Viola SHAHINI

BIO

I am a postdoctoral researcher at the ULB’s Institut d’études européennes (IEE), contributing to the ARC project – “Social Rights in the European Union (1960-2020): From Market to Social Citizenship and Back?” (SOCITEU), coordinated by Dr. Amandine Crespy.

Previously, I worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Milan, conducting research within the EUROSHIP project – “Closing Gaps in Social Citizenship. New Tools to Foster Social Resilience in Europe”. As part of this project, I investigated the politics of minimum income schemes and minimum wages at the EU level. Additionally, I worked on the implementation of the European Pillar of the Social Rights through the European Semester, employing a comparative and qualitative approach based on process tracing, text analysis and elite and expert interviewing.

I hold a PhD in Political Studies from the University of Milan, where my research centred on welfare state development and change in post-communist countries. My PhD project explored the interplay between domestic political dynamics and international pressures, focusing on how new ideas gain influence in politics by interacting with the interests of powerful political actors, which in turn shape policy output.

My research interests include European social governance, comparative welfare states, comparative minimum income schemes and pension politics.

CV

Download it here