Berthold Rittberger

Prof. Berthold Rittberger is a Professor of International Relations and Chair at the Geschwister-Scholl-Institute of Political Science, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU). He previously held positions at the Universities of Mannheim and Oxford. His research focuses on EU constitutional politics, integration theory, regulatory governance, and democratic legitimacy. Rittberger co-edits the Journal of European Public Policy and has authored influential works such as Building Europe's Parliament (2005), which won the EUSA Best Dissertation Prize. His recent work examines EU crisis management, blame dynamics in governance, and the evolving liberal international order.

• Education: D.Phil. (Oxford, 2003), M.Sc. European Policy (LSE, 1999), BA (Konstanz, 1996)
• Research Interests: EU integration theory, institutional design, multi-level governance, crisis politics, and democratic accountability.

Rittberger’s scholarship bridges theoretical analysis with empirical studies of EU policies. His 2024 book European Blame Games (Oxford UP) explores accountability mechanisms in EU decision-making, while recent papers address EU agency governance, the Brexit policy fiasco, and the EU’s interactions with international organizations during crises. He advocates for academic freedom and democratic reforms in EU structures, as seen in his 2018 West European Politics special issue on secrecy in EU governance.

Awards: EUSA Best Dissertation Prize (2005), multiple grants from the German Research Foundation (DFG).

Supervised Dissertations: Over 10 doctoral students, including notable academics and professionals in public policy and research.