Brigitte Pircher

Associate Professor in Political Science focusing on European studies; Programme Coordinator for the European Studies Programme (‘Europaprogrammet’); Representative of the SNES (Swedish Network for European Studies in Political Science).

My research focuses on European Union governance and public policy. I am especially interested in how EU rules are shaped, contested, and implemented under conditions of crisis, complexity, and institutional change, and what this implies for democratic legitimacy, differentiation, and policy outcomes across member states.​

​Currently, I am a work package leader in the EU Horizon-funded project SUPA (Sustaining Public Administration in Modern Democracies) External link, opens in new window., which examines how advanced democracies can reduce administrative overburdening by improving regulatory decision-making and strengthening administrative capacity in the face of ongoing rule growth. My work package focuses on the design and effectiveness of rule-offsetting mechanisms.

My work has appeared in renowned journals, including the European Journal of Political Research, West European Politics, Journal of European Public Policy, Journal of Common Market Studies, European Union Politics, Journal of European Social Policy, ILR Review, Social Policy & Administration, Politics and Governance, and Journal of European Integration, among others.

Before joining Södertörn University in 2024, I was employed at Linnaeus University and held research positions at Copenhagen Business School and the University of Vienna, where I completed my PhD. Prior to academia, I worked in the European Parliament as a policy adviser, as well as in conflict management, community work, and academic publishing in Vienna.

Google Scholar External link, opens in new window.
ORCID External link, opens in new window.
Personal website External link, opens in new window.

Peer-reviewed journal articles:

• Loxbo, Karl & Brigitte Pircher (2026), 'European Integration and Transformed Parliamentary Opposition: Evidence from Five Decades of Legislative Politics', European Journal of Political Research, 1-22, https://doi.org/10.1017/S1475676526100711 External link, opens in new window..
• Loxbo, Karl & Brigitte Pircher (2025), ‘Complexity meets flexibility: unintended differentiation in EU public procurement’, Journal of European Public Policy, 32(11): 2714–2740.
• Munta, Mario, Pircher, Brigitte & Sonja Bekker (2024), ‘Ownership of national recovery plans: next generation EU and democratic legitimacy’, Journal of European Public Policy, 31(11): 3787-3811.
• Pircher, Brigitte, de la Porte, Caroline & Dorota Szelewa (2024), ‘Actors, costs and values: the implementation of the Work-Life Balance Directive’, West European Politics, 47(3): 543-568.
• Im, Zhen J., Larsen, Trine P. & Brigitte Pircher (2024), ‘European Social Dialogues: Shaping EU social policy through parental leave rights’, ILR review, 77(5): 685-715.
• de la Porte, Caroline, Im, Zhen Jie, Pircher, Brigitte, Szelewa Dorota & Nuria Ramos Martin (2023), ‘An examination of ‘instrumental resources’ in earmarked parental leave: The case of the work–life balance directive’, Journal of European Social Policy, 33(5): 525-539.
• Pircher, Brigitte (2023), ‘Compliance with EU law from 1989 until 2018: The Commission’s shift from a normative to a regulative approach, Journal of Common Market Studies, 61 (3): 763-780.
• de la Porte, Caroline, Im, Zhen Jie, Pircher, Brigitte & Dorota Szelewa (2023), ‘The EU's work-life balance directive: Institutional change of father-specific leave across member states’, Social Policy & Administration, 57(4): 549-563.
• Pircher, Brigitte (2022), ‘EU Public Procurement Policy During Covid-19: A Turning Point for Legitimate EU Governance?’, Politics and Governance, 10 (3): 131-142.
• Pircher, Brigitte & Mike Farjam (2021), ‘Oppositional voting in the Council of the EU between 2010 and 2019: Evidence for differentiated politicisation’, European Union Politics, 22 (3): 472-494.
• Pircher, Brigitte & Karl Loxbo (2020), ‘Compliance with EU law in times of disintegration: exploring changes in transposition and enforcement in the EU member states between 1997-2016’, Journal of Common Market Studies, 58 (5): 1270-1287.
• Pircher, Brigitte (2020), ‘EU Public Procurement Policy: The economic crisis as trigger for enhanced harmonisation’, Journal of European Integration, 42 (4): 509-525.
• Pircher, Brigitte (2020), ‘The Council of the EU in times of economic crisis: Policy entrepreneur for the internal market’, Journal of Contemporary European Research, 16 (1): 354-377.
• Pircher, Brigitte (2017), ‘Member states’ opposition in the Council of the European Union and its impacts on the implementation of directives’, Austrian Journal of Political Science, 46 (4): 1-10.

