Natasha Wunsch

Supervisors: Dr Eric Gordy and Dr Christine Reh

Present status: PhD candidate

Working title of thesis: Unpacking differential empowerment: civil society mobilisation in the EU Accession Process

Research: My research deals with the mobilisation strategies of civil society organisations (CSOs) during the EU membership negotiations of Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro. Specifically, I investigate how CSOs active in the area of rule of law use(d) the opportunities created by the accession process to strengthen their position on the domestic scene. Building up the top-down Europeanisation approach with insights from social movement theory and interest group research, I show how mobilisation strategies were shaped both by EU-related incentives and dynamics of transnational learning between the countries studied. I employ a comparative process-tracing approach that draws on data collected through a combination of semi-directive interviews, participant observation and documentary analysis.