Max Weber Programme Max Weber Programme European University Institute Villa La Fonte, Via delle Fontanelle 10 50014 San Domenico di Fiesole, Italy Email: [email protected] www.eui.eu/MaxWeberProgramme Annual Report Academic Year 2006-2007 “Given the goals of the Max Weber Programme of emphasizing interdisciplinarity, one of the most gratifying experiences has been to learn so much about other disciplines. Many hours of formal and informal learning have paid off as I have opened my eyes to other perspectives and approaches.” Mariely López-Santana, Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, George Mason University, Washington DC, USA, Max Weber Fellow 2006-2007 “My first year at the EUI has been positive: for the first time I had an office, some funds for traveling, I could use photocopiers and printers, electronic databases without either struggling for a desk or with nine-to-five office hours… and in what a wonderful environment! The EUI Library had everything I had desired for ages, open shelves, journals and books in both the history of Central and Eastern Europe and economic history.” Valentina Fava, Department of History and Civilization, EUI, Max Weber Fellow 2006-2008 “The first year of my Max Weber fellowship has proved very fruitful for my research. I enjoyed all the opportunities to discuss my research ideas with my peers at the Max Weber Programme in the magnificent setting of Villa La Fonte and to hear valuable, and sometimes critical, comments from members of the Law Department.” Roman Petrov, Law Department, EUI, Max Weber Fellow 2006-2008 “The EUI has allowed me to enlarge my aims and gain a wider vision of the world. …This year has been a fantastic, intense and very happy, but also exhausting experience. The pressure to publish and to find work for next year has been intense. Nevertheless, I will never forget the Italian and English classes and the lunches and coffees with friends in the wonderful gardens of Villa La Fonte and Villa Schifanoia.” José María Aguilera Manzano, Assistant Professor, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Annual Report 2006-2007 Científicas (CSIC), Spain, Max Weber Fellow 2006-2007 Max Weber Programme “I was delighted and excited to be able to spend one year at the European University European University Institute Institute. I heard only the best about this leading research institution, its unique Villa La Fonte, Via delle Fontanelle 10 community of professors, fellows and researchers and its perfect location that provides the 50014 San Domenico di Fiesole, Italy ideal environment for research. … I am sure the knowledge and experience I have gained www.eui.eu/MaxWeberProgramme at the EUI this year will be with me for a lifetime, be that in my choice of research topics, Email: [email protected] my ability to impart better instruction in the classroom or simply in my understanding Tel: +39 055 4685 822 and appreciation of different people, approaches and ways of thinking.” fax: +39 055 4685 804 Maria Heracleous, Assistant Professor Department of Economics, American University, Washington, Max Weber Fellow 2006-2007 © 2007 European University Institute Citations from EUI Review, Summer 2007 The European Commission supports the EUI through the European Union budget. This publication reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission can- not be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. MAX WEBER PROGRAmmE, ANNUAL REPORT 2006-2007 Max Weber Programme 2006-2007 Foreword One year of postdoc is usually one year in transition. A Max Weber Fellowship is also, in a sense, a transition. For the fellows who were looking for a job, a transition to the positions they now hold; the Max Weber Programme proved valuable, to most of them, in its support of their job search. For the fellows who took a year off from their home institution, a transition in their own academic career; the experience of the Max Weber Fellowship seemed more – they say – than just a parenthesis. For the few fellows who had the option of an extended transition, we are very pleased that all of those who completed their first year, have gone on into their second year. But, as transition goes, the Max Weber Fellowship differs from most – if not all – postdoctoral programmes in the Social Sciences and Humanities. To start with, it is the collective transition of forty fellows. Through the programme activities, the time spent together at Villa La Fonte, more than once in heated discussions, fellows have got to know the different realities of other fields, countries and cultures; they have also got to know how similar problems and anxieties are at the start of an academic career. Furthermore, with the support of their mentors and their involvement in EUI departmental activities, fellows have also developed their own research agendas in a stimulating environment. In