Alvaro Oleart

Hoy @alvarooleart.bsky.social y yo intentamos situar la inestabilidad política en Francia en el contexto de la transformación de los debates políticos en toda Europa. www.elconfidencial.com/mundo/2025-1...

Te va a gustar, @idafe.bsky.social ;)

¿Qué pasa con Macron en Francia? Hoy @luisbouzagarcia.bsky.social y yo en @elconfidencial.bsky.social: "su parafernalia jupiterina no impedirá que termine como una fuerza que venía a ‘renovar’ la democracia, pero que terminó renovando a la extrema derecha".

www.elconfidencial.com/mundo/2025-1...

Why social movements struggle to change the EU: the ‘EU mobilization package’ and the case of DiEM25 - Comparative European Politics Social movement scholarship has emphasized that progressive ‘Europeanization from below’ may be a breeding ground for major EU reform and democratization. Empirically, however, activists have found it difficult to make gains when targeting the EU. To understand the challenges that activists face in the context of transnational EU mobilization, our article draws from agency-oriented approaches in social movement studies to propose an ‘EU mobilization package’, comprising three recurring strategic dilemmas that activists encounter: (a) the formulation of goals that both address the transnational level and appeal to national or local constituencies, (b) the building of a transnational political organization that is both inclusive and effective, and (c) whether and how to interact with EU institutions, particularly in the context of European Parliament elections. We apply this framework to the Democracy in Europe Movement 2025 (DiEM25), an organization founded by Yanis Varoufakis in 2016, which is a key example of social movement dissensus to EU politics. Methodologically, we rely on comprehensive interview data, the analysis of a large corpus of DiEM25 online and offline publications, and participant observation of three public events. A discussion of the group’s strategic challenges provides important general lessons for our understanding of social movement mobilization targeting EU politics as well as transnational activism.

[OUT] 'Why social movements struggle to change the EU: the ‘EU mobilization package’ and the case of DiEM25', new paper by @alvarooleart.bsky.social, postdoc at SciencePo ULB (Cevipol), with Manès Weisskircher, in Comparative European Politics
link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Thanks @catherinedevries.bsky.social, really appreciate it! This was really a great team effort with @manesweisskircher.bsky.social , and hopefully a nice contribution to the literature on challenger parties at the EU level ;)

Cc @sciencepoulb.bsky.social, @bencrum.nl, @tomtheuns.bsky.social, @marylou-h.bsky.social, @catherinedevries.bsky.social, @alemanno.bsky.social, @drspguerra.bsky.social, @simonhix.bsky.social, @aripollservent.bsky.social, @benmoffitt.bsky.social, @nicolasbaygert.bsky.social, @simonotjes.bsky.social

The article is part of a forthcoming Special Issue in Comparative EU Politics on "Political parties as actors of dissensus: insights from the EP" edited by Ramona Coman, @nathaliebrack.bsky.social & @miscoiu.bsky.social. We thank them, @buzogany.bsky.social and the many activists we interviewed!

(2) the building of a transnational political organization that is both inclusive & effective; (3) whether and how to interact with EU institutions, particularly in the context of EP elections. We apply this framework to understand the (lack of) political impact of DiEM a decade after its foundation

Drawing from a "Gains and Losses" approach, we propose the ‘EU mobilization package’ to describe 3 recurring strategic dilemmas that activists face when targeting EU politics: (1) the formulation of goals that both address the transnational level & appeal to national or local constituencies;

Why social movements struggle to change the EU: the ‘EU mobilization package’ and the case of DiEM25 - Comparative European Politics Social movement scholarship has emphasized that progressive ‘Europeanization from below’ may be a breeding ground for major EU reform and democratization. Empirically, however, activists have found it difficult to make gains when targeting the EU. To understand the challenges that activists face in the context of transnational EU mobilization, our article draws from agency-oriented approaches in social movement studies to propose an ‘EU mobilization package’, comprising three recurring strategic dilemmas that activists encounter: (a) the formulation of goals that both address the transnational level and appeal to national or local constituencies, (b) the building of a transnational political organization that is both inclusive and effective, and (c) whether and how to interact with EU institutions, particularly in the context of European Parliament elections. We apply this framework to the Democracy in Europe Movement 2025 (DiEM25), an organization founded by Yanis Varoufakis in 2016, which is a key example of social movement dissensus to EU politics. Methodologically, we rely on comprehensive interview data, the analysis of a large corpus of DiEM25 online and offline publications, and participant observation of three public events. A discussion of the group’s strategic challenges provides important general lessons for our understanding of social movement mobilization targeting EU politics as well as transnational activism.

