Professor Kevin Featherstone - Elefterios Venizelos Chair - Hellenic Observatory - Research and Impact - European Institute

Biography

Kevin Featherstone is Eleftherios Venizelos Professor of Contemporary Greek Studies and Professor of European Politics. He is currently the Head of the European Institute and was long-term Director of the Hellenic Observatory and Co-Chair of LSEE: Research on South-East Europe within the European Institute. He has held visiting positions at the University of Minnesota; New York University; and Harvard University. Before LSE, he held academic posts at the universities of Stirling and Bradford. In 2009-10 he served on an advisory committee to Prime Minister George Papandreou for the reform of the Greek government. He was the first foreign member of the National Council for Research and Technology (ESET) in Greece, serving from 2010-2013. He is Vice-Chair of the Academic Council of 'Atomium Culture', Brussels, a not-for-profit promoting collaboration within the European Research Area. In 2013 he was made ‘Commander: Order of the Phoenix’ by the President of the Hellenic Republic. In 2014, the European Parliament selected one of his books (co-authored with Kenneth Dyson) as one of its ‘100 Books on Europe to Remember’. He has contributed regularly to ‘Kathimerini’.

KF-Prime Ministers in Greece

Recent publication by Prof Featherstone

Research interests

His research has focussed on the politics of the European Union and the politics of contemporary Greece; his work has been framed in the perspectives of comparative politics, public policy, political economy and processes of 'Europeanization'. His main books on the EU have involved a comparison of socialist parties' approaches to European integration; relations between the US and EU; the negotiations leading to the Maastricht agreement on EMU; and, the politics of 'Europeanisation'. On Greece, he has co-authored or edited books on political change after 1974; Greece after the Cold War; Greece and the challenges of 'Europeanisation'; the limits of Europeanisation in Greece; a history of the Muslim/Turkish minority in Western Thrace; and most recently, the domestic meanings of 'Europe' in Greece. His new book, with Dimitris Papadimitriou, on the problems of control and coordination within the Greek core executive will be published by Oxford University Press in 2015.

Full CV (PDF)

For further details about Professor Kevin Featherstone's research, please visit LSE Research Online.

Professor Kevin Featherstone co-authored book listed by European Parliament as one of 100 best on Europe

Professor Kevin Featherstone's book The Road to Maastricht: Negotiating Economic and Monetary Union was chosen for the “100 books on Europe to remember” book list, compiled by the European Parliament. You can access the list here.

Professor Kevin Featherstone participated in the special event 'One hundred Books on Europe to Remember' that took place at the EPRS Library Reading Room.

Professor Kevin Featherstone awarded
Order of the Phoenix of the Hellenic Republic

The Greek PM, G. Papandreou, in a speech in Parliament on 18 October 2011 quoted the comments of Kevin Featherstone on the crisis. Featherstone had argued that in the interests of serious domestic reform the Troika needed to give Greece more time to plan and implement changes (video starting at 44:00).

Professor Kevin Featherstone member of the Greek national research council (ESET)

In September 2010, Professor Featherstone was appointed to the National Council for Research and Technology in Greece (ESET). Following a change in law, he is the first non-Greek to be appointed to the Council. Here is a selection of relevant press material: Kathimerini To Vima Ta Nea.

Professor Kevin Featherstone appointed as member of advisory committee to Greek Prime Minister

In February 2010, Professor Featherstone was appointed by the Greek Prime Minister to a newly-created committee ('Advisory Committee for the Modernisation of the Operation of the Government'). The committee is composed of five international members and is charged with producing a report on various administrative reforms. Relevant press material: Ethnos Eleytherotypia ProtoThema (p.26)

Recent Presentations

2016

Professor Kevin Featherstone took part in a documentary series titled 'Ειδικές Αποστολές'. The documentary episode was called 'H Βρετανία στη σκιά του Brexit', or ‘’Britain in the shadow of Brexit’’, ERT TV, Greece (18 October 2016)
Professor Kevin Featherstone spoke at the annual conference "Delphi Economic Forum" which took place at the European Cultural Centre of Delphi, Greece between the 25th and the 28th of February 2016.

