Welcome back to Making Sense of EU! A new academic year brings new challenges and new topics and also new perspectives and questions about the European Union. This is the second season of Making Sense of EU and this time, our podcast focuses on the challenges liberal democracy is facing in the European Union.  

To cut the ribbon on this new season, I have the pleasure to have with me today Ramona Coman, who is professor of political science at the Université libre de Bruxelles. Professor Coman has been President of the Institut d’études européennes for the past 4 years and previously its director. 

She is Principal Investigator of two European Research projects focusing on the growing dissensus over liberal democracy and the challenge this represents for the EU. Today we will discuss what's a stake, how scientific research can contribute to understanding these issues and informing policymakers. 

Is liberal democracy in danger? A new EU research project looks for answers!

In July 2025 the Phelan US Centre spoke to Professor Kimberley S. Johnson, Professor of Social and Cultural Analysis at New York University and the John G. Winant Visiting Professor of American Government at the University of Oxford, about the recent history of the US administrative state and racial representation in the US government and administration They also discussed the second Trump administration’s moves to dismantle Diversity, Equity and Inclusion measures in the US government as part of Project 2025

This episode was produced by Chris Gilson and Luke Digweed.  

Further reading and resources

•	Dark Concrete: Black Power Urbanism and the American Metropolis by Professor Kimberley S. Johnson (Cornell University Press, 2025) – to be published on 15 December 2025
•	Reforming Jim Crow: Southern Politics and State in the Age Before Brown by Professor Kimberley S. Johnson (Oxford University Press, 2010)
•	Governing the American State: Congress and the New Federalism, 1877-1929 by Professor Kimberley S. Johnson (Princeton University Press, 2007)


LSE: The Ballpark | The Administrative State with Professor Kimberley S. Johnson

In the third episode of our Mental Health & Wellbeing mini-series, host Jade Hunter speaks with Dr Flaminia Ronca, Evie Watson, and Katie Sykes about the Active Minds Project at UCL, an innovative pilot exploring how students’ physical activity and lifestyle habits impact their mental wellbeing and cognitive function.
 
Through wearable technology and behavioural insights, the team is working to refine interventions that can motivate students to move more, sleep better, and thrive both academically and personally. Together, they unpack the data-driven approach behind the project and how it aims to foster a healthier, more supportive university environment.
 
This dynamic conversation touches on the real-world challenges facing students today and the ways in which physical fitness can serve as a pathway to mental resilience.
 
Find out more: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/grand-challenges/disruptive-voices-podcast/active-minds-exploring-links-between-student-lifestyles-and-mental-health

Active Minds: Exploring the Links Between Student Lifestyles and Mental Health

In an article in the latest issue of Foreign Affairs, “Beware the Europe You Wish For, The Downsides and Dangers of Allied Independence”, former US Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, Celeste Wallander, wrote on the potential downsides of Europe spending more on its own defense for the transatlantic alliance and for American foreign policy leadership.  

 

To discuss her article, In July 2025 the Phelan US Centre spoke to Dr Celeste Wallander, Executive Director of Penn Washington. They spoke about NATO members’ greater investment in defence, the connection between defence strategy and global influence and the future of US-European relations. 

 

This episode was produced by Chris Gilson and Luke Digweed.   

 

Further reading and resources 

 

“Beware the Europe You Wish For, The Downsides and Dangers of Allied Independence” Celeste Wallander, Foreign Affairs, 24 June 2025 

LSE: The Ballpark | The US’ changing relationship with NATO and Europe with Dr Celeste Wallander

In an article in the July/August edition of Foreign Affairs magazine, “Might Unmakes Right: The Catastrophic Collapse of Norms Against the Use of Force”, Oona Hathaway and Scott Shapiro look at the history of the prohibition of the use of force between states and discuss what they see as the current assault on this prohibition.

To discuss her article, in July 2025 the Phelan US Centre spoke to Professor Oona Hathaway, the Gerard C. and Bernice Latrobe Smith Professor of International Law at Yale Law School. They spoke about the shift in US foreign policy since the return of the Trump administration, the historic move from war being a legitimate diplomatic tool to being constrained by law, and the role of sanctions in enforcing international norms about the use of force.

This episode was produced by Chris Gilson and Luke Digweed.  

Further reading and resources

•	Follow Professor Oona Hathaway on X (@oonahathaway), Bluesky (‪@oonahathaway.bsky.social‬‬) and LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/oona-hathaway) 
•	“Might Unmakes Right: The Catastrophic Collapse of Norms Against the Use of Force”, Oona Hathaway and Scott Shapiro, Foreign Affairs, 24 June 2025
•	“The Dangerous Rise of “Dual-Use” Objects in War”, Oona A. Hathaway, Azmat Khan & Mara R. Revkin, The Yale Law Journal, June 2025
•	“War Unbound Gaza, Ukraine, and the Breakdown of International Law”, Foreign Affairs, Oona Hathaway, 23 April 2024
•	The Internationalists: How a Radical Plan to Outlaw War Remade the World Oona Hathaway and Scott Shapiro (Simon and Schuster, 2017)


LSE: The Ballpark | Might unmakes right with Professor Oona Hathaway

Selina and Caswell chat with Professor Adrian Isaacs from the UK Dementia Research Institute at UCL to talk Frontotemporal Dementia — from how fruit flies are helping, to the role of DNA repeat expansions in disease, and why lipids might protect the brain.

