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Abstract. The development of the European Community entails harmonization of policies in many areas. This paper analyses to what extent harmonization has taken place in the traditional fields of social policy. Interventions by the EC authorities in the social policy area, here termed direct harmonization, are examined. Indirect harmonization, resulting from common economic policies and the internationalization of the economy, is used as a key concept in an empirical study of the development of coverage, benefit levels and methods of financing in the main social insurance systems within the EC countries, since 1955. The corresponding development in the EFTA countries is here used as a baseline for comparison. The results are discussed in light of the thesis that also in the social field EC policies may fruitfully be interpreted in terms of the EC's main objective of economic integration. Some criteria for the consideration of future developments are suggested.

"The free movement of persons is one of the lasting and extremely controversial issues in the debate whether to integrate European labour markets or not. When in 1957 the Benelux countries, Germany and France joined Italy to build the European Economic Community, Germans and French were afraid of being overflowed by Italian guest workers. However, something completely unexpected happened: only for a very short period of time some Italians went North to become 'Gastarbeiter' in Germany. A larger proportion of southern Italians (still relatively few) decided to migrate into the fast developing northern part of the country but did not even think about moving outside Italy. When in 1981 Greece and in 1986 Portugal and Spain became Members of the European Community (EC), Northern EC Member countries again worried about the South-North migration potential. And again, Portuguese and Spaniards as well as Greeks did not follow conventional prejudices. Only in very limited numbers they moved into Northern Member States mostly remaining at home. Currently, the free movement of workers again is a hot issue with regard to the eastern enlargement of the European Union (EU). Members of the EU are extremely anxious of mass immigration flows from the Central and Eastern European countries (CEECs). How realistic are these expectations? And what would happen if labour mobility was actually permitted? In this chapter we will try to provide an answer to these two questions. In the second section we will draw a parallel between the southern enlargement of the EC and the eastern enlargement of the EU with respect to migration. We will undertake an econometric estimate of South-North migration flows and assume that the estimated parameters are of exemplary significance for the eastern enlargement of the EU. Based on the resulting amount of hypothetical free East-West labour movements, section 3 will present results of a general equilibrium model which we use to simulate the consequences of migration on other macroeconomic variables of the CEECs and the EU. Section 4 will shortly discuss and conclude." (excerpt)

This study evaluates discontinuity induced by the two-stage law-making process of EU directives, which is discussed in the jurisprudential literature as another source of democratic deficit. Directives must be transposed into national law, but lengthy deadlines raise normative questions about the extent to which governments of today can politically and reliably commit domestic majorities of tomorrow. The potential for discontinuity is analysed using transposition data in 15 member states and preference indicators over the last 20 years. The findings reveal that parliaments are largely excluded from this process and that the preferences of the previous and the newly elected representatives often differ considerably, particularly in countries where public support for European integration has declined in recent years.

The paper highlights shortcomings in the contribution of qualitative social sciences and humanities (SSH) research to tackling challenges connected with energy and climate change. These shortcomings are illustrated based on analysis of data gathered in relation to EU (e.g. Horizon 2020; FP7) and European national research funding and energy policy. The paper finds that a techno-economic energy imaginary continues to dominate European energy systems and governs expectations of energy research and its conduct, the integration of SSH with energy policy-making and the framing and foci of policy. A more nuanced, context-sensitive approach is presented as an alternative 'practices and cultural change' energy imaginary. This emphasises attention to social practices relevant to energy use, interdisciplinarity and the coproduction of knowledge with diverse actors. Adoption of such an imaginary can help to enhance policy integration of SSH and the contribution of SSH to ameliorating energy and climate change challenges while providing insight into why gaps occur between (supra)national energy policy and local practices.

The paper highlights shortcomings in the contribution of qualitative social sciences and humanities (SSH) research to tackling challenges connected with energy and climate change. These shortcomings are illustrated based on analysis of data gathered in relation to EU (e.g. Horizon 2020; FP7) and European national research funding and energy policy. The paper finds that a techno-economic energy imaginary continues to dominate European energy systems and governs expectations of energy research and its conduct, the integration of SSH with energy policy-making and the framing and foci of policy. A more nuanced, context-sensitive approach is presented as an alternative 'practices and cultural change' energy imaginary. This emphasises attention to social practices relevant to energy use, interdisciplinarity and the coproduction of knowledge with diverse actors. Adoption of such an imaginary can help to enhance policy integration of SSH and the contribution of SSH to ameliorating energy and climate change challenges while providing insight into why gaps occur between (supra)national energy policy and local practices. ; Peer reviewed

The paper highlights shortcomings in the contribution of qualitative social sciences and humanities (SSH) research to tackling challenges connected with energy and climate change. These shortcomings are illustrated based on analysis of data gathered in relation to EU (e.g. Horizon 2020; FP7) and European national research funding and energy policy. The paper finds that a techno-economic energy imaginary continues to dominate European energy systems and governs expectations of energy research and its conduct, the integration of SSH with energy policy-making and the framing and foci of policy. A more nuanced, context-sensitive approach is presented as an alternative 'practices and cultural change' energy imaginary. This emphasises attention to social practices relevant to energy use, interdisciplinarity and the coproduction of knowledge with diverse actors. Adoption of such an imaginary can help to enhance policy integration of SSH and the contribution of SSH to ameliorating energy and climate change challenges while providing insight into why gaps occur between (supra)national energy policy and local practices.

Gallium nitride (GaN) light-emitting-diode (LED) technology has been the revolution in modern lighting. In the last decade, a huge global market of efficient, long-lasting, and ubiquitous white light sources has developed around the inception of the Nobel-prize-winning blue GaN LEDs. Today, GaN optoelectronics is developing beyond solid-state lighting, leading to new and innovative devices, e.g., for microdisplays, being the core technology for future augmented reality and visualization, as well as point light sources for optical excitation in communications, imaging, and sensing. This explosion of applications is driven by two main directions: the ability to produce very small GaN LEDs (micro-LEDs and nano-LEDs) with high efficiency and across large areas, in combination with the possibility to merge optoelectronic-grade GaN micro-LEDs with silicon microelectronics in a hybrid approach. GaN LED technology is now even spreading into the realm of display technology, which has been occupied by organic LEDs and liquid crystal displays for decades. In this review, the technological transition toward GaN micro- and nanodevices beyond lighting is discussed including an up-to-date overview on the state of the art.