John Erik Fossum

• Fossum, John Erik & Fjørtoft, Trym Nohr (2026). Demokratiets stilling i Europa – hva gjør EU? Hva er Norges rolle? Internasjonal Politikk. ISSN 0020-577X. 84(1), p. 91–105. doi: 10.23865/intpol.v84.7632. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Denne artikkelen gir en kort oversikt over demokratiets stilling i Europa og hva dette sier om Norge og dets rolle, siden Norge er så sterkt påvirket av hva som skjer i Europa. Vi gir først en oversikt over demokratiets stilling i Europa, med fokus på EU, dets medlemsstater og affilierte ikke-medlemmer, som Norge. Vi identifiserer to til dels motstridende tendenser. EU og dets medlemsstater er en viktig demokratiserende kraft, både internt i Europa og i Europas relasjoner til andre deler av verden. Samtidig svekker noen av EUs medlemsstater demokratiet og rettsstaten. EU mangler gode nok virkemidler til å motvirke dette. I andre del av artikkelen undersøker vi Norges rolle og diskuterer om og eventuelt hva Norge kan gjøre for å fremme eller beskytte demokrati i Europa. Siden Norge skårer høyt på ulike demokrati-indekser, og har som uttalt mål å fremme demokrati internasjonalt, starter vi med å diskutere forestillingen om Norge som mulig modell og forbilde, og vurderer det i forhold til det svært begrensede handlingsrommet som Norges relasjon til EU gir. Til slutt ser vi på hva Norge kan gjøre mer direkte innad i EUs medlemsland for å styrke sivilsamfunn og demokratiserende krefter.

• Fossum, John Erik (2025). Chapter 17: The political future of the EEA. In Butler, Graham (Eds.), Research Handbook on EEA Internal Market Law. Edward Elgar Publishing. ISSN 9781803922454. p. 374–399. doi: https:/www.elgaronline.com/edcollchap/book/9781803922461/book-part-9781803922461-30.xml. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The purpose of this chapter is to discuss the political future of the EEA. In order to do so, clarification of the key terms involved is necessary. Firstly, the European Economic Area consists of all the European Union’s 27 Member States, as well as the three EFTA-EEA states (Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway). An important question is whether the analysis should be confined to the future of the EEA Agreement or whether the European Economic Area should be considered more broadly. This chapter takes the latter approach, and justifies that with reference to the fact that the EEA Agreement relies on a host of other arrangements, notably Schengen, to function. The EEA Agreement is tied to the most dynamic and integrationist portion of the EU’s relations with third states, and, hence, has a built-in propensity to widen and deepen, in line with EU developments. Thus, discussing the political future of the EEA is not only a matter of clarifying what might happen to the EEA Agreement, but must include all relevant arrangements for the EEA. And since EFTA-EEA–EU relations are so asymmetric, the future of the EEA is intrinsically linked to the EU’s future nature and development.

• Fossum, John Erik (2025). The European Council—A Shapeshifting Crisis Handler. Risk, Hazards & Crisis in Public Policy (RHCPP). 16(4). doi: 10.1002/rhc3.70040. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The question that this article addresses is: What is the role of the European Council (EUCO) in the European Union (EU)'s crisis handling? The EUCO as an organization is a meso‐level phenomenon, so that the analysis of EUCO's role in crisis handling is about a meso‐level organization's handling of crises. The article will show that EUCO is a distinct type of body, namely what is here referred to as a shapeshifting body. All organizations can change aspects of their form or shape (change mandate, change message, change personnel, shift their orientation to other organizations and contexts, and change functions and form), but only some quite distinct organizations qualify as shapeshifters. Criteria for what constitutes such a body are developed and EUCO is assessed against them. The key argument that is presented here is that EUCO's character as a shapeshifting body profoundly affects its crisis handling. An important part of EUCO's rationale was to increase the EU's ability to deal with internal and external challenges and crises. The specifics of that are shown from an analysis of how EUCO grappled with the financial turned Eurozone crisis.

• Fossum, John Erik; Olsen, Espen D. H. & Trondal, Jarle (2024). Norges forhold til EU: Hvorfor fokusere på autonomi? Norsk statsvitenskapelig tidsskrift. ISSN 0801-1745. 40(1), p. 8–25. doi: 10.18261/nst.40.1.2. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  I dagens Europa som preges av kompleks gjensidig avhengighet, argumenterer vi for at tette tilknytningsformer, som Norge har til EU, best kan analyseres utfra begrepet autonomi. Dette begrepet omfatter handlingsrom og er langt mer dekkende for å forstå Norges relasjon enn suverenitet og uavhengighet. Norges EU-relasjon er ikke bare tett, men kompleks og sammensatt. En slik tilknytningsform bidrar til å gjøre makt og ansvarsforhold uklare, uforutsigbare og usikre, hvilket medfører at analysene av tilknytningsformens konsekvenser best forstås ved å anvende begreper som kan gradere og skalere effekter. Artikkelen introduserer og utlegger derfor et nytt begrepsapparat forankret i autonomi, statlig så vel som individuell. Gjennom to empiriske illustrasjoner viser artikkelen hvilke begrensninger Norges forhold til EU legger på statlig autonomi, samt hvor komplisert forholdet er mellom statlig og individuell autonomi i dagens kontekst preget av kompleks (asymmetrisk) gjensidig avhengighet. Today’s Europe is marked by complex interdependence. That entails that tight EU affiliations such as Norway’s are best analyzed by means of the notion of autonomy. This term is more suitable than sovereignty and independence and includes albeit is more encompassing than wriggle-room. Norway’s EU affiliation is not only very close; it is also complex and composite. Such a mode of affiliation makes relations of power and responsibility unclear, unpredictable and uncertain and requires concepts that enable us to gradate and scale effects. The article introduces and develops a new conceptual apparatus steeped in autonomy – state as well as individual. By means of two empirical illustrations the article shows the constraints that Norway’s EU affiliations impose on state autonomy, and how complex the relationship is between state and individual autonomy in today’s context marked as it is by complex interdependence.