Presenters:  Caswell Barry and Selina Wray
Guests: Professor Adrian Isaacs
Producer: Patrick Robinson

Date of episode recording:  2025-07-28
Duration:  00:38:48
Language of episode: English 


Brain Stories - Episode 21:  Professor Adrian Isaacs on Frontotemporal Dementia

Beyond the 9 to 5: Rethinking the modern work week.

What if the key to better mental health, stronger families, and a more sustainable society was working less? In this episode, Xand van Tulleken and Rochelle Burgess explore how reducing the working week could transform not just our work-life balance but public health more broadly. They’re joined by: - Joe Ryle – Director of the Four Day Week Campaign, advocating for a shorter working week with no loss of pay - Professor Anna Cox – Professor of Human-Computer Interaction at UCL and Head of the eWork Research Group, whose work explores how technology impacts productivity and wellbeing.

In this episode: - How overworking is driving burnout, stress, and poor health outcomes - What flexible and remote working has taught us post-COVID - The role of digital technology in balancing work and life - Why a shorter week could be good for the environment and the economy - Whether AI might finally deliver on the long-promised work-life revolution.  

This episode also asks a deeper question: what would it take to truly shift our culture away from valuing busyness and burnout, and toward health, connection, and rest?

Date of episode recording: 2025-07-02

Duration: 00:37:45

Language of episode: English

Presenter:Xand van Tulleken; Rochelle Burgess

Guests: Joe Ryle; Anna Cox

Producer: Produced by: UCL Health of the Public; Editor: Annabelle Buckland, Decibelle Creative

Link to transcript:  https://www.ucl.ac.uk/health-of-public/news-and-events/public-health-disrupted/season-5-ep-4-beyond-9-5-notes-and-transcript

Season 5 - The Future of Work: Rethinking the 9 to 5

As the importance of climate justice grows, UCL Generation One asks the question: can we address the past for a fairer future and are historic injustices to blame for today’s climate inequalities? 

In this episode, Mark and Simon discuss the landmark ruling from the International Court of Justice, which declares nations are legally obligated to protect the environment from greenhouse gas emissions. This gives the countries most affected by climate change – many of which are former colonies – the legal right to hold major polluters accountable.

Lawyer and climate activist Farhana Yamin provides context on the ICJ’s decision, explaining the link between climate change and colonialism, and how activism combined with legal action can tackle systematic inequalities.

We then hear from Raffaella Fryer-Moreira (UCL Department of Anthropology), who works with indigenous communities in Brazil. Raffaella reveals how traditional academic practices often enforce historic dynamics, and explores how research projects might include rather than marginalise indigenous knowledge.

Transcript: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/climate-change/podcasts-videos/ucl-generation-one-climate-podcast

Date of episode recording: 23 July 2025
Duration: 00:38:38
Language of episode: English 

Presenters: Professor Mark Maslin and Dr Simon Chin-Yee 

Guests:
Raffaella Fryer-Moreira (UCL Department of Anthropology)
Farhana Yamin (Climate Justice – Just Transition Donor Collaborative)

Producers: 
Adam Batstone
Caitlin Mullin

Season 5, Episode 8 - Decolonising climate action: addressing the past for a fairer future

Dr Mehiyar Kathem speaks with Dr Mohammed Jassim on rebuilding Mosul University’s Central Library after ISIS.

Date of episode recording: 2025-08-01
Duration: 24:08
Language of episode: English

Presenter:Mehiyar Kathem
Guests: Dr Mohammed Jassim
Producer: Mehiyar Kathem

Transcript link:  
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/nahrein/media/podcasts/transcript-conversation-dr-mohammed-jassim



MOSUL LIBRARY; REBUILDING KNOWLEDGE - A conversation with Dr Mohammad Jassim

Across the world, far right ideas, once confined to the political fringe, have entered the mainstream. They spread through social media feeds and dominate tabloid headlines. Many fear they’re transforming politics, threatening democracy and tearing at the fabric of society. 
Joanna Bale meets Imam Adam Kelwick, whose Liverpool mosque was surrounded by an angry mob after the murders of three young girls in nearby Southport. He tells an extraordinary story of bravery and reconciliation. She also talks to Tim Bale, Professor of Politics at Queen Mary University of London, about the booming popularity of Nigel Farage. Marta Lorimer, Visiting Fellow at LSE’s European Institute and Lecturer in Politics at Cardiff University, discusses how millions are voting for far right parties across Europe. And Michael Vaughan, Research Fellow at LSE’s International Inequalities Institute, dissects Elon Musk’s far right political agenda. 
Contributors: Professor Tim Bale, Imam Adam Kelwick, Dr Marta Lorimer, Dr Michael Vaughan.
Research links: 
Tim Bale: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0263395718754718
https://theloop.ecpr.eu/why-we-need-to-halt-hard-right-in-its-tracks/
https://www.politicshome.com/news/article/reform-members
Marta Lorimer: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/europe-as-ideological-resource-9780198892366?cc=gb&lang=en&
 https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/00323217251346639
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/nana.13001
Michael Vaughan: https://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/22639
LSE iQ is a university podcast by the London School of Economics and Political Science.


How is the far right shaping our future?

L’IEE-ULB est un centre d’excellence interdisciplinaire en enseignement et recherche. Il se concentre sur les questions européennes.

Is liberal democracy in danger? A new EU research project looks for answers!

IEE-ULB

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