#CAPIS Director Professor Laura Polverari was on a visit to the United States from 24 March to 11 April. She first stopped in New York, where she gave a guest lecture on the topic of “EU Cohesion Policy – yesterday, today… and tomorrow” in Professor Stella Ladi’s course on the Political Economy of Europe, sponsored by the European Institute, where she presented her research to a highly engaged group of international students. In New York she also attended a reception at the United Nations to celebrate Greece National Day. She then travelled to Florida as a guest of the Department of Political Science at the University of Florida.

While there, she took part in a workshop on “Oversight and Accountability in the EU”, organised by Jean Monnet Professor Amie Kreppel, which was attended by leading scholars in the field and emphasised the importance and difficulty of accountability in the EU. Professor Polverari’s presentation focused specifically on the place of EU cohesion policy within the MFF and the tensions entailed by the new governance and single fund. During her remaining time in Florida, Professor Polverari had the opportunity to attend guest and ordinary lectures, and participate as an observer in a student-led “Model EU” simulation.

These activities not only enriched her knowledge of complex EU-related themes, but also provided insights into how to enhance her teaching and the MA programme on European and Global Studies that she directs, incorporating more hands-on methods, student-led initiatives, and innovative AI applications.
The visits also presented valuable opportunities for developing future collaborations and project ideas, all of which demonstrates the crucial importance of staff (and potentially student) mobility initiatives to foster excellence in higher education. In times of increasing budget constraints and international geopolitical upheaval, these types of initiatives should become a priority more so than ever.