Barcelona, Spain

Brexit, EU and Global World: Current Challenges in European Politics and Society

The Covid-19 crisis has laid bare the fragilities of our national economies and societies and it will probably bring about irreversible structural changes for our communities. The explosion of the COVID-19 in March 2020 - and its abrupt diffusion all across the globe - have powerfully demonstrated the urgent need for improving global governance mechanisms and coordination among governments. The opportunity is now upon policy-makers and stakeholders to make the aftermath of the pandemic a reformation and transformative moment for a new kind of public policies and politics.

The course aims at providing a critical overview on the current challenges that national democracies will have to face in the next years. Social inequalities, global pandemic, gender equality, migrations, climate change and sustainability, the rise of nationalism(s) and populism(s) are some of these tremendous challenges. How can national governments (and cities) provide adequate answers and effective policies to citizens? How will Covid-19 crisis impact on already existing strategies and global Agenda (Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals, Habitat III and the New Urban Agenda)? How does globalization affect public policies and what can governments do?

By applying a plural and interdisciplinary approach, the course combines analytical tools and categories stemming from political science, international relations, economics, European Integration studies, public policies and development economics. The course focusses on the analysis and the understanding of how political and societal actors do play a role in the definition and implementation of effective and legitimated public policies. By providing critical tools for understanding complex phenomena (such as the European integration process, the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, the challenges of global governance, etc…) the course aims at preparing students as informed citizens and lifelong learners who care and act for the future of the planet and humanity.

Course leader

Andrea Noferini

Target group

2nd, 3rd and 4th year undergraduate students

Fee info

EUR 150: Registration Fee (non refundable)
EUR 900: Tuition Fee (non refundable)

Scholarships

Non UPF students from universities with an international exchange partnership with UPF will be exempt of paying the 150€ non refundable registration fee.