Henrik Jacobsen is a PhD Student in the Department of Political Science at the University of British Columbia.
Many citizens within the EU do not realise the extent to which the decisions made in the Union affect their everyday lives. Henrik explores the economic and social impacts of technology and city planning decisions within cities across the Union.
What attracted you to the field of European Studies/ fascinated you about the EU?
My interest in the EU goes back to a student exchange programme with Opole, Poland, at my high school, which was member in a European consortium of high schools actively collaborating on bringing students together across Europe. My scholarly interest in European questions then developed further by looking at the intersection between European politics and national decision-making (particularly for the cases of Germany and Italy). Currently, I am mostly interested in how EU politics affects urban planning decisions in European cities.
What is the most important issue to be addressed in your research?
In my PhD research I am interested in the political implications of technology choices. In this context I am looking at ’smart city’ projects in various countries, with the EU providing an important set of case studies as a result of mutual learning between European cities and various EU digital technology initiatives. Ultimately, the issue that is fundamentally at stake in my research are the social and economic implications of technology choices and the degree to which they bind our future courses of action.
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