• Fossum, John Erik (2024). Populism and Segmentation in Contemporary Europe, The Rule of Law in the EU. Challenges, Actors and Strategies. Springer. ISSN 9783031553219. p. 35–54. doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-55322-6_3. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Contemporary Europe faces serious problems of democratic backsliding and rule of law violations. This chapter focuses on the nature of these transformations and the role of the European institutional and constitutional context. First is to clarify what characterizes these violations of democracy and rule of law. The chapter highlights forms of democratic and rights-based exclusion. Second is to clarify the relationship between the EU’s character as a segmented political order and violations of democracy and rule of law. A segmented political order is a political entity that is substantively biased and subject to material (capacity), normative, and constitutional constraints, which through largely unintended effects limit the scope for remedial action. That reading of the EU has implications for our understanding of the constitutional implications of populist onslaughts on democracy and rule of law. The chapter therefore examines whether democratic and rule of law backsliding is ultimately a vertical (EU-Member State) or a more horizontal (Member State-Member State) constitutional conflict. From a constitutional perspective, a vertical reading neglects the central role of the Member States in determining the EU’s constitutional nature and direction. Hence, we need to underline the horizontal (Member State-Member State) aspect of the conflict.

• Fossum, John Erik & Batora, Jozef (2024). Conceptualising Differentiation and Dominance. In Fossum, John Erik & Batora, Jozef (Ed.), Differentiation and Dominance in Europe's Polycrises. Routledge. ISSN 9781003291190. Full text in Research Archive
• Fossum, John Erik (2024). Differentiating Shock. In Fossum, John Erik & Batora, Jozef (Ed.), Differentiation and Dominance in Europe's Polycrises. Routledge. ISSN 9781003291190. Full text in Research Archive
• Fossum, John Erik; Leiren, Merethe Dotterud; Olsen, Espen D. H. & Trondal, Jarle (2024). Innenfor, men utenfor. Handlingsrommets muligheter og begrensninger i EU-politikken. Nytt Norsk Tidsskrift (NNT). ISSN 0800-336X. 41(2), p. 104–118. doi: 10.18261/nnt.41.2.2. Full text in Research Archive
• Trondal, Jarle; Svendsen, Øyvind; Saltnes, Johanne Døhlie; Olsen, Espen Daniel Hagen; Leiren, Merethe Dotterud & Farsund, Arild Aurvåg [Show all 9 contributors for this article] (2023). Flexible Association in Foreign, Security, and Defence Policy: A case of gradually diminishing autonomy? Norway’s EU Experience and Lessons for the UK: On Autonomy and Wriggle Room. Routledge. ISSN 9781003246961. Full text in Research Archive
• Riddervold, Marianne; Fossum, John Erik; Lord, Christopher James; Farstad, Fay Madeleine; Farsund, Arild Aurvåg & Leiren, Merethe Dotterud [Show all 10 contributors for this article] (2023). Autonomy and Wriggle Room, Norway’s EU Experience and Lessons for the UK: On Autonomy and Wriggle Room. Routledge. ISSN 9781003246961. Full text in Research Archive
• Trondal, Jarle; Svendsen, Øyvind; Saltnes, Johanne Døhlie; Olsen, Espen Daniel Hagen; Leiren, Merethe Dotterud & Farsund, Arild Aurvåg [Show all 9 contributors for this article] (2023). Not Much Wriggle Room: Brexit and the Norway model, Norway’s EU Experience and Lessons for the UK: On Autonomy and Wriggle Room. Routledge. ISSN 9781003246961. Full text in Research Archive
• Trondal, Jarle; Svendsen, Øyvind; Saltnes, Johanne Døhlie; Olsen, Espen Daniel Hagen; Leiren, Merethe Dotterud & Farsund, Arild Aurvåg [Show all 9 contributors for this article] (2023). Global Trade and Development: The challenge of translating legal wriggle room into autonomy, Norway’s EU Experience and Lessons for the UK: On Autonomy and Wriggle Room. Routledge. ISSN 9781003246961. Full text in Research Archive
• Fossum, John Erik; Lord, Christopher James; Farstad, Fay Madeleine; Farsund, Arild Aurvåg; Leiren, Merethe Dotterud & Olsen, Espen Daniel Hagen [Show all 9 contributors for this article] (2023). Autonomy Under Complex Interdependence: The case of Norway and lessons for Brexit? Norway’s EU Experience and Lessons for the UK: On Autonomy and Wriggle Room. Routledge. ISSN 9781003246961. Full text in Research Archive
• Fossum, John Erik (2023). Multiheaded Federations: The EU and Canada Compared. Politics and Governance. 11(3), p. 231–241. doi: 10.17645/pag.v11i3.6830. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The purpose of this article is to assess the merits of comparing the EU and Canada from a federal perspective. The point of departure is that both are federal-type entities that represent deviations from the standard or mainstream American model of federalism. That has given rise to alternative conceptions, multilevel governance for the EU, and a multinational federation for Canada. The article discusses the limitations of each such notion and instead argues for the merits of seeing both as different versions of multiheaded federation which is a useful analytical device for analyzing contestation over federalism within federal-type entities. This notion directs our attention to those with power and in the position to shape the political system’s federal-constitutional nature and design, which normally happens in the realm of constitutional politics. It is the fundamental struggle over sovereignty within a federal-type structure that gives rise to the notion of a multiheaded federation—there are multiple heads because there is no willingness to accept a hierarchical arrangement. The notion of a multiheaded federation is particularly suitable for capturing (de)federalisation processes and dynamics.