Reports with greater societal impact:

• Pircher, Brigitte (2025), 'Rebalancing EU regulation: Progressive responses to the deregulation push', European Union & Global Dialogue, Bonn: Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung. Link External link, opens in new window.
• Pircher, Brigitte (2024), 'EU Better Regulation: Creating a playing field for businesses at the expense of social and environmental policies'. Vienna, Verlag Arbeiterkammer Wien. 71. Link External link, opens in new window.
• Pircher, Brigitte (2023), 'The EU’s Commission Regulatory Scrutiny Board: better regulation or biased influence on legislation?' Vienna, AK Wien, Abteilung Europa und Internationales und Lobby Control. 52. Link External link, opens in new window.
• Nuria Ramos Martín,... Brigitte Pircher, & Dorota Szelewa. (2023), 'Health and safety at work: achievements, shortcomings, and policy options'. Genève, European Commission, Zenodo. Link External link, opens in new window.
• De La Porte, Caroline, Im, Zhen J., Pircher, Brigitte, Szelewa, Dorota, Ramos, Nuria, et al. (2022), 'Strengthening European social rights via the work-life balance directive?' Genève, European Commission, zenodo. 88. Link External link, opens in new window.

Books and book chapters:

• Karlsson, Charlie, Silander, Daniel & Pircher, Brigitte (2019). Smart, Sustainable and Inclusive Growth: Political Entrepreneurship for a prosperous Europe. Cheltenham, Edward Elgar Publishing. 272.
  
• Pircher, Brigitte (2019). Policy-Making in the European Council and the Council of the EU on Europe 2020: The Presidency Effect. Smart, Sustainable and Inclusive Growth: Political Entrepreneurship for a prosperous Europe. Cheltenham, Edward Elgar Publishing. 55-74.
• Pircher, Brigitte (2019). Local and Regional Involvement in Europe 2020: A Success Story?. Smart, Sustainable and Inclusive Growth: Political Entrepreneurship for a prosperous Europe. Cheltenham, Edward Elgar Publishing. 93-108.
  
• Pircher, Brigitte (2018). Entrepreneurship policy in the Council of the EU: Reaching Consensus among Member States?. Governance and Political Entrepreneurship in Europe: Promoting Growth and Welfare in Times of Crisis. Cheltenham, Edward Elgar Publishing, pp. 82-99.
  
• Pircher, Brigitte (2018). Debating the economic crisis in the European Parliament: Enriching the discourse. Governance and Political Entrepreneurship in Europe: Promoting Growth and Welfare in Times of Crisis. Cheltenham, Edward Elgar Publishing, pp. 100-120.

Popular science contribution

• Pircher, Brigitte (2024), Bessere Rechtsetzung in der EU: Unternehmenswünsche im Fokus: Gesellschaftspolitische Standards in Gefahr, Infobrief EU & International, Vol. 4, s. 2-5, Link External link, opens in new window.
• Pircher, Brigitte (2024), „Bessere“ EU-Rechtsetzung? Vorrang für Unter­nehmen vor gesellschaft­lichen Interessen, A& W Blog, Link External link, opens in new window.
• Pircher, Brigitte (2024), ​‘Better regulation’? Capital first, society second, Social Europe, Link External link, opens in new window.
• Pircher, Brigitte (2023), 'Der EU-Ausschuss für Regulierungskontrolle : Ein unscheinbares Gremium mit großem Einfluss auf die EU-Gesetzgebung', Infobrief EU & International. 2. 7-11, Link External link, opens in new window.
• Pircher, Brigitte (2023), 'Das Regulatory Scrutiny Board: Wie groß ist der Einfluss auf die EU Gesetzgebung?', AK Österreich and ÖGB, Link External link, opens in new window.
• Pircher, Brigitte (2021), 'How differentiated politicisation affects voting behaviour in the Council of the European Union', London School of Economics and Political Science. Link External link.
• Pircher, Brigitte (2021), 'Compliance with EU law in times of European disintegration', UACES (University Association for Contemporary European Studies), Blog post on the Research blog of the Research Network on Effective Enforcement of EU Law and policy, Link External link, opens in new window.