Annotations
| Nr. | Topic | Annotations |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Transformation of European security in light of new geopolitical threats | In the second half of the second decade of the 21st Century, Europe is facing a number of security challenges. The liberal international order – of which the EU is a key regional instantiation - is under pressure from the rising authoritarian global powers outside Europe and from increasing support to authoritarian political movements in Europe. In addition to the ongoing high intensity conventional war in Ukraine as well as war conflicts in various parts of the European neighborhood there are a number of grey-zone threats and hybrid warfare activities challenging stability and internal cohesion of European societies. The current PhD project will explore how European states and regional integration structures – most notably the EU - are adapting to these security challenges. It will study institutional adaptations in diplomatic and military organizations; uses of private military and security companies; and the rise of new coalitions of states, non-state actors and corporations. |
| 2. | Blame Avoidance Strategies of National Level Authorities in Regard to Local Political and/or Administrative Issues in Slovakia | The local administrative and political level in Slovakia provides a great diversity of unresolved issues or problems. They were addressed by various measures taken by national institutions (the Parliament and the Government in particular). Instead of direct focus on solutions, some of them have preserved or even increased the problems. The goal of this thesis is to point out that in some cases there was an absence of evidence-based public policy-making, but in other cases the mentioned national institutions preferred to employ strategies to pretend searching for real solutions and to avoid potential blame. The thesis will focus on reducing the minimum number of deputies in municipal councils, hastily adopted measures against successful illiterate mayoral candidates, adopting a solution that reflects the existence of so-called dysfunctional municipalities, which in practice turned out to be dysfunctional itself, etc. |
| 3. | Economic Performance and Electoral Success: Do Voters Take Economic Performance Into Account in Local Elections? | This is a multidisciplinary thesis that requires the use of advanced statistical methods. The thesis deals with the connection of the economic performance of local authorities with the electoral preferences of voters. The main attention will be focused on defending mayors (incumbents) in selected countries. While at the national level, the economic performance of government is commonly used as argument that should support the electoral decisions of voters, at the local level, economic performance is often a less clear concept for voters. Therefore, we do not have an answer to the question of how much voters take economic performance into account in their voting in local elections. And the thesis will be primarily focused on answering this question. |
| 4. | From Russian Gas to Fertilizers: EU’s economic sovereignty, energy dependence, and food security | The European Union (EU) is grappling with a significant influx of low-cost fertilizers from Russia and Belarus, which supplied approximately 30% of the EU's fertilizer needs in 2024. This surge has led to a crisis among European fertilizer producers, who face higher production costs due to elevated natural gas prices—a primary cost factor in chemical fertilizer manufacturing. This situation raises critical questions about the EU's economic sovereignty, energy dependence, and food security. The thesis shall examine the changes in EU fertilizer industry following the Russian invasion of Ukraine and EU’s effort to phase out Russian natural gas from its energy mix. This proposed PhD thesis topic revolves around two main research questions: How does the EU's reliance on imported fertilizers from Russia and Belarus affect its agricultural policy, food security and sanctions on Russian energy imports? Does this reliance have broader geopolitical implications? |
| 5. | Double just transition: Green meets digital at the regional level | The thesis aims to understand how collaborative and participatory governance can significantly contribute to the achievement of the just twin (green and digital) transition within EU regions. It places a central focus on the dynamics of regional governance, with a specific emphasis on engaging civil society actors. In the thesis, three key components will be examined: |