Viola SHAHINI

Bio

I am a postdoctoral researcher at the ULB's Institute of European Studies (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”.

I hold a PhD in Political Studies from the University of Milan, where my research centered 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.

CV

• Since 2024: Postdoctoral fellow, Université libre de Bruxelles
• 2021-2023: Postdoctoral fellow, Università degli studi di Milano
• 2020-2023: Teaching assistant for Comparative Welfare States, Università degli studi di Milano
• 2020-2023: Tutor for Political Science, Università degli studi di Milano
• 2017-2022: PhD student in Political Studies, Università degli studi di Milano
• 2017: Research assistant, Observatoire social européen, Brussels
• 2014-2017: M.Sc. in Economics and Political Science, Università degli studi di Milano
• 2010-2013: BA in Political Science, University of Tirana

Areas of research

• European social governance,
• Comparative welfare states,
• EU social policy
• EU employment policy
• Politics of social policy reforms

Research

Since 2024: SOCITEU project – Social Rights in the European Union (1960-2020): From Market to Social Citizenship and Back? Main focus of my research: assessing the added value of the European Pillar of Social Rights; mapping the main lines of conflict that emerged during the transposition of the Work-Life Balance Directive, Transparent and Predictable Working Conditions Directive, and Adequate Minimum Wages Directive in Belgium, Denmark, Ireland, Italy and Poland.


2021-2023: 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.

Publications

Shahini, V., Panaro, A. and Jessoula (2024). The politics of minimum income protection in the EU: the long road to a Council Recommendation. Book chapter in Social policy in the European Union: state of play 2023, eds. Vanhercke, B., Sabato, S. and Spasova, S.