• Fossum, John Erik; Kastoryano, Riva; Modood, Tariq & Zapata-Barrero, Ricard (2023). Governing diversity in the multilevel European public space. Ethnicities. ISSN 1468-7968. doi: 10.1177/14687968231158381. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The issue of working out a viable relationship between accepting and/or living with diversity on the one hand and fostering integration on the other has occupied public debates, political agendas, and social sciences for decades. Our point of departure is that the contemporary European context provides distinct challenges. We need to understand how postmigrant integration is shaped and conditioned by the European public space understood as a geographical space; a composite of legally and institutionally constituted entities; covering nations, regions, and cities mainly within but also beyond the EU; and a site of interaction, and public expression of contestation and cooperation. In so doing, we have to contend with the fact that such important perspectives for handling diversity as multiculturalism, interculturalism, transnationalism and cosmopolitanism occupy distinct roles within the European public space whose governance is multi-levelled yet not reducible to a single tiered system. The European public space is more encompassing than the EU even while that level of governance has some important regulative functions upon member states and to some extent even on non-EU states such as Norway and the UK, especially in what we refer to as the outer circle. While the national level is the most powerful normatively and by most other measures on the inclusion of difference (our inner circle), municipalities also contribute to the constitution of this space. We explore the logics of our four ‘isms’ and of the tiers of governance and their interaction with each other, both the isms in tensions and syntheses with each other and differentially in relation to the levels of governance. This is an exercise that has not been done before. Our purpose is to suggest a new normativity that might feasibly achieve a broader degree of support and success than any of the isms have achieved alone.

• Fossum, John Erik (2023). In What Sense Does Right-Wing Populism Pose a Democratic Challenge for the European Union? Social and Legal Studies. ISSN 0964-6639. doi: 10.1177/09646639231153306. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  What kind of challenge is right-wing populism for the European Union (EU)? The EU has been frequently criticized by populists and non-populists alike for being a remote technocracy that suffers from serious democratic defects. Democratization relies on popular (and system insider) feedback, to spell out where the shortcomings are, and how these can be rectified. Does populism play this role—is it capable of playing this role—in the EU today? I discuss that under three headings: (1) Is populism a democratizing challenge for the EU? (2) Is populism a democratic challenge for the EU? (3) Is populism an existential threat to the EU? The article finds that populists dismiss the prospects for EU democracy and espouse conceptions of people, community, and values that are out of synch with the EU. Today's populists appear less concerned with abolishing the EU and more bent on altering it to serve their ends.

• Lord, Christopher James & Fossum, John Erik (2023). Introduction to the European Union and Brexit. In Lord, Christopher James & Fossum, John Erik (Ed.), Handbook on the European Union and Brexit. Edward Elgar Publishing. ISSN 9781839100680. p. 1–24. Full text in Research Archive
• Fossum, John Erik (2022). Constitutive differentiation. In Leruth, Benjamin; Gänzle, Stefan & Trondal, Jarle (Ed.), The Routledge Handbook of Differentiation in the European Union. Routledge. ISSN 9780367149659. p. 81–98. doi: 10.4324/9780429054136-7. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The chapter consists of three parts. In the first part, I start by spelling out the distinct challenges associated with clarifying the nature of the EU’s differentiation configuration, and the need to relate back to the nation-state. In the second part, I outline the constitutive principles f the nation-state, key to which is sovereignty, and show how that shapes the distinct nation-state differentiation configuration. I thereafter show that the EU transforms state sovereignty. Nevertheless, the lack of agreement on which polity configuration should constitute the EU makes it difficult to spell out a distinct EU differentiation configuration. Comparing the EU’s actual differentiation pattern with the nation-state configuration is lopsided, due to the uncertain status of the EU configuration in constitutive terms (including the EU’s democratic deficit). In order to make up for that uncertainty, in the third and final substantive part, I present two EU constitutional models. The first has roots in intergovernmentalism. I unpack it with reference to the differentiation dimensions that I discerned from the nation-state model. Thereafter, I list some of the intergovernmentalism-inspired accounts of the EU. The exercise shows that such accounts must exceed well beyond intergovernmentalism to account for present-day EU. The second constitutional model has roots in federalism. I show that this model also must be stretched to take the EU properly into account.

• Bátora, Jozef & Fossum, John Erik (2022). Differentiation and Segmentation. In Leruth, Benjamin; Gänzle, Stefan & Trondal, Jarle (Ed.), The Routledge Handbook of Differentiation in the European Union. Routledge. ISSN 9780367149659. p. 132–148. doi: 10.4324/9780429054136. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  A more differentiated EU raises a number of important questions about the nature and character of the EU as a political system, and the kinds of processes and mechanisms that drive its development. There is also terminological ambiguity involved, in that the literature uses the two terms differentiated integration and differentiation almost interchangeably, even if these two terms can refer to different phenomena and dynamics (there are both zones of overlap and divergence between them2.) The main purpose of this chapter is to show that these terms do not adequately account for the EU as a political system, nor do they contain sufficient explanatory power to account for the EU’s nature and development, especially during the last decade or so. Stating that in no way refutes the fact that the EU is a distinctly differentiated political system nor that it has become more differentiated in the last decade. The key point is that neither differentiated integration nor differentiation says much about the positive character or the distinguishing features of the EU as a political system. These terms are blunt instruments for properly capturing the EU’s defining features. For more precision, we should consider the EU as a segmented political system (Bátora and Fossum 2020). This term provides a more apt and precise characterization of the EU as a political system; it also introduces the notion of segmentation as a distinct dynamic. Indeed, as Héritier (2021) acknowledges, the formation of a segmented political order represents a distinct path in the formation of the EU qua polity.