Featherstone - Delphi economic forum

A feature article on Professor Kevin Featherstone's and Professor Dimitris Papadimitriou's presention of their latest book 'Prime Ministers and the Paradox of Power in Greece' as part of the Megaron Lecture Series was published in the European Court of Auditors (ECA) Journal. The edition also features an interview with both Professors, titled 'How far can Europe intervene into national administrative processes?' (March 2016)

2015

As part of the Megaron Plus Lecture Series 2014-15, Professor Kevin Featherstone and Professor Dimitris Papadimitriou presented their latest book 'Prime Ministers and the Paradox of Power in Greece' in a lecture with the same title. The event took place in the Dimitris Mitropoulos Hall (Αίθουσα Δημήτρης Μητρόπουλος), Megaron, Athens, Greece and you can find more details here.
Professor Kevin Featherstone took part in the 12th European Seminar in Delphi, organised by ELIAMEP on Saturday 12 September. The panel's title was 'The Greek Saga: What went Wrong?'.
Professor Kevin Featherstone took part in a breakfast panel discussion with Professor Henrik Enderlein in the Hertie School of Governance, Berlin, titled ‘Is Reform in Greece Possible?’ (30/4/2015)
The Megaron Plus and the London School of Economics and Political Science in collaboration with the Hellenic Alumni Association of the London School of Economics and the Hellenic Observatory presented a series of public lectures on the theme of: ‘New Ideas for a World in Change’ in 2014-15. The first lecture on the topic of 'Social Movements, Social Change, and Democracy' took place on Wednesday, 10 December 2014. Professor Craig Calhoun, President and Director of LSE was the guest speaker at the event, which was chaired by Professor Kevin Featherstone. Read here an article on the lectures, published by Kerkyra Publications - Economia Group (in Greek).

2014

Professor Kevin Featherstone gave a public lecture at the University of Thessaly, Volos campus, on 31 March 2014. The lecture was entitled, ‘Greece in the New Europe: Challenges and Prospects’. In his visit, Professor Featherstone also met the Mayor of Volos, Panos Skotiniots and the Bishop of Dimitriados , Ignatios. Professor Featherstone’s visit was hosted by the University and by Lina and Ross Gkaragkani Robertson.
Professor Featherstone participated in the RCC 2014 Conference New World Order – What's Next For Europe? which took place in London on 29th January-1st February 2014. Click here for photographs from the conference

2011-2012

Professor Featherstone paricipated in the Economist Conference 16th Roundtable with the Government of Greece 'Transforming uncertainty into stability, wisdom and growth. Brainstorm with leaders from politics, business and finance', that took place on the 2nd & 3rd July in the Athenaeum InterContinental Hotel in Athens.

Professor Kevin Featherstone, gave a lecture at Cornell University (Institute for European Studies) entitled: ‘The Greek Crisis – Who is Failing Whom?’, on 2nd March 2011.

Professor Kevin Featherstone gave a talk at a private lunch organised by the Hellenic Entrepreneurs’ Association (Ελληνική Ένωση Επιχειρηματιών, E.EN.E) on Monday 31st January 2011. The talk, held at the Athens Club, addressed the constraints on Greece’s economic development and ways forward in terms of reform. More information on E.EN.E can be found here.

2010

At the invitation of the Board of Directors of the Hellenic Alumni Association, LSE, Professor Kevin Featherstone gave a lecture at the British Embassy in Athens on the 11th Nov. 2010 entitled "The Naked Emperor? Greek prime ministers and the problem of reform capacity". Respondents were Prof Antonis Makridimitris (University of Athens) and Mr Alexis Papahelas (Journalist and Editor-in-Chief, Kathimerini Newspaper). (Prof. Featherstone's transcript & Prof. Makridimitris transcript).
The Limits of Europeanisation: Greece and the Euro-Zone, Fifth Pan-European Conference on EU Politics, European Consortium for Political Research, Standing Group on the European Union, University Fernando Pessoa and Faculty of Economics of Porto University, Porto, Portugal, 23-26 June 2010.
Professor Featherstone chaired the launch of a report on the future of research in Europe up to 2020. The report was presented by Atomium Culture and it addressed the question of the role that civil society institutions might play in fostering a more effective environment for research and innovation. Atomium Culture is itself an independent, non-profit institution and the LSE is a partner (as is the University of Athens and some 23 other universities) in its pan-European network of universities, businesses and media organisations that have come together to promote better opportunities for young researchers across all scientific disciplines. At the launch, held at the European Parliament in Strasbourg on May 18th 2010, Professor Featherstone introduced key note addresses by former French President, Valery Giscard d'Estaing (Honorary President of Atomium Culture); Jerzy Buzek, President of the European Parliament; EU Commissioner Maire Geoghegan-Quinn, responsible for research, innovation and science; and he chaired a panel debate with seven representatives of European institutions, universities, business, and media. The report was warmly welcomed by the speakers and Atomium Culture plan further steps to promote its platform over the next year, including a presentation to the European Council.
The EU after Lisbon 2000, ELIAMEP / British Embassy Seminar, Athens, 23 March 2010.

