Awardees

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WINNER 2024

Dr. Michael Da Silva (Lecturer at the University of Southampton School of Law, UK)

For the 12th edition of the Federal Scholar in Residence Program the International Jury awarded the prize to Michael Da Silva, Lecturer at the University of Southampton School of Law, UK. His winning paper investigated on the relationship between judicial review and federalism. Michael Da Silva co-directs Southampton’s Centre for Global Constitutionalism, and his published works include the Philosophy Compass entry on federalism, The Pluralist Right to Health Care: A Framework and Case Study (University of Toronto Press, 2021) and articles in numerous journals including the Canadian Journal of Law and Jurisprudence and Osgoode Hall Law Journal. Dr Da Silva holds a Doctor of Juridical Science of University of Toronto, where his dissertation focused on “Realizing the ‘Right’ to Health Care in Canada”. Michael Da Silva will probably spend his research stay at Eurac Research in February 2024.

© Nikos Skoutaris

WINNER 2023

Ass. Prof. Nikos Skoutaris (Associate Professor in EU Law at the University of East Anglia, UK)

The International Jury of the 11th edition of the Federal Scholar in Residence Program awarded the prize to Nikos Skoutaris, Associate Professor in EU Law at the University of East Anglia, UK. His manuscript 'Accommodating secession within the EU constitutional order of states' was ranked first among all applications received. Skoutaris research focuses on the intersection between EU law, comparative constitutional law and conflict resolution theory. Its main focus has been on analyzing how the EU constitutional order recognizes and accommodates different aspects of the right to self-determination. His first monograph explained how the EU legal order has managed to accommodate a secessionist conflict within its borders (Skoutaris, 2011) while his second examines how the Union accommodates regions that enjoy legislative and political autonomy (Skoutaris, 2023). Recently, his research assessed the implications of Brexit on the right to self-determination in Scotland and Northern Ireland (Skoutaris, 2016; 2017; 2019; 2023). He has acted as an adviser to the European Parliament’s GUE/NGL Parliamentary Group for Brexit related issues. His website focuses on Secessions, Constitutions and EU law. Nikos Skoutaris spent his research stay at Eurac Research in February 2023.

WINNER 2022

Prof. Erin Delaney (Professor of Law with a courtesy appointment in the Department of Political Science, Northwestern University, Chicago, USA)

The International Jury of the 10th edition of the Federal Scholar in Residence Program awarded the prize to Erin Delaney, Professor of Law with a courtesy appointment in the Department of Political Science, Northwestern University, Chicago, USA. Her manuscript 'The Federal Case for Judicial Review' was ranked first among all applications received. It has since been published in the Oxford Journal of Legal Studies. Her scholarship explores constitutionalism in comparative perspective, focusing on federalism and judicial design in federal systems. Professor Delaney has held the Fulbright Visiting Research Chair in the Theory and Practice of Constitutionalism and Federalism at McGill University, as well as research fellowships at Edinburgh University and the Université Libre de Bruxelles. Prior to her position at Northwestern, she served as a law clerk to Supreme Court Justice David H. Souter and to Second Circuit Judge Guido Calabresi. She holds a doctorate from Cambridge, a JD from NYU School of Law, and an AB from Harvard College. Erin Delaney spent her research stay at Eurac Research in May 2022.

WINNER 2021

Dr. Daniel Cetrà (Research Fellow, Centre on Constitutional Change, Edinburgh)

The International Jury of the 9th edition of the program awarded the prize to Daniel Cetrà, Research Fellow at the Centre on Constitutional Change at the University of Edinburgh. His manuscript 'State Nationalism and Territorial Accommodation: Founding Moments and their Legacies in Spain and India' was ranked first among all applications received. Daniel Cetrà is a Research Fellow at the ESRC-funded Centre on Constitutional Change, Edinburgh. He specialises in nationalism, territorial politics, and linguistic and minority rights. Daniel’s work examines political dynamics in plurinational states with an emphasis on the ways in which political actors articulate competing views on state, nation, and the territorial constitution. He is currently developing a project on state nationalism centred on meanings of unionism in Brexit debates. His publications include Explaining Accommodation and Resistance to Demands for Independence Referendums in the UK and Spain (Nations and Nationalism, 2019); Nationalism, Liberalism and Language in Catalonia and Flanders (Palgrave Macmillan, 2019); and Breaking-up within Europe: Sub-state Nationalist Strategies in Multilevel Polities (Journal of Common Market Studies, 2018). Daniel Cetrà spent his research stay at Eurac Research in October 2021.

