EuSERS (2014-2017)

CIRIEC cooperates in EUsers through its participation in the seminars organized within the framework of this project and conferences given by members of CIRIEC.

The EUsers Network aims at encouraging the diffusion of innovative teaching approaches, applied research and policy debate on services of general interest (SGI) in the European Union from a citizens’ perspective, by creating a network of six universities.

Since mid-1990s the role of SGI in the construction of Europe started to be publicly discussed.Today, SGI are recognised to be a key aspect in fostering European social and territorial cohesion and ensuring the enjoyment of fundamental rights to EU citizens.

The contribution of the EUsers to the EU policy debate on SGI is to analyse the users’ perspective. Throughout the EUsers’ activities, SGI will be examined through the lenses of citizens as users, and the public or private nature of their provision will be evaluated in terms of consumers’ welfare effects.The EUsers network’s activities will focus mainly on network SGI such as – for instance – energy, telecommunications, transport and environmental services.

Key questions addressed by the EUsers include:

  • How should governments define the mission, performance criteria, and governance mechanisms of public enterprises providing SGI?
  • How should they regulate the enterprise if provision is private or mixed?

The long-term objective of the EUser Network is indeed to become the reference point in the European Union on public services within high education, with the main role of collecting and capitalising the knowledge on SGI and specific related issues, of disseminating it to the general public through publications and public debates involving the academic word and policy-makers.

The EUsers Network involves six European universities. It builds upon an informal network of researchers both within and outside the European Union, organized around the activities of the Jean Monnet Chair (hosted by Università degli Studi di Milano) and Ciriec international.

The EUsers Partners:

Università degli Studi di Milano (lead University) – Italy
Ǻbo Akademi University School of Business and Economics – Finland
University of Greenwich – United Kingdom
Universität Leipzig – Germany
Université de Rouen – France
WU Wirtschaftuniversität Wien – Austria

EUsers Team Scientific Committee:

More info on http://users.unimi.it/eusers/