International Relations MA Thesis topic proposal Department of International Relations 2018/2019. Dr. István Csejtei istvancsejtei@gmail.com 1. The Common Security and Defence Policy /CSDP/ of the European Union. 2. Flexible EU: opt-outs, enhanced co-operation, international treaties outside the EU framework. 3. Towards a new EU migration policy. 4. From Salzburg to Nagyszeben: the State of the Union, 2018. 5. The new Africa-strategy of the European Union. 6. The consequenes of Brexit:: new alliances, modernisation and protection. 7. Majority decision-making on the field of the Common Foreign and Security Policy /CFSP/. 8. The future of the Economic and Monetary Union of the EU. 9. The new French-German-Spanish-Dutch alliance for a stronger and more independent European Union. 10. The new EU-Japan free trade agreement. Dr. Endre Domonkos domonkos.endre@uni-bge.hu 1. European Union s and foreign affairs policy of Spain 2. Economic and foreign trade policy of Spain 3. Catalonia s place and role within the EU. The reasons of Catalan independence movement. 4. European Union s policy of Portugal. 5. Germany s European Union policy. 1
6. The relationship between the EU and Latin America. Latin American countries in the XXI. century. 7. The constitutional and political characteristics of the democratic transition in Spain. 8. The international characteristics of the changement of regime in Central and Eastern Europe. 9. Economic history of East Central Europe in the Interwar period. The main characteristics of agricultural and industrial development in the Central, Eastern and Southeastern European countries in the Interwar period. 10. The creation of Grossraumwirtschaft and its consequences in Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe. 11. Economic history of East Central Europe during World War II. 12. The economies of East Central Europe during the Stalinist area. The peculiarities of Centrally planned economy. Dr. Pál Gyene Gyene.PalIstvan@uni-bge.hu 1. Measuring democracy. Perspectives of democratization in a certain region or country (e.g. Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, Middle East etc.) 2. Ideology and practice of democracy export in U.S foreign policy 3. Post-soviet color revolutions and the so-called Arab Spring case studies (Ukraine, Georgia, Egypt etc.) 4. Failed states case studies (Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia etc.) 5. Political islam, jihadist terrorism in the Middle East, Europe and in other regions. Terrorism and migration. 6. Anti-immigration populism in Central and West Europe. 7. Rentier-states and resource course. Dutch disease effects in oil and mineral exporter economies. Rentierism and authoriter exercising of political power 2
(possible case studies: Gulf monarchies, post-soviet Central Asian states, Venezuela, Nigeria etc.) Dr. Bence Péter Marosán Marosan.BencePeter@uni-bge.hu 1. Religion as a social phenomenon and praxis 2. Sustainability, environmental ethics and protection. Ecological problems and their social effects in the 21st Century. 3. Narrative types in the cinema and other arts 4. Role of institutions in the evolution of democracy 5. Formation of national and cultural identity Dr. László Nyusztay nyusztay.laszlo@uni-bge.hu 1. Evolution and specialisation of diplomacy in the recent decades. Traditional and new branches of diplomacy. Enlargement of the circle of actors, renewal of instruments and their impact on international relations. 2. Issues of multilateral diplomacy. Evolution and reform efforts of international institutions and organisations in the recent decades. 3. Political aspects of European integration and Euro-Atlantic cooperation. Institutions of European security architecture (outside EU), NATO, OSCE, the Council of Europe, sub-regional groupings. 4. International policy aspects of socio-economic transition in the East-Central European region. Foreign policy of Russia in the post-soviet age. Possibilities and recent experiences of the international role of the Visegrad countries: activities of Visegrad Four (V4) as a sub-regional initiative in the region. 3
5. Evolution of Italy s foreign policy in the post-bipolar world order. Development of foreign policies of two regional powers in Africa and Asia, the Arab Republic of Egypt and India, in the recent quarter of a century. Dr. Judit Szilágyi szilagyi.judit@uni-bge.hu 1. Crisis management and its effects, reform attempts in the European Union 2. Foreign policy priorities and challenges of the European Union, current challenges and conflicts 3. Current conflicts and developments in the European Union, interests of major stakeholders in a particular conflict 4. Sovereignity and supranationalism in the EU 5. Current economic or political developments in the United States 6. Foreign policy of the United States, the promotion of US interests, analysis of a current international conflict involving the US 7. The evolving influence of China, in particular the Belt and Road Initiative and its elements and effects 8. Economic models, challenges to the neoliberal model, the developmental state Dr. Gábor R. Szűcs szucsrgabor@gmail.hu 1. The Possible Effects of BREXIT to the UK Economy 2. Globalization and Regionalism: Contradiction or Interdependence? 3. EU-Africa Co-operation: Problems and Possibilities 4. The Hungarian Foreign Economic Relations After 1990 5. The Western Balkans and the EU: Close Co-Operation or a Road to the Accession? 4
6. The Main Features of the Russian Economy with a Special Regard to the US/EU Sanctions 7. Eastern Europe and EMU: Next Stop Euro-zone? Dr. János Vándor vandor.janos@uni-bge.hu 1. The institutional questions of the European Union. 2. CFSP/CFDP of the EU with special regard to the functioning of the External Action Service. 3. Theoretical and practical questions of supranationalism and intergovernmental cooperation. 4. Decision-making procedures and actions within the EU. 5. European integration in the context of global politics and economics. 6. Regionalism. Case and/or comparative studies related to the EU and other regional organizations. 7. Enlargement of the EU and relevant issues. 8. Theoretical aspects of international relations. 9. Foreign policy decision-making. Case and comparative studies. 10. Political and economic developments in East and Southeast Asia. 11. The situation of Taiwan. The proposals above might serve as the basis for choosing the topic for both final thesis and TDK-essays. Students should consider them as general ideas based on which more concrete, narrower subjects can be identified. The selection of this concrete topic can be decided through preliminary consultation. For such consultation I can be reached at: vandor.janos@uni-bge.hu. 5
Dr. Viktória Vásáry vasary.viktoria@uni-bge.hu 1. Comparison of RDI priorities and specialization among Visegrad countries 2. Comparison of RIS3 in certain sectors (e.g. in biotechnology) at EU level 3. Analysis of the impacts of cross-border cooperation on employment in different EU Member States 4. Ways of establishing bioeconomy by focusing on best practices 5. Institutional environment of climate change adaptation (measuring institutional capacity building) analysis by focusing on international best practices 6. Role of social enterprises in rural economy (international outlook) 7. Sustainability requirements for social cooperatives through highlighting international practices 8. Level of government intervention in the circular economy with international outlook 9. Future of direct payments in the Common Agricultural Policy 10. Rural development after 2020 in certain EU Member States 11. Measuring value-added in multinational companies Budapest, 20 th of November 2018 6