• Fossum, John Erik (2022). The Context of Fake News, Disinformation, and Manipulation, Europe in the Age of Post-Truth Politics. Palgrave Macmillan. ISSN 9783031136948. p. 31–52. doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-13694-8_3. Full text in Research Archive
• Christensen, Ingrid; Fossum, John Erik & Tranøy, Bent Sofus (2022). From American Dream to Nordic Realities? In Hauhart, Robert C. & Sardoč, Mitja (Ed.), The Routledge Handbook on the American Dream: Volume 2. Routledge. ISSN 9781032352961. p. 64–120. doi: 10.4324/9781003326243-6. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This chapter examines whether the Nordic region has surpassed today's America on two of the most central tenets of the American Dream, defined as individualism and equal opportunity. An important reason is that there are certain identifiable Nordic values that are institutionalized within and across the five states that make up the Nordic region. These are referred to as the Nordic Model, a distinct Nordic approach to democracy, a social market economy, and gender equality. The chapter's starting assumption is that individualism and equal opportunity as core tenets of the American Dream resonate strongly with the values that underpin the Nordic Model, even if the Nordic Model is based on a different calibration of these. The chapter operationalizes individualism and equal opportunity and undertakes an extensive literature survey and examination of a wide range of statistics in order to assess the claim that the Nordic region may have surpassed today's America on key tenets of the American Dream.

• Fossum, John Erik & Olsen, Espen D. H. (2022). Cosmopolitanism: Moral Universalism and the Politics of Migration. In Zapata, Ricardo; Jacobs, Dirk & Kastoryano, Riva (Ed.), Contested Concepts in Migration Studies. Routledge. ISSN 9780367634834. p. 61–77. doi: 10.4324/9781003119333-5. Full text in Research Archive
• Fossum, John Erik (2022). The EU and Third Countries: Consequences for Democracy and the Political Order. Journal of Common Market Studies. ISSN 0021-9886. p. 1–17. doi: 10.1111/jcms.13421. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This article discusses the democratic implications of third country incorporation for the EU and for third countries. The more the EU transforms sovereignty in an open and inclusive manner, the greater the scope for third country presence, participation and influence. For the EU, the greater the presence and influence of third countries, the more pressing the democratic incongruence. For third countries, the better included and the more they participate, the less incongruent their affiliation, and the more similar to members they become. These considerations depend on how the EU structures its relations with third countries and the nature of the EU's political order. It is in the EU's internal market and flanking areas that the pooling and sharing of sovereignty is the most pronounced. The conundrum facing third countries and the EU is that the internal market is central to the EU's constitution as a political system.

• Fossum, John Erik & Vigrestad, Joachim (2021). Is the Grass Greener on the Other Side? Norwegians’ Assessments of Brexit. Politics and Governance. 9(1), p. 79–89. doi: 10.17645/pag.v9i1.3713. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  To what extent has Brexit affected Norwegians’ perceptions of their current relationship with the EU? What are the considerations that central political and societal actors bring up to explain their stances? What are the broader lessons for the EU’s relations with non-members? We argue that Norway’s EU affiliation is so close that we can draw on Catherine De Vries’ benchmark theory to assess whether Brexit affects Norwegians’ assessments of Norway’s relationship with the EU. We focus on the Norwegian government’s stance. Further, we consider opinion polls to understand the strength of domestic support for the EEA Agreement, and whether that support has changed as a consequence of Brexit. We thereafter look for political entrepreneurs or political change agents, in political parties, in interest groups, and among civil society activists. We find that Brexit has not served as a benchmark. It has not set in motion efforts to change Norway’s EU affiliation. Opponents diverge on alternatives, although share concerns about what they see as the EU’s neoliberal orientation. The analysis shows that we cannot assess Brexit as a benchmark without paying attention to the sheer size and magnitude of the EU–Norway power asymmetry.

• Rosén, Guri & Fossum, John Erik (2021). Referendums: Norway 1972 and 1994. In Smith, Julie (Eds.), The Palgrave Handbook of European Referendums. Palgrave Macmillan. ISSN 9783030558024. p. 449–468. Full text in Research Archive
• Batora, Jozef & Fossum, John Erik (2020). Conclusion: A Segmented Political Order and Future Options. In Fossum, John Erik & Batora, Jozef (Ed.), Towards a Segmented European Political Order. The European Union's Post-crises Conundrum. Routledge. ISSN 9781138495333. doi: 10.4324/9781351024341-13. Full text in Research Archive
• Fossum, John Erik (2020). The Institutional Make-up of Europe’s Segmented Political Order. In Fossum, John Erik & Batora, Jozef (Ed.), Towards a Segmented European Political Order. The European Union's Post-crises Conundrum. Routledge. ISSN 9781138495333. doi: 10.4324/9781351024341-2. Full text in Research Archive
• Batora, Jozef & Fossum, John Erik (2020). Introduction. In Fossum, John Erik & Batora, Jozef (Ed.), Towards a Segmented European Political Order. The European Union's Post-crises Conundrum. Routledge. ISSN 9781138495333. Full text in Research Archive
• Fossum, John Erik (2020). Norway: Outside, But …. In Kaeding, Michael; Pollak, Johannes & Schmidt, Paul (Ed.), Euroscepticism and the Future of Europe. Views from the Capitals. Palgrave Macmillan. ISSN 9783030412715. p. 109–113. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-41272-2_27. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Norway has held two popular referendums on EU membership, both arranged after the negotiations had been completed. In both instances, a small majority of the population turned down EU membership. The question of Norwegian EU membership has figured as one of, if not, the most politically divisive issues in Norway, at least since the Second World War. Nevertheless, Norway’s approach has been to seek as close an EU association as is possible for a non-member. What is particularly puzzling is that the present situation of extensive and dynamic Europeanisation has evoked so little political conflict and controversy. The question is whether Brexit will affect this situation.

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• Bátora, Jozef; Fossum, John Erik & Trondal, Jarle (2026). A Theory of Segmented Political Order. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9781009589345. 100 p. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This Element introduces the theory of segmented polity to address the misfit between dominant state-centric political theories and the hybrid realities of contemporary governance. Segmented polities are contested, partial, and constrained but nonetheless develop autonomous policymaking capacities and distinct social constituencies. The EU exemplifies this form, blending supranational and intergovernmental traits within a statist political order. Grounded in organization theory and institutionalism, the Element provides empirical analysis of the internal market and security segments showing how segmented polities operate across functional domains and generate bounded epistemic communities. While enabling policy efficiency, they also exhibit democratic deficits. The Element presents segmented polities as evolutionary responses to governance complexity and outlines implications for political science, international relations, European integration theory, and democracy studies, and proposes a research agenda focused on longitudinal, actor-based, and comparative studies of polity segmentation beyond the EU.