Greece and the Crisis, IFRI Seminar, Brussels, 17 February 2010.

Professor Featherstone has written extensively. His most recent books include:

Prime Ministers in Greece: The Paradox of Power

Featherstone, Kevin and Papadimitriou, Dimitris
Oxford University Press, June 2015

*30% ONLINE DISCOUNT*only when you order directly via the Oxford University Press website adding promotion code AAFLY7 to your shopping basket.
Discount valid until 31/12/2015

Europe in Modern Greek History
Featherstone, K
London, C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd, 2014

Οι τελευταίοι Οθωμανοί - Η μουσουλμανική μειονότητα της Δυτικής Θράκης, 1940-1949
Featherstone K, Παπαδημητρίου Δ, Μαμαρέλης Α, Νιάρχος Γ
Αθήνα, Εκδόσεις Αλεξάνδρεια, 2013

The Last Ottomans: The Muslim Minority of Greece 1940-1949
Featherstone K, Papadimitriou D, Mamarelis A, Niarchos G
London, Palgrave Macmillan Publishers, 2011

Τα Όρια του Εξευρωπαϊσμού. Δημόσια Πολιτική και Μεταρρυθμίσεις στην Ελλάδa
Featherstone K και Παπαδημητρίου Δ
Αθήνα, Εκδόσεις Οκτώ, 2010

The Limits of Europeanization: Reform Capacity and Policy Conflict in Greece
Featherstone K, and Papadimitriou D
London, Palgrave Macmillan Publishers, 2008

Πολιτικη Στην Ελλαδα. Η Προκληση Του Εκσυγχρονισμου Featherstone K (Editor & Contributor)
Αθήνα, Εκδόσεις Οκτώ, 2007

Politics and Policy in Greece: The Challenge of Modernisation
Featherstone K (Editor & Contributor)
London, Routledge, 2005 (This was also published as a special issue of the journal, West European Politics, entitled The Challenge of Modernisation: Politics and Policy in Greece; 28, 2, March 2005)

The Politics of Europeanisation
Featherstone K and Radaelli C. M.
New York, Oxford University Press, 2003

Europeanization and the Southern Periphery
Featherstone K and Kazamias G. A.

Published as a special issue of South European Society and Politics, 5, 2, 2000 and also as a book by Frank Cass, London

The Road to Maastricht: Negotiating Economic and Monetary Union Dyson Κ and Featherstone K
Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1999

Selected by the European Parliament for the “100 books on Europe to remember” list in 2014. The list covers all languages and all disciplines since the first part of the C20th to the present-day. It recommends these books and makes them available to contemporary audiences via the internet. You can access the list here.

The Political Economy of NPLs resolution: Ownership and conditionality
By Eleni Panagiotarea Greece’s non-performing exposure ratio is the second highest in Europe, largely linked to the unprecedented contraction of domestic economic activity in recent years. Causality is known to go both ways, with persistently high non-performing loans (NPLs) constituting … Continue reading →

The Greek crisis is a crisis of production, not of public finance
By Antigone Lyberaki The Greek economic crisis is a crisis of production. Its key actor is a unique feature of the economy, the Greek family firm. Seen through that prism, the crisis is simply another episode in the story of … Continue reading →

Grexit and Brexit, past and future: Intertwined tales?
By Platon Tinios Only one letter separates Grexit from Brexit. Against expectations Grexit (from the Eurozone) did not materialise in 2015. A year later, expectations were also confounded as Brexit (from the EU) inexorably unfolds. The two processes, one contingent … Continue reading →