fact, the same aim of the Max Weber Programme is to mark a transition in postdoctoral fel- lowships in the social sciences and humanities, areas where the postdoctoral level is becoming a step in an academic career (it has already been so for some time in the natural sciences). A transition from a format where the almost exclusive attraction of a postdoc was to gain time and a space to work – often in isolation – while ‘waiting for a proper job,’ to a format where a postdoc is conceived as a fruitful professional step in developing excellence in research and academic practice. For such a model, one that emphasizes the specific value of a postdoc and, not just its transitional character, some basic elements seem to be necessary: a minimally struc- tured programme, a stimulating academic environment, and a critical number of fellows. The first year of the Max Weber Programme has been, in turn, a learning transition. We have set the above basic elements in place and in motion. We have developed additional initiatives that can help the academic community at large, such as the MWP Academic Careers Observa- tory (MWP–ACO). We have faced the challenges that were foreseen from the beginning; in particular, ‘to efficiently combine research and other programme activities’ and ‘to properly exploit its intellectual and international diversity’ (see EUI Review, Autumn 2006, p.6). And, as with any learning experience, we have had successes and error trials with our new design. And, not just from the lessons we can derive from the first year, but mostly from the experience of the Max Weber Fellows with the programme, I think it has been a good first harvest! Personal appreciations apart, the best way to judge a programme is by its results, in the short and in the long run. Regarding short-term results, this First Year Report provides information on some of the activities that have taken place, as well as on some of the work done by the forty Max Weber Fellows during the year. Regarding long-term results, only in the future will fellows be able to tell how valuable their MWP experience turns out to be, only the further develop- ment and international reputation of the MWP will be able to assess how valuable it was to produce a first crop. Many have contributed to such positive experience and deserve to be acknowledged: the Eu- ropean Commission DG Education and Culture, for its funding and continuous support, and participation in the Inaugural Max Weber Lecture; the EUI for hosting the programme and, in particular, Yves Meny and Andreas Frijdal for making it possible and Eija Heikinnen and the Academic Service team with whom I started working even before the programme was in place; most obviously, a main share of the credit goes to the enthusiastic and dedicated small staff of the MWP: Ruediger von Krosigk as Programme Coordinator in its first year and Susan Garvin as Administrative Assistant, as well as the staff of Villa La Fonte, Pandelis Nastos, and of Computing Services, Vito Caresimo, and the Academic Assistants who have helped in setting the Academic Careers Observatory, Lotte Holm and Arnout Mertens, and in other programme 1 MAX WEBER PROGRAmmE, ANNUAL REPORT 2006-2007 activities, Chiara De Franco. But the programme would not have been possible without the col- laboration of the many people who have lectured, participated in conferences and given it their support and suggestions. I would like to thank all of them, but the list is too long to be included here, yet special thanks should be extended to Nicky Owtram and Nicky Hargreaves, from the EUI Language Centre, not only for their MWP Academic Writing Workshops, but also for helping to set up an excellent team of English correctors and an international network of professional scholars (from LSE, University of London Institute of Education, Humboldt Uni- versity, College d’Europe, and other institutions) who are helping us to develop the programme as a pilot international experience in enhancing Academic Practice and Communication. I also want to thank the members of the Max Weber Programme Steering Committee, for their work, as well as the EUI faculty who, as mentors, have provided support to the fellows. Last, but not least, my gratitude goes to the first cohort of Max Weber Fellows…the ‘raison d’être’ of the Max Weber Programme. Professor Ramon Marimon Director of the Max Weber Programme November 2007 A new type of Postdoctoral Programme The Max Weber Programme, which started in September 2006 at the European University In- stitute, represents a new model of a structured postdoctoral programme in the social sciences. Integrating research and academic practice activities, it is oriented to reflect on, and develop, international standards of excellence in Academic Practice, with a special focus on Academic Communication: writing, presenting and teaching.