• Fossum, John Erik & Trondal, Jarle (2025). Hvilket Norge i hvilket Europa? Cappelen Damm Akademisk. ISBN 9788202884833. doi: 10.23865/cdf.260. Full text in Research Archive
• Fossum, John Erik & Batora, Jozef (2024). Differentiation and Dominance in Europe's Polycrises. Routledge. ISBN 9781003291190. 448 p. Full text in Research Archive
• Fossum, John Erik; Lord, Christopher James; Farstad, Fay Madeleine; Farsund, Arild Aurvåg; Leiren, Merethe Dotterud & Olsen, Espen D. H. [Show all 10 contributors for this article] (2023). Norway’s EU Experience and Lessons for the UK: On Autonomy and Wriggle Room. Routledge. ISBN 9781003246961. 246 p. Full text in Research Archive
• Lord, Christopher James & Fossum, John Erik (2023). Handbook on the European Union and Brexit. Edward Elgar Publishing. ISBN 9781839100680. 541 p. Full text in Research Archive

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• Rieker, Pernille; Riddervold, Marianne; Leiren, Merethe Dotterud; Fossum, John Erik; Time, Martin Stangborli & Rosen, Guri (2026). Norge og EØS i endring. Når EØS blir utilstrekkelig. Full text in Research Archive
• Fossum, John Erik (2026). Polarization, Norwegian style. INROADS: THE CANADIAN JOURNAL OF OPINION. ISSN 1188-746X. doi: https:/inroadsjournal.ca/polarization-norwegian-style/. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  For Norway, does high trust in government translate into less political polarization? Does competent administration with low rates of corruption translate into a more centrist and compromise-friendly system of government? The assessment of a single election result cannot offer anything close to conclusive answers. But we can look at overall trends as a basis for informed speculation about what the overall patterns and the underlying forces might be.

• Fossum, John Erik; Fabbrini, Sergio & Stave, Tyra Kristiansen (2026). A federalist alternative for the European Union. doi: https:/www.sv.uio.no/arena/english/research/news-and-events/podcast/episodes/arena-europa-fabbrini-fossum.mp3?vrtx=view-as-webpage. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Is the EU institutional system fit to solve crises? And do the member states have too much power over EU decisions?

• Fossum, John Erik (2025). Trump’s wrecking job highlights Norway’s vulnerability. INROADS: THE CANADIAN JOURNAL OF OPINION. ISSN 1188-746X. doi: https:/inroadsjournal.ca/trumps-wrecking-job-highlights-norways-vulnerability/. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Ironically, just as Norway/US ties in recent years were becoming stronger, the Trump regime began a highly effective job of wrecking America’s reputation as a reliable partner and as a beacon for democracy, the rule of law and legally regulated trade and international relations. The reaction to this “wrecking ball” approach was to begin shifting Norway back toward the European continent.

• Fossum, John Erik; Rosen, Guri & Garbo, Gro Lien (2025). Har Trump gjort Nei-landet Norge langt mer positivt til EU? doi: https:/www.uio.no/om/aktuelt/universitetsplassen/podkast/tekstlig-alternativ/har-trump-gjort-norge-mer-positiv-til-eu. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Norge har takket nei til EU-medlemskap to ganger. Har en urolig verden og en ny runde med Trump i USA gjort EU og Europa mer attraktivt for oss? I samtalen: John Erik Fossum og Guri Rosén.

• Rieker, Pernille; Fossum, John Erik; Trondal, Jarle; Søreide, Ine Marie Eriksen; Leiren, Merethe Dotterud & Riddervold, Marianne [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2025). Hvilket Norge i hvilket Europa? doi: https:/www.uio.no/om/aktuelt/universitetsplassen/domus-bibliotheca/arrangementer/2025/hvilket-norge-i-hvilket-europa. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Arrangementet tok utgangspunkt i boken «Hvilket Norge i hvilket Europa?» som ble utgitt av Cappelen Damm i 2025. Boken er redigert av John Erik Fossum (UiO/ARENA) og Jarle Trondal (ARENA/UiA), og med bidrag fra Arild Aurvåg Farsund (UiB), Merethe Dotterud Leiren (CICERO), Arne Melchior (NUPI), Marianne Riddervold (ARENA/NUPI), Pernille Rieker (ARENA/NUPI), Johanne Døhlie Saltnes (ARENA), og Ulf Sverdrup (BI).

• Fossum, John Erik & Trondal, Jarle (2025). EØS som en politikkens retrett. doi: https:/www.altinget.no/artikkel/eoes-som-en-politikkens-retrett. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Global tollkrig har på nytt understreket behovet for EØS som en sikker havn for Norge. Samtidig virker dagens EU-tilknytning som en sperre for en debatt om «hvilket Norge i hvilket Europa», skriver John Erik Fossum og Jarle Trondal.

• Fossum, John Erik & Amy, Verdun, (2024). How Relevant Are Continued Ties with Canada? In Jopp, Mathias & Pollak, Johannes (Ed.), The European Union’s Geopolitics: The Lackluster World Power. Springer. ISSN 9783031745867. p. 331–352. doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-74587-4_16. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This chapter spells out how the relationship between Canada and the European Union (EU) contributes to the EU’s goals of sustaining a rule-governed world, reducing external dependence, and stemming off the influence of autocracies (e.g. Russia and China). It reviews the nature and strength of EU–Canada relations, the scope of EU–Canada goal convergence, and what Canada might contribute towards reducing EU dependence on autocracies. The chapter assesses options for Europeans to strengthen ties, taking a geopolitical perspective, so as to consider constraints (and opportunities) of geography, including the geographical distance between Europe and Canada, and both entities’ strong ties with the United States (US).

