Schmidt Contributes Chapter to New Book
Professor Schmidt contributed to the 2025 publication, Handbook of Comparative Political Economy, edited by Marino Regini, Professor Emeritus of Economic Sociology, Department of Social and Political Sciences, University of Milan, Italy. Her chapter, The role of ideas and discourse in comparative political economy, focuses on how ideas and discourse influence political economy in a comparative perspective.
This comprehensive Handbook presents an overview of the evolution and current state of Comparative Political Economy (CPE). Taking an interdisciplinary approach, it explores the leading theories, main actors, key institutions, policy areas, geographical boundaries and emerging themes in the field.
Leading scholars discuss competing theoretical perspectives, providing an inclusive and pluralist analysis of CPE. They examine under-researched locations and subject areas, delving into detailed case studies on topics such as capitalism in Latin America; the political economy of Chinese development; and capitalism, democracy and development in the newly advanced economies of South Korea, Taiwan and Singapore. Chapters assess the evolution of monetary policy, particularly since the subprime crises, as well as the historical advancement of central banks. They further investigate macroeconomic theory and highlight future directions of research in the rapidly evolving discipline of CPE.
Vivien A. Schmidt is Jean Monnet Professor of European Integration, Professor Emerita of International Relations in the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies and Professor Emerita of Political Science as well as Founding Director of the Center for the Study of Europe, all at Boston University where she taught from 1998 to 2023. She received her B.A. from Bryn Mawr College and her Masters and PhD from the University of Chicago, and attended Sciences Po in Paris. Schmidt’s research focuses on European political economy, institutions, democracy, and political theory—in particular on the importance of ideas and discourse in political analysis (discursive institutionalism). Her latest book is Europe’s Crisis of Legitimacy: Governing by Rules and Ruling by Numbers in the Eurozone (2020)—recipient of the Best Book Award of the American Political Science Association’s Ideas, Knowledge, Politics section and Honorable Mention for the Best Book Award of the European Union Studies Association.