Elites, Expertise, and Policy Instruments Shaping the Public-Private Intersection
27th – 30th of August 2025 at Le Moulin d’Andé
Coordinators :
- Benjamin Lemoine (CMH, CNRS)
- Marte Mangset (Norwegian University Centre, University of Oslo)
- Antoine Vauchez (CESSP, CNRS)
Organized with the support of CESSP, CMH, the Norwegian University Centre and Labex Tepsis
Existing scholarship studying the public-private intersection interrogates how states, markets, and professionals co-construct governance, authority, and expertise. This field further seeks to understand the reconfiguration of state functions and sovereignty under contemporary pressures of marketization, financialization, and professionalization, as well as the character of persisting and changing power relations between the political and the economic sphere. Examples of research questions that are central in this field and that will be discussed during the summer school are:
- How are state functions redefined at the public-private boundary?
Researchers investigate how state actions—such as privatization, outsourcing, and public procurement—are structured through technical and legal frameworks that blur the line between public accountability and private interest (Lemoine, Pistor). - What roles do professionals play in shaping state governance?
A critical focus is placed on « money professionals » such as consultants, corporate lawyers, and financial advisors. These actors wield significant influence over state decision-making and regulatory design, often acting as intermediaries between public entities and private markets (Seabrooke, Mangset). - How do elite circulations affect public-private dynamics?
The concept of « revolving doors » examines how the mobility of professionals between public office and private enterprise reshapes institutional norms, regulatory frameworks, and governance models, creating a porous boundary between state and market (Vauchez, Woll). - How does global financialization reshape state sovereignty?
States increasingly operate as financial actors—issuing debt, managing sovereign wealth funds, and engaging in capital markets. This raises questions about how financial logics and global standards redefine the traditional functions and autonomy of states (Ban, Pistor). - How do institutional frameworks vary across national contexts?
Comparative studies highlight the diversity of public-private governance models, exploring how legal, political, and cultural factors shape the regulation and understanding of this boundary (Surak, Louis).
The wide range of sub-themes will during the summer school be structured along three axes:
- Public-Private Circulation of Elites: Examining the roles of revolving doors, institutional porosity, and regulatory frameworks in managing the intersection of public and private spheres.
- Money Professionals and Sovereignty: Analyzing the influence of consultants, investors, and legal experts in reshaping state authority and policy.
- The State as a Financial Actor in a Global World: Investigating how states navigate roles as debt issuers, investors, and financial actors within globalized financial systems.
These themes will be explored through a combination of plenary sessions, workshops, and interactive discussions, fostering a collaborative and in-depth learning environment.
Venue: Moulin d’Andé
Keynotes : Cornel Ban (Copenhagen Business School), Kristin Surak (London School of Economics), Anna Tyllström (Institute for Futures Studies / Uppsala University),
Participants : Pablo Aubert-Lacombe (ENS, CMH), Emilien Debaere (Univ. Aix-Marseille, Mesopolhis), Julian Gómez Delgado (New School for Social Research), Hugo Souza (Ehess), Manuel Rolland (Cessp, Ehess), Virginie Blum (EM Business school Lyon), Ana Carolina Dell Agnol (Oxford Univ.), Marte Lund Saga (Univ. of Oslo), Tatiana de Feraudy (Cessp, Univ. Paris 1-Sorbonne), Maxime Royoux (CENS), Helle Staven (Univ. d’Oslo), Anna Zech (Cessp, Univ. Paris 1-Sorbonne), Marlène Rosano-Grange (Printemps, Université de Versailles-Saint Quentin), Silien Colin (Irisso, Univ. Dauphine), Pablo Cussac (Ceraps, Univ. de Lille)
Program
August 27, 2025
Work begins at 3:00 p.m.
Opening Remarks : Antoine Vauchez, Benjamin Lemoine, Marte Mangset
3:30 p.m. Session 1 – Public-Private Deals: Laws and the Regulation of Boundaries
Introductory remarks by Antoine Vauchez
3:45 p.m. Keynote 1 – Kristin Surak (London School of Economics)
4:30–6:00 p.m. Discussion with participants
Evening
Dinner and informal gathering
August 28, 2025
9:15 a.m. Session 1 (continued): Regulation of the Public-Private Boundary
First Round of Participant Presentations
Discussion led by Kristin Surak and participants
12:30 – 2:00 p.m.
Lunch break
2:00–2:15 p.m.
Session 2. Public-Private Professionals: Revolving Doors and Shifting Jurisdictions
Introductory remarks by Marte Mangset
3:00 p.m.
Keynote 2 – Anna Tyllström (Institute for Futures Studies / Uppsala University)
3:45–4:00 p.m.
Break
4:00–5:30 p.m.
Discussion
Evening
Dinner and documentary screening
August 29, 2025
9:15 a.m.–12:30 p.m. Session 2 (continued): Public-Private Professionals
Second Round of Participant Presentations
Discussion led by Anna Tyllström and participants
12:30–2:00 p.m.
Lunch break
2:00–2:15 p.m.
Session 3 – Introduction
Fractions of the State and Capital Markets
Introductory remarks by Benjamin Lemoine
3:00 p.m.
Keynote 3 – Cornel Ban (Copenhagen Business School)
3:45–4:00 p.m.
Break
4:00–5:30 p.m.
Discussion
Evening
Dinner and informal gathering
August 30, 2025
9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Session 3 (continued): Fractions of the State and Capital Markets
Third Round of Participant Presentations
12:00–1:00 p.m.
General discussion and closing remarks