• Fossum, John Erik; Olsen, Espen D. H. & Trondal, Jarle (2024). Innledning: Autonomi under kompleks gjensidig avhengighet. Norsk statsvitenskapelig tidsskrift. ISSN 0801-1745. 40(1), p. 1–7. doi: 10.18261/nst.40.1.1. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Den europeiske integrasjonsprosessen har omfattende implikasjoner for EUs medlemsstater og for tett tilknyttede ikke-medlemmer som Norge. EU representerer et omfattende institusjonelt system med både overnasjonale og mellomstatlige trekk (Fabbrini 2015, 2018; Bátora og Fossum 2020). I sum bidrar EU til å forskyve balansen mellom staters selvbestemmelse og medbestemmelse i Europa. Desto mer EU integrerer, desto mindre rom blir det for staters selvbestemmelse. EUs integrasjon er imidlertid ikke ensbetydende med overnasjonalitet. Mye av dynamikken i EU-samarbeidet kommer gjennom at EU koordinerer statenes politikk heller enn å overføre den til EU-nivået (Bickerton m.fl. 2015; Heidbreder 2014). EU-samarbeidet kan forstås som en dynamisk balansering mellom overnasjonal regulering og mellomstatlig koordinering av politikk. EU-samarbeidet utgjør på denne måten en distinkt form for kompleks gjensidig avhengighet (som henspiller på Keohane og Nyes (1987) klassiske begrep), der medlemsstaters grep om politikkutformingen varierer med saksfelt (mest direkte i såkalte ‘core state powers’ som forsvar og sikkerhet og fiskalpolitikk (Genschel og Jachtenfuchs 2014)).

• Fossum, John Erik; Lord, Christopher James & Leiren, Merethe Dotterud (2023). Books on Brexit: John Erik Fossum, Christopher Lord and Merethe Dotterud Leiren. Full text in Research Archive
• Fossum, John Erik (2022). Norway’s Shift to the Left. INROADS: THE CANADIAN JOURNAL OF OPINION. ISSN 1188-746X. doi: https:/inroadsjournal.ca/norways-shift-to-the-left/. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  In its parliamentary election on September 13, Norway took a clear turn to the left. Of the 3,876,200 eligible voters in the election – held four years after the last one according to Norway’s fixed-date system – 77.2 per cent cast ballots. The ruling minority centre-right coalition went down from 61 seats in 2017 to 47 in 2021, out of a total of 169 in the Storting, the Norwegian parliament. The right-wing populist Progress Party (FrP), which withdrew from the ruling coalition in 2020, also lost six of the 27 seats it held in the last parliament. Thus, whereas overall the centre-right parties had a majority of seats in the outgoing parliament (88 out of 169), they now have only 68 seats.

• Fossum, John Erik & Eriksen, Erik Oddvar (2022). Political differentiation: Democracy and dominance. Full text in Research Archive
• Fossum, John Erik; Lord, Christopher James & Leiren, Merethe Dotterud (2022). Episode 5 of the podcast series ‘Good Neighbours? The UK and Europe after Brexit'. [Internet]. Soundcloud. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Norway, the EU and Brexit With John Erik Fossum, Professor of Political Science at ARENA Centre for European Studies at the University of Oslo, Merethe Dotterud Leiren, Research Director at CICERO (Center for International Climate Research) in Oslo, and Christopher Lord, Professor at ARENA Centre for European Studies at the University of Oslo. This episode discusses the pros and cons of the Norwegian model. It explores what Norway’s relationship with the EU tells us about the nature of the EU and the situation of a non-member. It also considers how Brexit has affected UK-Norway-EU relations in energy and climate change.

• Fossum, John Erik (2022). Brexit, EU external differentiation and normative challenges. Full text in Research Archive
• Fossum, John Erik (2022). Differentiated Integration and Dominance. Full text in Research Archive
• Fossum, John Erik (2022). Differentiating shocks and the question of domination. Full text in Research Archive
• Fossum, John Erik (2022). Exclusion and Segmentation in Contemporary Europe. Full text in Research Archive
• Fossum, John Erik (2022). What are the key features of differentiation? Full text in Research Archive
• Fossum, John Erik (2022). What is the relationship between differentiation, dominance and democracy? Full text in Research Archive
• Fossum, John Erik (2022). DiCE Regional Assembly. Full text in Research Archive
• Fossum, John Erik & Nicolaidis, Kalypso (2022). Is the Conference on the Future of Europe a success? Full text in Research Archive
• Fossum, John Erik (2022). War in Europe: EU in a new Europe. Full text in Research Archive
• Fossum, John Erik (2022). UK-EU relations in comparative perspective. Full text in Research Archive
• Fossum, John Erik (2022). Future of European Democracy. Full text in Research Archive
• Fossum, John Erik; Sjursen, Helene & Tranøy, Bent Sofus (2022). Scenarios for EU's development in light of the war in Ukraine. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  EU3D coordinator and professor John Erik Fossum at ARENA Centre for European Studies at University of Oslo organised a panel discussion with colleague at ARENA, research professor Helene Sjursen, professor Bent Sofus Tranøy at Høyskolen Kristiania and Heidi Nordby Lunde, representative in the Norwegian Parliament and leader of Europabevegelsen. Journalist Sten Inge Jørgensen led the debate. The panellists discussed how the development of the EU is affected by the war in Ukraine and what it means for unity and agreement in the EU and Europe. They discussed the problems associated with EU fragmentation and decline in law-based international collaboration; democratic pitfalls of more European integration, if democratic institutions are not involved; and the implications of EU acquiring decision-making powers within policy areas that are traditionally seen as belonging to the state. The event was organised on 25 October 2022 by the University of Oslo as part of the EU3D future of Europe Debate series.

