Edited Volumes & Special Issues

2026/2027

Special Issue: Advancing the Study of Gender and Political Leadership: Context-Sensitive and Intersectional Approaches
European Journal of Politics and Gender
(10:3)
Co-editors: Josefina Erikson and Henriette Müller


2026

Special Issue: From the Far Right to the Far Left: Women Populist Leaders in Global Perspective
Politics and Governance
Co-editors: Henriette Müller and Pamela Pansardi

  • Submission of Abstracts: 1-15 September 2025

  • Submission of Full Papers: 15-30 March 2026

  • Publication of the Issue: July/December 2026


2025, forthcoming with Oxford University Press

Edited Volume: The European Commission under President Ursula von der Leyen: Gender, Leadership, Policies, and Crises
Co-editors: Gabriele Abels, Johanna Kantola, Emanuela Lombardo, and Henriette Müller

Introduction: The European Commission under President Ursula von der Leyen-A Critical Actorness Approach
Gabriele Abels;Johanna Kantola;Emanuela Lombardo; Henriette Müller

Part I Conceptual and Biographical Approaches to ''A Union of Equality''
1: A ''Union of Equality'': A New Doctrine for the European Union
Agnès Hubert; Sophie Jacquot
2: Words and Deeds?: The von der Leyen Commission's Defense of Equality in Times of Anti-Gender Opposition
Emanuela Lombardo; Lucrecia Rubio Grundell
3: ''Through the Side Door'': Ursula von der Leyen's Unconventional Path to Power
Joyce Marie Mushaben

Part II The von der Leyen Commission: Gender, Structure, and Leadership
4: Political Leadership, (Gender) Equality, and Crises: Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Agenda-Setting
Henriette Müller
5: The Long (and Still Incomplete) March to Gender Parity: von der Leyen I in Historical Perspective
Sara Connolly; Hussein Kassim; Josefine Lynggaard; Andrew Thompson; Pierre Alayrac
6:Von der Leyen's Gender-Balanced Team: A New Way of Operating in the College of Commissioners?
John A. Scherpereel; Michel Mitri; Alida Schreuders
7: Gendering the Interinstitutional Landscape: Relations of the von der Leyen Commission to the European Parliament and the Council
Gabriele Abels;Johanna Kantola

Part III Policies and Politics under the Equality Lens: The Six Priorities of the von der Leyen Commission
8: The European Green Deal Through an Equalities Lens: A Missed Opportunity?
Gill Allwood; Annica Kronsell
9: An Economy that Works for the People: Social and Economic Policy
Paul Copeland; Anna Elomäki
10: A Europe Fit for the Digital Age: Combating Online Violence Against Women
Olga Jurasz
11: Toward a More Gender-Equal EU Migration Policy?: Gender and Sexuality in the New Pact on Migration and Asylum
Amandine Le Bellec; Jane Freedman
12: A Stronger Europe in the World: Is von der Leyen's ''Geopolitical Turn'' Fostering or Hindering Gender Justice?
Hanna L. Mühlenhoff; Toni Haastrup; Roberta Guerrina
13: The Citizenwashing of von der Leyen's ''New Push for European Democracy'': The Conference on the Future of Europe and the Commission's European Citizens' Panels
Alvaro Oleart

Part IV Crises and Responses: The Commission in Turbulent Times
14: Gendering the EU's COVID-19 Pandemic Response: The Recovery and Resilience Facility
Muireann O'Dwyer; Stefanie Wöhl
15: The Commission as a Critical Actor for Strengthening Supranational Rule of Law Enforcement?: The Mixed Record of the von der Leyen Commission
Lisa H. Anders; Sonja Priebus
16: EU Values in Gendered Violence Legislation: The Directive on Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence,
Valentine Berthet; Lise Rolandsen Agustín
17: Facing Unprecedented Challenges: Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Russia's War in Ukraine
Ingeborg Tömmel
18: ''Free to Be Yourself in the EU'': The von der Leyen Commission and LGBTIQ Equality in the Eastern Partnership Countries
Maryna Shevtsova

Part V Looking Ahead: Toward A ''Union of Equality''?
Conclusions: Political Leadership and the Differential von der Leyen Effect in European Policy-Making
Henriette Müller; Michael W. Bauer


Credit: Politics and Governance

 

2022

Edited Volume: Women and Leadership in the European Union
Oxford University Press
Co-editors: Henriette Müller and Ingeborg Tömmel

Here you will find the latest review of our book by Petra Ahrens in Gender (2023, 15(2), pp. 148-150):