Building transnational parties seems to be a key ingredient for democratising the EU,but efforts have not succeeded so far. Looking at @diem25.bsky.social, @manesweisskircher.bsky.social & I just published this piece on why social movements struggle to change the EU link.springer.com/article/10.1...

We conclude with the last episode of the podcast "Post-truth be told" 🎤 Hosts @luisbouzagarcia.bsky.social & @alvarooleart.bsky.social explore the role of citizenship education with @alessiachiriatti.bsky.social & Federico Castiglioni (@iaionline.bsky.social)

🎧 open.spotify.com/episode/760Q...

Citizenwashing EU Tech Policy: EU Deliberative Mini‐Publics on Virtual Worlds and Artificial Intelligence | Article | Politics and Governance Perle Petit, Alvaro Oleart

[OUT] 'Citizenwashing EU Tech Policy: EU Deliberative Mini‐Publics on Virtual Worlds and Artificial Intelligence', new paper by @alvarooleart.bsky.social, researcher at SciencePo ULB (#Cevipol) with Perle Petit, in @cogitatiopag.bsky.social
www.cogitatiopress.com/politicsandg...

Cc @sciencepoulb.bsky.social @horizon-inspire.bsky.social @nets4dem.eu @szilvia-nagy.bsky.social @demsoc.org @di-apsa.bsky.social @europeandemocracyhub.epd.eu @rudif.bsky.social @felixhoffmann.bsky.social @glocan.bsky.social @iagobam.bsky.social @uguraytac.bsky.social @palomohernandez.bsky.social

cc @sciencepoulb.bsky.social @jvh.bsky.social @celestebny.bsky.social @bencrum.nl @juliarone.bsky.social @verenakbrandle.bsky.social @cdteu.org @gorwa.ca @pjleerssen.bsky.social @corporateeurope.org @peoplevsbigtech.bsky.social @renateschroeder.bsky.social @itxasdo.bsky.social @cgoanta.bsky.social

From self to co-regulation in the EU’s approach to disinformation: ... Introduction: The role of actors in the (co-)regulation of disinformation in the EU Ever since 2016, when the ‘Remain’ camp lost the Brexit referendum campaign in the UK and Trump won the US Presid...

Interested in knowing how Big Tech business lobbies have dominated the EU’s policy response to disinformation? Check out the new paper by @luisbouzagarcia.bsky.social and I in @irpp.bsky.social. You can find it here in open access: journals.openedition.org/irpp/5395

OUT NOW | Check out Episode 10 of "Post-truth be told", the podcast series of the #RECLAIM project🎙️, focusing on regulating #disinformation

🎤With @alvarooleart.bsky.social, @luisbouzagarcia.bsky.social & Julia Rone

Click here🔗 open.spotify.com/episode/0vTs...
@ulbruxelles.bsky.social @uam.es

Álvaro @alvarooleart.bsky.social were really lucky to have the chance of discussing RECLAIM's recommendations on the digital information sphere with @juliarone.bsky.social. What are the ideas still outside the box on (dis)information regulation?

Citizenwashing EU Tech Policy: EU Deliberative Mini‐Publics on Virtual Worlds and Artificial Intelligence | Article | Politics and Governance Perle Petit, Alvaro Oleart

Interested in how the EU constructed an artificial sense of legitimacy (‘citizenwashing’) of its tech policies through citizens' panels on virtual worlds & AI? Then check our new article co-written by @perlepetit.bsky.social & I in @cogitatiopag.bsky.social www.cogitatiopress.com/politicsandg...

