During the 2010s the European Union entered into an existential crisis which almost entirely deplenished the “communal ethos” of inter-state relations. A key role in this development was played by ideology, in particular the failure of the main ideological  families of the Continent to elaborate coherent visions about the EU as a political community. Visions and symbols are not only important, but also causally autonomous in shaping political and institutional development. Elaborating a shared view of the EU as a polity characterised by a modicum of communality has been historically a demanding task, and systemic shocks typically tend to catalyse latent conflicts. But crises also provide fertile grounds for political imagination to revive togetherness feelings and cope with common challenges - as was eventually demonstrated during the COVID pandemic.

Maurizio Ferrera is part of many editorial boards of Italian and foreign journals. Between 1998 and 2000, he was co-director, along with Giovanni Sartori, the Italian Journal of Political Science. He directs the series “Public policies in Italy” for Il Mulino and the series “Studies in the political economy of welfare” for Routledge, along with Martin Rhodes. Since 2004 hehas been a columnist for the “Corriere della Sera”.

His main fields of research are comparative politics and public policy analysis, with particular reference to the problems of the welfare state and European integration. On these topics he has published articles in leading international journals including Comparative Political Studies, European Journal of Political Research, West European Politics, Journal of European Social Policy and the Journal of Common Market Studies. Among his most recent books: Social Reformism 2.0. Work, Welfare and Progressive Politics in the 21st Century (with Joan Miró and Stefano Ronchi, 2024); Politics and Social Visions. Ideology, Conflict, and Solidarity in the EU (2024); Alle Radici del Welfare all’Italiana (with M. Jessoula and V.  Fargion, 2012); Governance e Politiche nell’Unione europea (edited with M. Giuliani, Il Mulino, 2008); Il Fattore D. (Mondadori, 2008);  The Boundaries of Welfare (Oxford University Press, 2005).