• Fossum, John Erik (2022). Executive accountability in the EU. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  EU3D WP3 workshop

• Fossum, John Erik & Wessels, Wolfgang (2022). Executive accountability and the link between differentiation, democracy and dominance: what can the EU learn from the US, Canada and Germany? Full text in Research Archive
• Fossum, John Erik (2022). Differentiated integration. Full text in Research Archive
• Fossum, John Erik (2022). Brexit and European Integration. Full text in Research Archive
• Fossum, John Erik (2022). Handlingsrom for nasjonale reguleringer innenfor EU/EØS – er det et mulig stemningsskifte på gang? Full text in Research Archive
• Fossum, John Erik (2022). Europas demokratiske fremtid - implikasjoner for Norge? Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  EU3D-koordinator og professor ved ARENA Senter for europaforskning, John Erik Fossum, holdt en presentasjon om den demokratiske fremtiden for Europa og implikasjoner for Norge for studentorganisasjonen Europeiske Studenter Oslo. Fossum la frem tre mulige scenarier for Europas fremtid: oppløsning eller differensiert oppløsning av EU; "muddling through" uten utvidelse av EU og ingen store reformer; og konsolidering i en eller annen form. For hvert av disse scenariene presenterte Fossum mulige demokratiske implikasjoner og implikasjoner for Norge.

• Fossum, John Erik & Bátora, Jozef (2022). Introduction: Differentiation and the question of dominance. Full text in Research Archive
• Fossum, John Erik (2021). Is the Nordic Model more compatible with the American Dream than present-day United States? In Hauhart, Robert C. & Sardoč, Mitja (Ed.), The Routledge Handbook on the American Dream: Volume 1. Routledge. ISSN 9781000385526. p. 105–120. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  What do we mean by the American dream? Can we define it? Or does any discussion of the phrase end inconclusively, the solid turned liquid—like ice melting? Do we know whether the American dream motivates and inspires or, alternately, obscures and deceives? The Routledge Handbook on the American Dream offers distinctive, authoritative, original essays by well-known scholars that address the social, economic, historical, philosophic, legal, and cultural dimensions of the American dream for the twenty-first century. The American dream, first discussed and defined in print by James Truslow Adams’s The Epic of America (1931), has become nearly synonymous with being American. Adams’s definition, although known to scholars, is often lost in our ubiquitous use of the term. When used today, the iconic phrase seems to encapsulate every fashion, fad, trend, association, or image the user identifies with the United States or American life. The American dream’s ubiquity, though, argues eloquently for a deeper understanding of its heritage, its implications, and its impact—to be found in this first research handbook ever published on the topic.

• Wolff, Guntram; Fossum, John Erik & Góra, Magdalena (2021). Conference on the future of Europe: vehicle for reform vs forum for reflection. Full text in Research Archive
• Fossum, John Erik (2021). Brexit in comparison: models of differentiated (dis)integration. Full text in Research Archive
• Fossum, John Erik (2021). Differentiation and Democracy. Full text in Research Archive
• Fossum, John Erik & Lord, Christopher James (2021). introduction on the new challenges associated with the altered context of Norway‐EU‐UK relations and some reflections on Norwegian wiggle‐room. Full text in Research Archive
• Fossum, John Erik & Bátora, Jozef (2021). Differentiation and Segmentation. EU3D Research Papers. ISSN 2535-8170. p. 1–24. doi: 10.2139/ssrn.3892312. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  It is widely recognized that the EU that emerged from the financial and refugee crises of the last decade has become more differentiated. Such a development brings forth important questions about the nature and character of the EU as a political system, and the kinds of processes and mechanisms that drive its development. An important problem is that neither differentiated integration nor differentiation say much about the positive character or the distinguishing features of the EU as a political system. The claim that we set forth in this paper is that the notion of the EU as a segmented political system provides a more apt and precise characterisation of the EU as a political system. In addition, the notion of segmentation helps to capture some of the distinct dynamics that propel the EU’s development.

• Fossum, John Erik (2021). EU Constitutional Models in 3D: Differentiation, Dominance and Democracy. EU3D Research Papers. ISSN 2535-8170. p. 1–48. doi: 10.2139/ssrn.3900382. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  A key question facing the distinctly differentiated EU is the following: under what conditions is differentiation conducive to democracy, and under what conditions is differentiation pathological and associated with dominance? The purpose of this research paper is to address that question with reference to establishing the most appropriate constitutional model for the EU. Such a constitutional model must on the one hand enable us to make sense of the EU, and on the other hand help us to establish the conditions under which differentiation is conducive to democracy, as well as the conditions under which it is not. The focus here is on what we may term the differentiation-democracy configuration: how the principles of democracy and differentiation are entrenched and combined in the institutional-structural arrangements that are normally embedded in the constitution. I first specify a set of EU-related challenges that any effort at devising a constitutional model for the EU will have to confront. Thereafter, I develop a set of benchmarks or criteria for assessing each model in order to explicate how the model understands democracy and differentiation, and to show how the phenomena that these terms designate are related. This unpacking exercise yields four differentiation-democracy dimensions (decisional or law-making differentiation; competence-based functional differentiation; territorial differentiation; and citizens’ rights and incorporation differentiation). Thereafter, I undertake a brief reality-check by asking how these four dimensions are configured in post-war Europe. That provides us with a set of ‘stubborn facts’, not the least pertaining to who sets the terms for today’s European differentiation-democracy configuration(s) and what these terms are. All constitutional models must relate to those facts if they are to work for the EU. The last section specifies and assesses three constitutional models, a cosmopolitan, an intergovernmental and a federal model.

