The project focuses on the politics of economic reforms in EU member states since the 1980s. It investigates which governments are willing and able to introduce reforms, responding to economic challenges (e.g. stagnation). The project focuses on various types of government that are theorised to display varying degrees of “strength”. It investigates whether and under what conditions governments can reform decisively and successfully, thereby enhancing our understanding of the feasibility of reform politics in multi-party democracies. The project will employ both quantitative data and inference statistics and case studies.
