JMCE Summer Research Award Profile

Income Inequality Across Europe

Reichstag Building, Berlin (Front of a large, stone building with Corinthian columns, many windows, and a German flag waving in front)

Looking for a story to satisfy your wanderlust? Look no further! Kaitlin Alper, a 4th year Ph.D. student of Political Science at UNC travelled all across Europe this May after receiving the Jean Monnet Center of Excellence Summer Research Award!

A crowded street in Bremen, Germany (A narrow alleyway with cobblestones and colorful signs hanging by entrances to tall, skinny buildings)

Q: Tell us a little about yourself:

A: I am an incoming fourth year Ph.D. student in Political Science at UNC. My research focuses on the political economy of redistribution and welfare state politics. I received my B.A. in Political Science and English at the University of Connecticut and my M.Sc. in Politics at the University of Dublin, Trinity College.

What is your primary research focus?

A: I have conducted research on social policy, poverty and poverty reduction, wage inequality and the political economy of gender and family policy. My dissertation research looks at the intersection of multilevel governance, social policy and income inequality in advanced democracies. Specifically, I am interested in the ability of subnational governments to mitigate income inequality within their subnational borders via social policy. I am also interested in the interaction between levels of government and how those interactions shape social policy and inequality.

Rally in Germany (Group of people waving flags with EU stars and other slogans)

Q: How has the JMCE Summer Research Award enriched your research on the EU?

A: The JMCE Summer Research Award has given me the opportunity to conduct a visiting research stay at the Bremen International Graduate School of Social Sciences (BIGSSS) in Bremen, Germany this summer. In addition, I have been able to travel to several conferences in Europe that relate to my area of interest, and to make connections with my European colleagues working in similar areas.

Arno River, Florence (Kaitlin standing on a bridge across a wide river, with residential buildings and bridges in the background.)

Thank you to Kaitlin for her replies and photos of her travels! Stay tuned for more on her experience later this summer!

To learn more about where CES grants send students, visit the Student section of our blog.

For more information on the JMCE Summer Research Award, and how to apply, visit CES’s website.

This post was written by EURO Major Brett Harris.

The European Commission’s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflect the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.