Jasper Simons

Jasper Simons serves as Assistant Professor of European Governance at Utrecht University School of Governance within the Faculty of Law, Economics and Governance. He is formally affiliated with the Department of Public Administration and Organizational Science, specifically contributing to the Public Governance and Management research group.

His academic foundation includes political science studies specializing in international and comparative political economy at University of Amsterdam, McGill University (Montreal), and Leiden University. He earned his PhD in Social and Political Sciences from the European University Institute in Florence in 2021.

Simons' research critically examines political economy dynamics within European integration, with concentrated focus on Central and Eastern Europe. His work investigates institutional responses to crises through lenses of industrial policy, social policy, and economic development, analyzing tensions between national sovereignty and supranational governance. Methodologically versatile, he employs mixed qualitative-quantitative approaches tailored to complex questions of institutional change and policy adaptation in post-socialist contexts.

Analysis of his 2019-2024 publications reveals consistent thematic threads: pandemic-driven policy innovations, strategic utilization of EU recovery mechanisms, and contested capitalist reconstructions in Visegrád states. His scholarship demonstrates particular expertise in decoding how East-Central European actors navigate dependency relationships while pursuing economic autonomy within EU frameworks.

Prior to his current role, Simons held postdoctoral positions at Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies and lecturing roles at University of Amsterdam. His professional trajectory also includes traineeship at the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), political science instruction at Leiden University, and consultancy experience. He teaches courses including Comparative Analysis of Political Institutions and EU Governance in Practice.