© Eurac Research

WINNER 2020

Dr. Rebecca Nelson (Melbourne Law School, The University of Melbourne, Australia)

The International Jury of the eighth edition of the Federal Scholar in Residence Program awarded the prize to Dr Rebecca Nelson, Senior Lecturer of the Melbourne Law School, University of Melbourne, Australia. Her manuscript “Regulating Cumulative Environmental Change in Multi-layered Legal Contexts” was ranked first among all applications received. Her research focuses on environmental and natural resources law and policy, with an emphasis on empirical research and practical solutions. Dr Nelson holds an Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (2018-2020), which aims to analyse and evaluate laws regulating cumulative environmental effects in the United States of America, European Union, Canada and Australia. From 2010-2014, she led the Comparative Groundwater Law and Policy Program, a collaborative initiative between Water in the West at Stanford University and the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney. The Program focused on undertaking empirical research and convening stakeholder workshops to improve groundwater sustainability in the western US and Australia. In 2014 she was named the Law Council of Australia's Young Environmental Lawyer of the Year for her contribution to water law and environmental law. Dr Nelson holds a Doctor of the Science of Law from Stanford University, where her dissertation focused on empirically assessing regulatory arrangements for protecting surface water and ecosystems from the impacts of pumping groundwater. She also holds a Masters in law (Stanford) and Bachelor of Engineering (Environmental) and Bachelor of Laws (University of Melbourne). Dr Nelson formerly worked as a lawyer at the Murray-Darling Basin Authority and in private practice in Australia. Rebecca Nelson spent his research stay at Eurac Research in January 2023.

WINNER 2019

Prof. Andrew J. Harding (Faculty of Law, National University of Singapore)

The International Jury of the seventh edition of the Federal Scholar in Residence Program awarded the prize to Professor Andrew J. Harding, Faculty of Law at the National University of Singapore (NUS). His manuscript “The Constitutional Dimensions of Decentralisation and Local Self-Government in Asia” was ranked first among all received applications. Andrew Harding obtained his PhD from Monash University, holds an MA from Oxford, and an LLM from NUS, and was recently awarded an Honorary LLD by Thammasat University in Thailand. Before coming to NUS, he was Head of the Law School at SOAS, University of London, as well as Professor of Asia-Pacific Legal Relations and Director of the Centre for Asia-Pacific Initiatives at the University of Victoria, BC, Canada. At NUS, he has served as Director of the Centre for Asian Legal Studies, Director of the Asian Law Institute, and a Chief Editor of the Asian Journal of Comparative Law. His research interests include Asian (especially South East Asian) Legal Studies, Comparative Law, Constitutional Law, and Law and Development. He has published 21 books as author or editor and is a co-founding-editor of Hart Publishing’s book series “Constitutional Systems of the World”. As Federal Scholar 2019, Professor Harding spent a three-week research stay at Eurac Research in 2019.

WINNER 2018

Prof. Lucas I. González (CONICET, Argentine Catholic University and National University of San Martín, Argentina)

The International Jury of the sixth edition of the Federal Scholar in Residence Program awarded the prize to Professor Lucas I. González, Researcher at the National Council for Scientific and Technical Research (CONICET) and the Argentine Catholic University, and Associate Professor at the National University of San Martin, Buenos Aires, Argentina. His manuscript “Federalism, Inequality, and Redistribution in Latin America” was ranked first among all received applications. Lucas González holds degrees in Political Science from the Universidad Católica de Córdoba, Master’s degrees in Public Policy and Development Management, and Latin American Studies from Georgetown University - UNSAM and the University of Oxford, respectively, and a PhD in Political Science from the University of Notre Dame. He was visiting researcher, among others, at the Australian National University, Brown University and the Universidad de Salamanca and has held various teaching appointments at several Argentinian universities. His research interests include Latin American politics, federalism, development studies, fiscal relations, and political economy. Lucas Gónzalez spent his research stay at Eurac Research in June 2018.

WINNER 2017

Prof. André Lecours (University of Ottawa, Canada)

The International Jury of the fifth edition of the Federal Scholar in Residence Programme awarded the prize to Professor André Lecours, faculty member of the School of Political Studies at the University of Ottawa, Canada. His manuscript “Federalism and State responses to Nationalist Movements in Spain, Belgium, Canada, and the United Kingdom: Approaches and Outcomes” has been ranked first among all received applications. André Lecours holds a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in Political Science from the University of Laval and a PhD in Political Science from Carleton University. Before his appointment at the University of Ottawa in 2009, he was Associate Professor of Political Science at Concordia University. He has also held a variety of non-academic positions, among them Senior Policy Advisor at the Privy Council Office for Intergovernmental Affairs. His research interests include Canadian politics, comparative politics, European politics, nationalism, federalism and institutionalist theory.

