Research
The purpose of the Centre for Britain and Europe (CBE) is to provide high quality analysis that informs and develops scholarly public debate on issues affecting the UK and Europe.
Research strategy
Operating at the intersection of academia, government, private sector and the media, our Centre is a forum for research, analysis and debate exploring the UK’s evolving and future relationship with Europe, as well as providing critical analyses of specific British and European policies including diplomacy, security, defence, development, regional and international affairs, among others.
Our Centre collaborates with the Department of Politics, and other units and groups, to encourage and support research, analysis and teaching on key areas of British and European policies.
Our goal
As a Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence for 2020-2023, our goal is to provide Europe-oriented impact across the entire university community of Guildford and the county of Surrey, extending as far as London, which is already a core part of our public and policy engagement activities. We are building links with local civil society groups, schools and colleges, local politicians and the media. Over time, we hope these links will turn into a community of informed and active citizens.
Our Centre includes full-time academics and visiting professors from the Department of Politics, scholars from other parts of the University of Surrey, and a range of associates drawn externally from both academia and a variety of public and private sectors to ensure a wide-ranging core of expertise.
With an extensive range of research topics around both Britain and Europe, we aim to reframe Britain and European issues, by drawing on wide interdisciplinary expertise and insights. In order to reflect the shift of focus in European studies from integration in past years, to the more current challenges faced by Britain and Europe, our wide-ranging research aims to be reflective of the current conversations around Europe, and the contemporary issues faced. These include anything ranging from Brexit to foreign policy, and our research aims to reflect the tension between the certainties and challenges presented to Britain and Europe today.
Issues and topics
Our research strategy expresses an identifiable and distinctive approach to European studies, around the following issues and topics:
- EU security and diplomacy – including the Common Security and Defence Policy, European External Action Service, EU global actorness and EU normative power.
- Areas within the European Foreign Policy, including the EU Neighbourhood Policy, EU Development Policy and relations with external states such as the US and Canada.
- Gender and European security.
- The Europeanisation of foreign policy, European defence capabilities and EU crisis management options.
- European energy security, EU-Russia energy relations and European energy governance.
- Qualitative and quantitative analyses surrounding a range of issues – including those above, affecting Britain and Europe, and their changing relationship.
- Electoral politics – particularly party campaigning strategies and strategic political communication, public opinion and political behaviour.
- Changing political attitudes as a result of policy change, and the impact of economic factors on political outcome, as well as economic voting, and authoritarian attitudes among young people in Europe.
- The changing nature of the EU-UK relationship, European integration and disintegration, Euroscepticism and populism.
- The Eurozone crisis, the politics of austerity and the role of emotions in the discussion of crises.
- The future EU-UK relationship after Brexit, the role of pressure groups and the media profile of Eurosceptics.
Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence
Our Centre has been awarded the prestigious Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence from the European Union, for 2020-2023.