“Der Band ist kohärent aufgebaut und die einzelnen Kapitel sind theoretisch wie empirisch aufeinander bezogen. Dies liegt nicht zuletzt an der innovativen Theoreti- sierung und Konzeptualisierung eines ‚positional and behavioral leadership‘ durch die beiden Herausgeberinnen im Einführungskapitel, das sämtliche Kapitel strukturiert.” (Ahrens 2023: 148)

Table of Contents
Introduction: The State of Women's Leadership in the European Union
Henriette Müller and Ingeborg Tömmel

Part I: Conceptual Approaches to Women and Leadership in the EU
1. Women and Leadership in the European Union: A Framework for Analysis
Henriette Müller and Ingeborg Tömmel
2. Searching for Agency: Gendering Leadership in European Integration Theory
Gabriele Abels and Heather MacRae

Part II: Accessing Positional Leadership in EU Institutions
3. Women's Positional Leadership in the European Commission: When, Where, and How?
Miriam Hartlapp and Agnes Blome
4. Women's Leadership in the European Parliament: A Long-Term Perspective
Sarah C. Dingler and Jessica Fortin-Rittberger

Part III: Exercising Political Leadership
5. Women and Leadership across the EU Institutions: The Case of Viviane Reding
Michelle Cini
6. Women on Mars: The Two Post-Lisbon High Representatives and EU Foreign Policy on Libya
Maria Giulia Amadio Viceré and Giulia Tercovich
7. Rhetoric and Leadership: A Comparison of Female Vice-Presidents of the European Commission (1999-2019)
Henriette Müller and Pamela Pansardi
8. Gendered Leadership in the European Parliament's Political Groups
Johanna Kantola and Cherry Miller

Part IV: National Leaders in European Arenas
9. Becoming Prime Minister: Women and Executive Power in EU Member States
Karen Beckwith
10. Winning by Spending Leadership Capital? Angela Merkel's Approach to the Refugee and COVID-19 Crises
Femke A. W. J. van Esch and Christoph Erasmy
11. Theresa May's Leadership in Brexit Negotiations: Self-Representation and Media Evaluations
Sandra Eckert and Charlotte Galpin

Part V: Exercising Administrative Leadership
12. A Tightrope Walk? Catherine Day and the Interplay of Political and Administrative Leadership in the European Commission
Ingeborg Tömmel
13. Women EU Multilevel Administration: The Europeanization of Member State Bureaucracies
Eva G. Heidbreder

Part VI: Exercising Expert Leadership
14. The Court of Justice of the European Union, Gender, and Leadership
Jessica Guth
15. Women's Leadership in the European Central Bank
Amy Verdun

Part VII: Looking Ahead: The Future of Women's Leadership in the EU
16. Strategic Leadership: Ursula von der Leyen as President of the European Commission
Henriette Müller and Ingeborg Tömmel

Appendix: Women and Leadership in the European Union

Credit: OUP

 

2020

Credit: WEP

Special Issue: The Role of Leadership in EU Politics and Policy Making
West European Politics (43:5)
Co-editors: Henriette Müller and Femke van Esch

Contributions to the Special Issue:

The Contested Nature of Political Leadership in the European Union: Conceptual and Methodological Cross-Fertilisation
Müller, Henriette, and Femke van Esch, pp. 1051-1071.

The Myth of German Hegemony in the Euro Area Revisited
Schild, Joachim, pp. 1072-1094.

Tracing Leadership: The ECB’s ‚Whatever It Takes‘ and Germany in the Ukraine Crisis
Schoeller, Magnus, pp. 1095-1116.

Collaborative Leadership in EMU Governance: A Matter of Cognitive Proximity
Müller, Henriette, and Femke A.W.J. van Esch, pp. 1117-1140.

Political Leadership in Times of Crisis: The Commission Presidency of Jean-Claude Juncker
Tömmel, Ingeborg, pp. 1141-1162.

Beliefs of Political Leaders: Conditions for Change in the Eurozone Crisis
Swinkels, Marij, pp. 1163-1186.