• Fossum, John Erik (2021). On the Search for Viable Governance in Contested Federal-Type Settings: The European Union and Canada Compared. EU3D Research Papers. ISSN 2535-8170. p. 1–40. doi: 10.2139/ssrn.3900514. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This paper focuses on two contested federal-type entities, Canada and the EU. There is a curious paradox in that both have been depicted as failed (Canada) and as virtually impossible (EU) nation-building projects, but also as vanguards in terms of handling national and other forms of difference and diversity. The first purpose is to substantiate the claim that the two form a distinct sub-category of federation, poly-cephalous federation. Poly-cephalous federation is a more apt term for depicting the EU and Canada (pre- patriation, i.e. pre-1982) than such terms as multilevel governance and multinational federation. The distinguishing features of poly-cephalous federations are a) that they are about an on-going working out of the terms of federal balancing as part of doing the balancing; and b) that those in charge of the balancing are executive officials who set the terms of balancing in systems of summitry with clear parallels to international diplomacy. The executives are heads of states and governments. They represent and control their respective governments and have privileged access to the many tools that modern states have for shaping and sustaining community and identity. It follows that poly-cephalous federations are very prone to executive dominance. The second purpose of the paper is to consider what form of democratic federalism (if any) such a structure may give rise to. The Canadian experience suggests that the main democratic potential in poly-cephalous federations inheres in a viable transition to reflexive federalism (which will be discussed in relation to the post-1982 period). What it is and under what conditions it can be developed is important to establish, not the least because we should consider if there might be a similar potential for the EU, even if its path would obviously be very different from that of Canada.

• Fossum, John Erik; Góra, Magdalena & Wolff, Guntram (2021). The Conference on the Future of Europe: vehicle for reform versus forum for reflection? Full text in Research Archive
• Fossum, John Erik (2021). Why a change in government won’t change Norway’s ambiguous EU policy. Full text in Research Archive
• Fossum, John Erik (2021). Executive dominance in a segmented political order – what are the defining characteristics? Full text in Research Archive
• Fossum, John Erik (2021). Seizing the chance: differentiation, democracy and the Conference on the Future of Europe. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Panel: Sergio Fabbrini, Dean, Political Science Department, LUISS University John Erik Fossum, Professor of Political Science, ARENA Centre for European Studies, University of Oslo Brigid Laffan, Director. Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies, European University Instittute (EUI) Moderator: Matteo Bonomi, Resercher, Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI)

• Fossum, John Erik (2021). Discerning pathologies in the EU setting: Segmentation versus differentiation. Full text in Research Archive
• Fossum, John Erik (2021). Outing "the others": Towards populist segmented orders. Full text in Research Archive
• Fossum, John Erik (2021). Democratic Accountability in a Post-COVID-19 World (presentation of paper). Full text in Research Archive
• Fossum, John Erik (2021). Nordic perspectives on differentiation and secession. Full text in Research Archive
• Fossum, John Erik (2021). What are the key features of differentiation? Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  presentation at the PhD course titled 'A differentiated Europe and its implications'.

• Fossum, John Erik (2021). What is the relationship between differentiation, dominance and democracy? Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Presentation at the PhD course 'A differentiated Europe and its implications'.

• Fossum, John Erik (2021). What lessons can we discern for post-Brexit UK from Norway’s EU relationship? Full text in Research Archive
• Fossum, John Erik (2021). Brexit, EU external differentiation and normative challenges. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Presentation at the PhD course 'A differentiated Europe and its implications'.

• Fossum, John Erik (2021). Principles and practices of the EU's relations with affiliated non-members’. Full text in Research Archive
• Fossum, John Erik (2020). The European Council – an EU Interstitial Balancer? Full text in Research Archive
• Fossum, John Erik (2020). Differentiated Integration in theory and practice: state of the art. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This panel debate explored rival theoretical approaches to understanding differentiated integration and review the findings of the latest empirical research on its incidence and impact within the EU.

• Fossum, John Erik & Bátora, Jozef (2020). Towards a segmented European political order. Full text in Research Archive
• Fossum, John Erik (2020). Demoi-cracy or domination? Normative perspectives on Differentiated Integration. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Does differentiated integration advance democracy by allowing the EU’s multiple demoi or peoples greater scope to chose the extent to which they are willing to pool their sovereignty with others across different policy domains? Or does it lead instead to an increase in domination, as the choices of some member states are effectively subordinated to those of their larger and more powerful neighbours? In this panel, John Erik Fossum (ARENA Oslo/EU3D) and Richard Bellamy y (UCL/Exeter/InDivEU) debated the normative implications of differentiated integration for European democracy.

• Fossum, John Erik (2020). A differentiated Europe facing Brexit – what can we learn from “the Norway model"? Full text in Research Archive
• Fossum, John Erik (2020). Conceptualizing differentiation shocks. Full text in Research Archive
• Fossum, John Erik (2020). Can democracy bounce back? Full text in Research Archive
• Fossum, John Erik (2020). Governing differentiation in a multi-speed EU. Full text in Research Archive
• Fossum, John Erik (2020). In, out and shake it all about: Brexit and the UK-Norway comparison. Full text in Research Archive
• Fossum, John Erik (2020). Executive dominance. Full text in Research Archive
• Fossum, John Erik & Bátora, Jozef (2020). Towards a segmented European political order. Full text in Research Archive
• Kassim, Hussein; Warner, Kirsty & Fossum, John Erik (2025). The Starmer government and Europe: resetting relations in turbulent times - UK in a changing Europe. UK in a Changing Europe. doi: https:/media.ukandeu.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/29179-UOW-The-Starmer-Government-and-Europe-v5.pdf. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  In this report members of the Observatory reflect on how relations between London and other European capitals have developed since the Starmer government entered office.

• Fossum, John Erik (2022). The Political Future of the European Economic Area. EU3D Research Papers. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The purpose of this paper is to discuss the political future of the European Economic Area (EEA). The paper starts by providing a brief overview of the EEA (Section 2). Next, it discusses the factors affecting the future of the EEA from the vantage-point of Norway (Section 3). The Norwegian political system contains a set of gag-rules to prevent changes in the status quo of EU affiliation. What such gag rules imply for the EEA’s future is important to address. Thereafter, the paper discusses the factors affecting the future of the EEA from the vantage-point of the EU (Section 4). Penultimately, the paper considers possible trajectories for the EU-level’s development. Conclusively, the paper provides a brief assessment of the similarities and differences between the EEA and such alternatives as EU-UKTCA, the Swiss Model, and the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement between the EU and Canada (CETA) (Section 5).

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