How long have you been at LSE and how did you come to join the European Institute?
I started in September 2001 and came here as a temporary lecturer with the German Academic Exchange Service. After a year, I applied for a tenure track position and never looked back. Because back was Germany where I had done a doctorate and post-doctorate doctorate (‘Habilitation’) in economics; the latter used to be a qualification required before one could apply for a chair. In the year that I submitted my post-doctorate thesis, the German government abolished the Habilitation as a standard requirement for getting a chair! And having taught political economy, I found it too constraining to be an academic economist.
How has the European Institute changed during your time here?
For me, the greatest change is that the EI has become much more professional and serious about teaching. Just to give a few examples: we talk now about good practices and exchange experiences, coordinate the messaging to students to avoid confusion and review the experience of teaching, especially in core courses, every year. We have been gently but firmly driven in that direction by our student reps and our fabulous Teaching and Learning (now Eden) Centre.
What has been the most memorable moment during your time at the EI?
I have very fond memories of LSE, like a good night out with colleagues and students, or a great public event with stimulating discussions over dinner afterwards. But with hindsight, it must be the unpleasant memory of referendum night. I left around 1:30 am, with a feeling of foreboding that was confirmed next morning. There was a real sadness in the EI, shared by the professional services, faculty and students. Not because we are all rampant euro-enthusiasts but, I guess, because it is hard not to be taken aback by the animosity towards the EU among a sizeable share of UK voters. This feeling has never completely left me since.
What course or subject area have you enjoyed teaching the most?
Monetary integration, because to me it is an endlessly interesting, if often frustrating part of this experimental polity that is the EU. And European welfare states with Nicholas Barr, because his enthusiasm for debate of what exactly makes the welfare state such a historical achievement is infectious.
What makes the EI a special place?
That we respect each other. You often find that academics ask the professional services for advice on many things. Older colleagues consult younger colleagues about teaching innovations, like simulation games. And academics with discernible roots in their disciplines co-supervise doctoral students, which is greatly rewarding.
What excites you about the future of the EI?
That it will develop even more as a place where Europe is studied, which is more than the EU. I am sure that our students will be the antennae. It is noticeable, for instance, that our doctoral students do research on Europe, rather than the EU narrowly understood.
What’s your favourite place on LSE campus?
It changes. At the moment, I enjoy the living green wall between the Centre Building and the library whenever I lock up my bike there.
What is your favourite place to visit in Europe and why?
Berlin, where I have lived for a long time. The city is spacious but full of history. It has three opera houses, where you can actually get in (and without taking out a mortgage!). It also has lakes that are wonderful for wild swimming because they are never overcrowded – in my experience, Germans are much more whimpish when it comes to cold water than those hardy Brits.