence of Supranational Governance in EU Capital Markets", for which he was conferred a cum laude doctorate last year.The Jean Blondel Award is presented by the European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR). Political Science departments at 350 European universities can nominate candidates for the award - the most prestigious European prize in recognition of political science dissertations. In addition to receiving a 1000 Euro cash prize, award winners are also entitled to publish their thesis as part of the ECPR thesis series.
European “Champions League” for the banking sector
Mügge's thesis analyses the integration of the European capital market over the past 20 years. ‘The European capital market has seen a rapid transformation: from a few "solid but stuffy" banks in individual countries to a flashy European "Champions League" in which banks could trade and earn huge amounts of money in the blink of an eye.'Daniel Mügge's dissertation demonstrates that banks played a large role in shaping the policies currently being implemented to regulate the banking sector. ‘Far from being a conspiracy theory, this reflects a very real historical intertwinement between financial and political elites. Many legislative proposals in the area of finance - such as proposals regarding the easing of regulations - have simply been copied from banking sector policy documents. As a result, banks have a great deal of political influence, which does not necessarily coincide with the interests of citizens. Naturally, this type of far-reaching influence can only be detrimental to a democratic society.'
Other forms of research
Soon after Mügge had completed the greater part of his research, the financial crisis began to take hold in earnest. As the ECPR jury agreed, his thesis could scarcely have been timed more effectively. The jury described Mügge's efforts as "incredibly well-written and fascinating". Mügge appreciates the jury's glowing review and the award itself: ‘It's good to see that the jury also values "non-traditional" political science research. In addition, the award will also help to increase the visibility of our department.'Mügge will be accepting the award at next year's annual ECPR conference.
Author: Esther van Bochove, FMG Communication Department