 

Edited Volumes & Special Issues

2026/2027

Special Issue: Advancing the Study of Gender and Political Leadership: Context-Sensitive and Intersectional Approaches
European Journal of Politics and Gender
(10:3)
Co-editors: Josefina Erikson and Henriette Müller


2026

Special Issue: From the Far Right to the Far Left: Women Populist Leaders in Global Perspective
Politics and Governance
Co-editors: Henriette Müller and Pamela Pansardi

  • Submission of Abstracts: 1-15 September 2025

  • Submission of Full Papers: 15-30 March 2026

  • Publication of the Issue: July/December 2026


2025, forthcoming with Oxford University Press

Edited Volume: The European Commission under President Ursula von der Leyen: Gender, Leadership, Policies, and Crises
Co-editors: Gabriele Abels, Johanna Kantola, Emanuela Lombardo, and Henriette Müller


Credit: Politics and Governance

 

2022

Edited Volume: Women and Leadership in the European Union
Oxford University Press
Co-editors: Henriette Müller and Ingeborg Tömmel

Here you will find the latest review of our book by Petra Ahrens in Gender (2023, 15(2), pp. 148-150):

“Der Band ist kohärent aufgebaut und die einzelnen Kapitel sind theoretisch wie empirisch aufeinander bezogen. Dies liegt nicht zuletzt an der innovativen Theoreti- sierung und Konzeptualisierung eines ‚positional and behavioral leadership‘ durch die beiden Herausgeberinnen im Einführungskapitel, das sämtliche Kapitel strukturiert.” (Ahrens 2023: 148)

Table of Contents
Introduction: The State of Women's Leadership in the European Union
Henriette Müller and Ingeborg Tömmel

Part I: Conceptual Approaches to Women and Leadership in the EU
1. Women and Leadership in the European Union: A Framework for Analysis
Henriette Müller and Ingeborg Tömmel
2. Searching for Agency: Gendering Leadership in European Integration Theory
Gabriele Abels and Heather MacRae

Part II: Accessing Positional Leadership in EU Institutions
3. Women's Positional Leadership in the European Commission: When, Where, and How?
Miriam Hartlapp and Agnes Blome
4. Women's Leadership in the European Parliament: A Long-Term Perspective
Sarah C. Dingler and Jessica Fortin-Rittberger

Part III: Exercising Political Leadership
5. Women and Leadership across the EU Institutions: The Case of Viviane Reding
Michelle Cini
6. Women on Mars: The Two Post-Lisbon High Representatives and EU Foreign Policy on Libya
Maria Giulia Amadio Viceré and Giulia Tercovich
7. Rhetoric and Leadership: A Comparison of Female Vice-Presidents of the European Commission (1999-2019)
Henriette Müller and Pamela Pansardi
8. Gendered Leadership in the European Parliament's Political Groups
Johanna Kantola and Cherry Miller

Part IV: National Leaders in European Arenas
9. Becoming Prime Minister: Women and Executive Power in EU Member States
Karen Beckwith
10. Winning by Spending Leadership Capital? Angela Merkel's Approach to the Refugee and COVID-19 Crises
Femke A. W. J. van Esch and Christoph Erasmy
11. Theresa May's Leadership in Brexit Negotiations: Self-Representation and Media Evaluations
Sandra Eckert and Charlotte Galpin

Part V: Exercising Administrative Leadership
12. A Tightrope Walk? Catherine Day and the Interplay of Political and Administrative Leadership in the European Commission
Ingeborg Tömmel
13. Women EU Multilevel Administration: The Europeanization of Member State Bureaucracies
Eva G. Heidbreder

Part VI: Exercising Expert Leadership
14. The Court of Justice of the European Union, Gender, and Leadership
Jessica Guth
15. Women's Leadership in the European Central Bank
Amy Verdun

Part VII: Looking Ahead: The Future of Women's Leadership in the EU
16. Strategic Leadership: Ursula von der Leyen as President of the European Commission
Henriette Müller and Ingeborg Tömmel

Appendix: Women and Leadership in the European Union

Credit: OUP

 

2020

Credit: WEP

Special Issue: The Role of Leadership in EU Politics and Policy Making
West European Politics (43:5)
Co-editors: Henriette Müller and Femke van Esch

Contributions to the Special Issue:

The Contested Nature of Political Leadership in the European Union: Conceptual and Methodological Cross-Fertilisation
Müller, Henriette, and Femke van Esch, pp. 1051-1071.

The Myth of German Hegemony in the Euro Area Revisited
Schild, Joachim, pp. 1072-1094.

Tracing Leadership: The ECB’s ‚Whatever It Takes‘ and Germany in the Ukraine Crisis
Schoeller, Magnus, pp. 1095-1116.

Collaborative Leadership in EMU Governance: A Matter of Cognitive Proximity
Müller, Henriette, and Femke A.W.J. van Esch, pp. 1117-1140.

Political Leadership in Times of Crisis: The Commission Presidency of Jean-Claude Juncker
Tömmel, Ingeborg, pp. 1141-1162.

Beliefs of Political Leaders: Conditions for Change in the Eurozone Crisis
Swinkels, Marij, pp. 1163-1186.