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Rethinking Belgium’s institutions in the European context

Through the publication of e-books and the organisation of public events, the Re-Bel initiative aims to rethink in depth what the institutions of the Belgian federal state – or of whatever else this part of the world needs to become – can and must look like in the longer term, taking full account of the evolving European context.


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About Re-Bel

The aim of the Re-Bel initiative is to rethink in depth, in an open, rigorous, non-partisan way, what the institutions of the Belgian federal state – or of whatever else this part of the world needs to become – can and must look like in the longer term, taking full account of the evolving European context. The Re-Bel initiative initiative is hosted by the Brussels-based University Foundation, to whose mission it contributes by fostering fruitful collaboration between academics from all over the country.

The core group of the Re-Bel initiative currently consists of Bea Cantillon (Social Policy, Universiteit Antwerpen), Estelle Cantillon (Economics, Université libre de Bruxelles & FNRS), Kris Deschouwer (Political Science, Vrije Universiteit Brussel), Bruno De Wever (Contemporary History, Universiteit Gent), Paul De Grauwe (Economics, London School of Economics & KU Leuven), François Maniquet (Economics, UCLouvain), Isabelle Ferreras (Sociology, UCLouvain & FNRS), Erik Schokkaert (Economics, KU Leuven) and Philippe Van Parijs (Economic and Social Ethics, UCLouvain & KU Leuven).

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Re-Bel’s activities

The Re-Bel initiative does not aim to produce one programme or manifesto to which everyone involved could subscribe. Its ambition is rather to provide a fertile intellectual environment in which new ideas and promising initiatives of all sorts can germinate and develop, with a concern for their relevance to a thorough reform of Belgium’s institutions, but also to the institutional design of other complex polities, most obviously the European Union.

The initiative is sponsored by the Brussels-based University Foundation, which will host all its activities. One of the missions of the University Foundation is to foster contacts and collaboration between all Belgian universities. The Re-Bel initiative will contribute to it, especially through the publication of a series of collective e-books and through the organisation of public events.

E-books

The Re-Bel e-book series publicise innovative reform proposals for Belgium’s institutional structure. 

Events

Re-Bel organises public events to hold open discussions about innovative reform proposals. 


FAQs

Is this a last-ditch attempt to save Belgium? Why stress the European context? Why in English?

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