The Eugène Pierre Chair - Studies in the law of parliamentary and local assemblies and election law, whose holder is Sophie Lamouroux, teacher-researcher in public law, was created in 2020 within Aix-Marseille University.
It is part of the themes and approach initiated by the Research Chair in Parliamentary Studies of the University of Luxembourg (Luxembourg) and the Research Chair in Democracy and Parliamentary Institutions of the University of Laval (Canada).
The Eugène Pierre Chair, the only chair in France studying subjects related to deliberative assemblies - parliamentary and local - as well as election law, brings expertise and a complementary viewpoint to the two existing chairs, allowing for the exchange of good practices and future collaborations.
The Chair is the result of a professional, scientific and friendly collaboration between Professor Richard Ghevontian (Aix-Marseille University) and Professor Philippe Poirier (University of Luxembourg). It would not have taken shape without first having been nourished by the decisive meeting between these two academics. Like a vine, it is rooted in the territory of Provence, bordering the shores of the Mediterranean, and is resolutely in line with the promotion and influence of the French language.
The decision-making processes at work within deliberative assemblies in democratic systems reveal a complexity and challenges that can only be understood, evaluated and improved through in-depth studies. Whether it is a question of recruitment methods or procedures for adopting and controlling decisions, national or local deliberative bodies are major players in public policies. These policies have an impact at every territorial level - international, European, national and local - and fuel the democratic debate within these bodies.
This is why, by creating a French-speaking centre of excellence on these themes which ultimately contribute to the anchoring of democracy in the territories, the work of the Eugène Pierre Chair will contribute to
- Improving the understanding and analysis of the functioning of deliberative assemblies, their decision-making processes as well as the law of political elections through which citizens designate their representatives;
- Monitor trends and encourage the emergence of new decision-making processes and practices within a democratic framework;
- To raise awareness among students, regardless of their status, by creatingad hoc training;
- Participate in expert research by pursuing and deploying a reflection on these subjects;
- To develop personalized studies at the request of the actors concerned;
- Encourage discussion and exchange between actors, academics, students and civil society by organizing federative events.
The Eugène Pierre Chair develops its activities with the help of the Chairs already working on identical themes:
- Research Chair on Democracy and Parliamentary Institutions - Université Laval,created in 2009
- Research Chair in Parliamentary Studies - University of Luxembourg, created in 2011
Within the framework of the partnership agreement between Aix-Marseille University (AMU) and the University of Luxembourg (UL), which is currently being adopted, there are two main aspects that are jointly supported by the Research Chair in Parliamentary Studies of the University of Luxembourg and the Eugène Pierre Chair of Aix-Marseille University.
The first concerns training. In the framework of the Erasmus+ programme, a joint Erasmus Mundus Master's degree in "Parliamentary Studies - Legislative Studies", was submitted in February 2019 by the UL. Already the mentioned Master will open in the first year at the beginning of the academic year 2020-2021 at the University of Babes-Bolyai (Romania), at the University of Luxembourg (Luxembourg) and at AMU (France)[Cross reference to the heading TRAINING ACTIVITIES].
The second one concerns research. The aim is to propose an academic and multidisciplinary reflection (public law, political science, social science) common to the three Chairs, while keeping their own fields of expertise. The Chair in Parliamentary Studies of the UL proposes a particularly federative research program in which the Eugène Pierre Chair is fully involved and participates in the work carried out and financed by the Chair in Parliamentary Studies of the UL on the following themes
- Parliaments and public policy evaluation offices ;
- Parliaments and comparative constitutional innovations;
- Parliaments, ethics and science.
The Eugène Pierre Chair is run by a director, the founding members and a scientific committee.
The director is appointed by the President of Aix-Marseille University on the proposal of the Scientific Committee.
The Director of the Chair :
- Administers the teaching and research activities ;
- Implements the actions;
- Ensures the proper management of the Chair's income and expenditure;
- Ensures liaison with Aix-Marseille University.
The founding members are :
- Sophie de CACQUERAY
- Richard GHEVONTIAN †
- Sophie LAMOUROUX
- Eric OLIVA
The Scientific Committee includes the Director, the founding members, the Dean of the Faculty of Law and Political Science of Aix-Marseille University, a representative of each of the two Chairs of Luxembourg and Laval and a representative of a French parliamentary or territorial assembly. For the first four years, the Scientific Committee shall be co-chaired by a founding member and the holder of the Research Chair in Parliamentary Studies at the University of Luxembourg. The co-presidents shall do so on a voluntary basis. At the end of these four years, corresponding to the start-up and development of the Chair, the chairmanship of the Scientific Committee shall fall to a member elected by his or her peers.
The Scientific Committee of the Chair meets once a year, in particular during the Summer School, in person and/or by videoconference:
- Selects the research projects and determines their content ;
- Ensures the coordination of research and training projects;
- Organizes colloquia, seminars and summer schools.
The Eugène Pierre Chair, in addition to its founding members and its scientific committee, is run by a team of teacher-researchers, the majority of whom are public law experts.
However, the humanities and social sciences and, more broadly, the disciplines that question the exact sciences contribute to the development of exchanges, practices and expertise that enrich the reflection on the instruments of democracy such as deliberative assemblies.
Finally, doctoral students participate fully in the development of the activities of the Eugène Pierre Chair and contribute, through their thesis research project, to its influence.
Founding members
Four founding members participated in the creation of the Eugene Pierre Chair
Doctoral students
Three doctoral students from Aix-Marseille have been awarded a doctoral grant as part of the activities of the Chair of Research in Parliamentary Studies. They are doing their thesis in public law and political science under a cotutelle agreement between the University of Aix-Marseille and the University of Luxembourg.
Topic:Parliamentary Evaluation of Public Policies: From the Constitutional Rebalancing of Powers to Combating the Crisis of Representation
Topic:The status of parliamentarians: a response to the crisis of representative democracy? Comparative law study
Doctoral students
Three doctoral students from Aix-Marseille have been awarded a doctoral grant as part of the activities of the Chair of Research in Parliamentary Studies. They are doing their thesis in public law and political science under a cotutelle agreement between the University of Aix-Marseille and the University of Luxembourg.
Teachers and Researchers
In progress ....
