The creation of the EU resulted from the concurrent action of a wide array of forces: political agendas, institutional constraints, economic interests, and also intellectual perspectives. To properly assess the dynamics of European integration throughout the 20th century, and thus shed some light on the crossroads at which the EU finds itself now, one might do well to reevaluate the nature of the ideas and of the overarching vision that lie in its origin. The project purports to recover the intellectual roots of European integration in the interwar and immediate postwar years, while giving special emphasis to the role-played by economists in this process. European economists were very much involved in debates about international politics, as in the cases of Robbins, Myrdal, Perroux, Eucken and Keynes, to cite only a few. By reconnecting these threads, the project will show how the revived and enlarged perspective of political economy can illuminate some of the challenges currently faced by the EU. The international team assembled for the proposal, gathering renowned experts on the history of economics, law, and international politics is particularly well suited for the proposed task.

Building on initiatives developed under a JM Module (2015-18) and activities already in place within the B.A. in International Economic Relations, our aim is to give more focus to the teaching and research on European Studies, thus promoting excellence in EU studies within the university. This will be done mainly through course offerings available to our entire student population (approximately 50,000), events with leading scholars (including workshops designed to policy makers), and different publications.

This also plays a role in amplifying the scope and depth of the actions developed by UFMG’s Center for European Studies, headed by the Chair Holder of this proposal, and entirely supported by UFMG’s own funds. The CES offers then a solid base for the JM activities at the university.