How Brexit will affect the balance of power in the European Parliament
By Angelos Chryssogelos Given the UK has one of the largest contingents of MEPs, how will Brexit change the way political parties are aligned in the European Parliament? Angelos Chryssogelos writes that the effects of removing British MEPs from the … Continue reading →

No respite: Greece’s relationship with Europe after Brexit
By Angelos Chryssogelos The vote for Brexit in the referendum of 23 June has obvious immediate effects for Greece. Increased uncertainty will hamper Greece’s economic recovery. When the UK formally exits the EU, the consequences for Greek workers and students … Continue reading →

The ECB grants debt relief to all Eurozone nations except Greece
By Paul De Grauwe Greece may be about to get some debt relief, although there is still resistance to the idea. This column argues that the ECB has been providing other Eurozone countries with debt relief since early 2015 through … Continue reading →

What those calling for Brexit could learn from the Greek bailout referendum
By Kevin Featherstone In the summer of 2015, Greece held a referendum on a proposed bailout deal, with the electorate decisively rejecting the proposal. Kevin Featherstone writes that much like the upcoming referendum on the UK’s membership of the EU, the … Continue reading →

The Hellenic Observatory at LSE celebrates its 20th anniversary
By Kevin Featherstone The Hellenic Observatory, located in LSE’s European Institute, celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2016. Kevin Featherstone looks back at its story so far. In the mid-1990s, a campaign was launched to establish a Chair on Contemporary Greece that was … Continue reading →

Greece. The country with the half Drachma
By Andreas Koutras A few days after the introduction of the bank capital controls and with thousands of pensioners queuing up outside the bank branches, the Prime Minister’s Office received a piece of research on the effect of the capital … Continue reading →

Experiments with austerity and anti-poverty policies in Greece: “Like Hodja’s donkey: it died just after it learned not to eat”
By Vassilis P. Arapoglou In this brief note I want to summarize the scope of my presentation at the LSE research seminar on March 8, 2016. My aim is to reflect upon the findings of a research project on homelessness … Continue reading →

Click here for all press articles and interviews given by Professor Kevin Featherstone and HO Staff.

A small selection can be found below:

Professor Kevin Featherstone gave an interview on the various matters arising after the Brexit vote, The Times of India blog (29 June 2016)
Professor Kevin Featherstone gave an interview on Brexit and the EU, to journalist Sofia Papaioannou for the politics show '’360o'', Alpha TV channel (Greece) (28 June 2016)
Professor Kevin Featherstone authored an article titled 'Μία μικρότερη Βρετανία' ("A smaller Britain") on the Brexit referendum, Kathimerini Newspaper (26 June 2016)
Professor Kevin Featherstone was interviewed on the Eurozone, the dilemma that Great Britain is facing with the Brexit referendum, Greece and Cyprus for Politis (Citizen) Daily Cypriot Newspaper (13 June 2016)
Professor Kevin Featherstone wrote an Op-Ed 'It's all Greek to me' for the Greek press, arguing that the current British referendum campaign on EU membership displays a similar populism to that of the Greek referendum last July and has a similar demographic of support, Kathimerini (12 June 2016)
Professor Kevin Featherstone was interviewed on Brexit and the LSE Commission on the Future of Britain in Europe Report, Phoenix New Media, China (9 June 2016)
Professor Kevin Featherstone was interviewed by Thomas Aagaard in the article 'Professor: Græsk regering står over for kollaps' ("Professor: Greek government faces collapse"), Finans (13 July 2015)
Professor Kevin Featherstone was interviewed by ABC News Australia on the Greek crisis (13 July 2015)
Professor Kevin Featherstone gave a live interview on the results from the Greek referendum, BBC News (6 July 2015)
Professor Kevin Featherstone gave an interview to BBC News on the Greek referendum (5 July 2015)
Professor Kevin Featherstone authored an article titled 'Αγαπημένοι μου Ελληνες...' ("Dear Greeks"), Ethnos (29 June 2015)
Professor Kevin Featherstone authored an article titled 'Oταν ο λαϊκισμός αποτυγχάνει' ("When populism fails"), Kathimerini (29 June 2015)
Professor Kevin Featherstone was quoted in the article 'A Greek Taxing Woman Faces Task of Restoring Confidence', Bloomberg (24/06/14).