WINNER 2016

Dr. Karlo Basta (Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada)

The International Jury of the fourth edition of the Federal Scholar in Residence Programme awarded the prize to Dr. Karlo Basta, faculty member at the Department of Political Science, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St John’s, Canada. Before joining Memorial University, he was lecturer in the Department of Political Science of the University of Toronto for three years. His winning submission was the manuscript “Towards a Positive Theory of Multinational Federalism: Identifying Gaps in the Scholarship and Pointing to Future Lines of Inquiry”. Dr. Basta holds a BA from York University and an MA and PhD from the University of Toronto. His work examines the origins and impact of federal institutions in plural societies. Further research interests include comparative politics, ethnic conflict, nationalism, political economy, European politics and political institutions. Together with John McGarry and Richard Simeon, he edited Territorial Pluralism: Managing Difference in Multinational States (UBC Press, 2015). Dr. Basta presented his research in a public lecture during the "Winter School on Federalism and Governance: Conflict and Cooperation in Federal Systems". Please consult our newsletter (spring issue 2016) to read an editorial written by Dr. Basta.

WINNER 2015

Prof. James Gardner (SUNY Buffalo Law School, USA)

James Gardner is EURAC Federal Scholar 2015! The International Jury of the Third Edition of the EURAC Federal Scholar has awarded the prize to Professor James Gardner, faculty member at SUNY Buffalo Law School. His manuscript "Distinctive Identity Claims in Federal Systems: Judicial Policing of Subnational Variance" has been ranked first among all received applications. James Gardner received his B.A. from Yale University in 1980 and his J.D. from the University of Chicago in 1984. From 1984 to 1988, he practiced law in the Civil Division of the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. Before joining the faculty at SUNY Buffalo Law School in 2001, he taught at Western New England University, William and Mary, and the University of Connecticut. Since then, he has been a visiting professor at Florida State University, and in 2012 he held the Fulbright Visiting Research Chair in the Theory and Practice of Constitutionalism and Federalism at McGill University in Montreal. Gardner's research interests include the constitutional structure of politics, the institutionalization through law of principles of democracy, comparative and American federalism, and subnational constitutional law. Please consult our newsletter (spring issue 2015) to read an editorial written by Prof. James Gardner.

WINNER 2014

Prof. Andrew Hughes Hallett (George Mason University, USA; University of St Andrews, UK)

The International Jury of the second edition of the Federal Scholar has awarded the prize to Prof. Andrew Hughes Hallett, University Professor for Economics and Public Policy at George Mason University (USA) and Professor of Economics at the University of St Andrews (Scotland). His manuscript “The Practicalities of Economic Federalism: A Critical review of How to Apply the Lessons of Fiscal Autonomy in Practice” has been ranked first among all received applications. The principal theme of his paper is to elaborate a model of fiscal federalism where comprehensive powers over taxation and spending are devolved, but remain consistent within a union-wide macro-economic framework and constitutional integrity. He concentrates on the case of the UK and more specifically on Scotland.

Prof. Hughes Hallett has taught in over 15 Universities in Europe and in the U.S. He is ranked in the top 1% of economists world-wide (295 out of 34.280) by publications, citations and readership. Beyond the academic world, Prof. Hughes Hallett is consultant to the Fiscal Affairs division of the European Central Bank on debt management and lead economist in the working group set up to design the policy framework for autonomy/independence for Scotland after the referendum in 2014. He has acted as consultant to the World Bank and the IMF as well as for the Federal Reserve in Washington, the Peterson Institute for International Economics and to the UN, UNESCO, OECD and to various governments and central banks in Europe. Please consult our newsletter (spring issue 2014) to read an editorial written by Prof. Hughes Hallett.

WINNER 2013

Dr. Donna E. Wood (University of Victoria, CAN)

The international Jury of the first edition of the “Federal Scholar in Residence Program” awarded the prize to Dr. Donna E. Wood, postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Political Science at the University of Victoria. In her research work, she compares how Canada and the European Union govern social policy. Her manuscript “Could European Governance Ideas Improve Federal-Provincial Relations in Canada – the case study of employment policies” was ranked first among all received applications, with respect to its originality, replicability and methodological effectiveness. Dr. Wood also worked for over 25 years for the Government of Alberta and the Government of the Northwest Territories, providing policy advice and directing provincial/territorial income support, social services, apprenticeship, training and labor market programs.

Donna E. Wood presented her research findings in a public lecture during the Winter School on Federalism and Governance of Eurac Research and the University of Innsbruck. Please consult our newsletter (spring issue 2013) or the scientific magazine “Academia” (no. 61) if you wish to read more on Donna E. Wood’s stay at Eurac Research. Moreover, Donna E. Wood published some of her research findings in our online series European Autonomy and Diversity Papers (EDAP No. 06/2013). Here you can read a report of Donna E. Wood on here stay at Eurac Research​ and in other European countries (Canada-Europe transatlantic dialogue webpage).

It is with sadness that we learned about the passing of Dr Wood. In memory of her, her work, and her contributions to society, we would like to link to the words of remembrance by the Atkinson Foundation.

Institute