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Alexandros Kentikelenis and Filip Kostelka receive the 2024 Henrik Enderlein Prize
Joint press release by the German Foreign Office, the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign and Affairs, Sciences Po University and the Hertie School.
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During a joint ceremony organised by the French and German Foreign Offices, the Hertie School and Sciences Po in Paris awarded the prize in honour of the late Hertie School President. Two winners and one honourable mention were distinguished during last night’s award ceremony.
Alexandros Kentikelenis, Associate Professor of Political Economy and Sociology at Bocconi University, and Filip Kostelka, Professor and Chair of Political and Social Change at the European University Institute, are the winners of the 2024 Franco-German Henrik Enderlein Prize. Now in its third year, the research prize honours outstanding scholars under the age of 40 whose work contributes to the future of Europe. The prize honoured Kentikelenis and Kostelka for their work on democracy and social cohesion, as well as their civic engagement. In an honourable mention, digital governance scholar Roxana Radu (Oxford University) received the jury's commendatory recognition.
Professor Kentikelenis and Professor Kostelka were selected by an international jury chaired by Cornelia Woll, President of the Hertie School. The jury was convinced not only by the scientific excellence of the two researchers’ work but also their efforts to make the best of their results and to inform policymakers in their respective fields.
Henrik Enderlein Prize: Celebrating research on the future of Europe
The prize was awarded on the second day of the Hertie School’s Anniversary Forum “Europe at a crossroads: Looking back to move forward” celebrating 20 years of the Hertie School. Besides jury president Cornelia Woll, German State Minister for Europe and Climate Anna Lührmann and French Ambassador to Germany Francois Delattre were present at the ceremony.
The Henrik Enderlein Prize is endowed with 10,000 euros and was jointly established in 2022 by the Hertie School, Sciences Po in Paris, the German Federal Foreign Office, and the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs.
Excellent research meets practical relevance
“With their research on governance and society in Europe, this year’s winners contribute to academic discussions on pressing challenges for democratic societies. We were impressed by their engagement with questions of participation and social justice in Europe. On behalf of the entire jury, I warmly congratulate them for their important work at the interface between academia and political practice,” Cornelia Woll, President of the Hertie School and President of the Henrik Enderlein Prize Jury, said at the ceremony.
German Minister of State for Europe and Climate Anna Lührmann:
Democracy, social cohesion, the green transition and the digital sphere are at the heart of European political debates. Politicians should make their decisions based on facts and scientific results. With their excellent work, this year's prize winners contribute to better policymaking. Thanks, and congratulations to them!
French Minister of State for Europe Jean-Noël Barrot:
In these times of rising populism, which seem to have simple answers, the Henrik Enderlein Prize is an important reminder that the rational individual is at the heart of our Europe, that reason and knowledge should remain our compass. As France celebrates the 80th anniversary of its own liberation this year, let’s look back at our history to move forward.
Jeremy Perelman, Director of International Affairs at Sciences Po:
At a time when our continent must decide on its future, the Henrik Enderlein Prize demonstrates the major role of research and the human and social sciences in making a concrete contribution to major contemporary issues. It is also at the heart of the ambition of Sciences Po, an international university open to the world, to place Europe among the priorities of its teaching and research work. I extend my congratulations to Alexandros Kentikelenis, Filip Kostelka and Roxana Radu for the excellence of their work.
Winners combine strong academic profile with dedicated civic engagement
Alexandros Kentikelenis is Associate Professor of Political Economy and Sociology at Bocconi University in Italy. His work focusses on political economy, globalisation and global governance, and social protection schemes. In the spirit of Henrik Enderlein, Kentikelenis is committed to ensuring that his research has impacts outside of academia and helps policymakers to combat inequality and strengthen social protection programmes. Among other activities, he serves as the Vice President of the National Centre for Social Solidarity situated in the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs in Greece, the leading social policy organisation the country which advises the ministry on social policy issues.
Filip Kostelka is Professor and Chair of Political and Social Change at the European University Institute. His work focusses on political behaviour and citizen political participation. Kostelka’s work on voter turnout has been of interest to a variety of policymakers: he has advised the European Parliament, the Canadian Citizen’s Assembly on Electoral Reform and Freedom House. Beyond his research, Kostelka has also been active in supporting students and scholars from the EU widening countries in Central and Eastern Europe. He heads the EUI’s SPS Summer Academy for EU master’s students with the specific aim of strengthening internationalisation and the quality of research in widening countries.
Roxana Radu, Associate Professor of Digital Technologies and Public Policy at Oxford University’s Blavatnik School of Government, studies digital governance and cyber security. Due to the policy-oriented nature of Radu’s work, she is an important adviser to many policymakers and other experts on regulatory innovations, serving as a member of the Advisory Group of the EU Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA). She is also active in EU Cybernet, where she has supported EU cyber capacity-building activities like an annual training programme for diplomatic academies in Latin America.
About the Henrik Enderlein Prize
The Henrik Enderlein Prize is endowed with 10,000 euros and is awarded to young social scientists under the age of 40. The work of the prize winners demonstrates scientific excellence and provides a concrete contribution to public debates on the future of Europe. The Henrik Enderlein Prize is named in honour of the Hertie School’s late president, who was a strong advocate for Europe.
Jury members include Jury President Professor Cornelia Woll, President of the Hertie School; Jean Pisani-Ferry, Professor of Economics at Sciences Po; Dorit Geva, Professor of Politics and Gender at the University of Vienna; Jakob Vogel, Professor of History at Sciences Po; Sergei Guriev, Professor of Economics at Sciences Po; Professor Thurid Hustedt, Dean of Graduate Programmes at the Hertie School; Anna Schröder, Deputy Commissioner for Franco-German Cooperation at the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs; and Léonor Guy, Deputy Secretary-General for Franco-German Cooperation at the German Federal Foreign Office.
About the Hertie School
The Hertie School in Berlin prepares exceptional students for leadership positions in government, business and civil society. The school offers master’s programmes, executive education and doctoral programmes, distinguished by interdisciplinary and practice-oriented teaching, as well as outstanding research. Its extensive international network positions it as an ambassador of good governance, characterised by public debate and engagement. The school was founded in 2004 by the Hertie Foundation, which remains its major funder. The Hertie School is accredited by the state and the German Science Council. www.hertie-school.org