Reversing the Privatisation of the Public Sphere: Democratic Alternatives to the EU’s Regulation of Disinformation | Article | Media and Communication Alvaro Oleart, Julia Rone

Make sure you check their work on poillicy alternatives against the privatisation of the public sphere. www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcomm...

Policy alternatives to EU’s regulation of disinformation

It was really interesting to discuss RECLAIM's policy recommendations on social media regulation, algorithmic transparency and strengthening public service media with @alvarooleart.bsky.social and @juliarone.bsky.social open.spotify.com/episode/0vTs...

🎙️ Out now! Ep. 9 of the #RECLAIM podcast "Post-truth be told"

🔊 From EU media–institution ties to new business models shaping policy.

🎤 Host: @alvarooleart.bsky.social | Guests:
@ciarabottomley.bsky.social, @paolatamma.bsky.social, @jameskanter.bsky.social

🎧: open.spotify.com/episode/3Q9W...

Citizenwashing EU Tech Policy: EU Deliberative Mini‐Publics on Virtual Worlds and Artificial Intelligence | Article | Politics and Governance Perle Petit, Alvaro Oleart

Congrats Paul on this paper, it is very good! Coincidentally, together with @perlepetit.bsky.social , we have just published a piece on the 'citizenwashing' of EU tech policies through the European citizen panels on virtual worlds & AI :) Happy to be in touch! www.cogitatiopress.com/politicsandg...

Happy to see this out in @jeppjournal.bsky.social !

➜ doi.org/10.1080/1350...

The paper asks why the European Commission @ec.europa.eu increasingly sponsors participatory innovations – such as the European Citizens' Panels – although their strategic and functional value remains elusive

🧵 1/6

Brussels effect or experimentalism? The EU AI Act and global standard-setting Looking at the nature of AI technology and the contents of the EU AI Act, the external impact of the Act is better understood in terms of experimentalist governance than in terms of the much-cited ‘Br...

New paper on a new topic in @policyr.bsky.social

I analyse the EU’s AI Act and its place in the global governance of the AI.
Examining the economy of AI + the contents of the Act, I conclude that expecting a ‘Brussels effect’ is neither apt nor useful.
….

policyreview.info/articles/ana...

🎧 Do you want to be part of a live #podcast recording? 👉 This Friday, host @alvarooleart.bsky.social will record the final episode of the podcast "Post-truth be told" at the RECLAIM Final Conference, exploring the challenges facing journalists today‼️

Don't miss it!🔗 forms.gle/Kg4D6GgPJvvC...

⏰ You are still on time to REGISTER for our conference on the dangers of post-truth politics‼️

Join us on 27 June in Brussels for the final event of the #RECLAIM project, featuring interactive panel discussions & a live podcast recording of "Post-truth be told"🎙️

🔗 tepsa.eu/events/recla...

#RegisterNOW for the final conference of the #RECLAIM project 🎯 focusing on post-truth politics‼️

Join us on 27 June for interactive discussions on the challenges posed by #disinformation 📣 And don't miss our live podcast recording of "Post-truth be told!" 🎙️

Find out more🔗 tepsa.eu/events/recla...

Can Human Solidarity Survive Social Media?

Join us next Friday, May 16, 3pm at the VU Amsterdam to discuss Nick Couldry's new book "The Space of the World"

with the amazing @couldrynick.bsky.social @alvarooleart.bsky.social, Pascal Koenig and Fieke Jansen!

www.eventbrite.com/e/tickets-th...

[Event]
The Centre d'étude de la vie politique de l'ULB - Cevipol welcomes you to the seminar:

"The European Semester Pre- & Post-Next Generation EU"

With Igor Guardiancich (University of Padova)

Thursday the 8th of May at 12:00

Kant Room
F.D Roosevelt Av., 39
1050 Bxl

Curious to know more about this topic? 🧐

📖 Read our latest RECLAIM infographic on regulating #disinformation & Big Tech👉Based on a publication by @alvarooleart.bsky.social & @luisbouzagarcia.bsky.social

🔗 tepsa.eu/analysis/reg...