International Political Economy

Our research interests span a broad spectrum of the discipline, with particular strengths in the fields of conflict analysis and resolution, political theory and European politics. The strength of the School’s research culture is reflected in the numerous books and articles published and in the existence of its three core research groups: Conflict, Security and Human Rights; Comparative Politics; and Political and Social Thought.

Critical Social Theory 

Political action spans from fixing glitches in the smooth functioning of the system to rendering the unthinkable thinkable. Our job is strictly the latter - to discern available opportunities for a less unjust world, and fashion arguments to make these changes politically thinkable and socially feasible. Drawing on various trajectories of critical theory (i.e. as originated by the Frankfurt School, Michel Foucault, the Critical Legal Studies movement, and the British School of IPE), our cluster of scholars works on contemporary social phenomena while seeking to discern emancipatory perspectives of social criticism, citizen mobilisation and political reform. The thematic scope of our research extends from religion to capitalism, security and development policies. 

Fragmentation and Contestation in the International Law of Armed Conflict 

Research in International Law at the BSIS is clustered around questions that engage the performative significance of the International Law of Armed Conflict within a context of institutional and interpretative fragmentation. The focus of this research theme is accordingly on the overlap and contestation between various international law regimes – international humanitarian law, international criminal law, international human rights law – and how they come to interact with, influence and potentially govern situations of actual or emerging global conflict. Special attention is directed at the role of practice and how regimes of international law become used not only by states but also by non-state actors and international lawyers. In this way, the International Law of Armed Conflict is understood as a historic but no less dynamic project situated at the intersection of normative ideals and an evolving professional practice. 

Migration in Global Politics 

Migration is one of the most politicised topics in the world, but the study of migration is a multi-faceted, dynamic and interdisciplinary field engaging with a range of topics. How and why do diaspora members engage politically in their countries of origin? What integration strategies do stigmatised and vulnerable migrant groups develop? What is, for instance, the impact of Islamophobia on Muslim migrants? How do states react to, and shape, migrant integration? What patterns of citizenship acquisition and renunciation can we identify? Researchers in this cluster study not only movement – migration – but also integration and, closely linked to integration, citizenship. The research in this cluster focuses on: 

Political engagement of diasporas in their countries of origin; Identity formation of migrants and diasporas, both with respect to countries of origin and destination; Migrant integration in countries of destination; Migration as a survival strategy. 

Political Violence, Security Governance and Development 

This cluster focuses on social and political dynamics leading to war and peace, and, crucially, what is in between. It studies insurgency formation, states’ security governance policies, temporary rebel orders, peace processes as well as foreign intervention in its many guises, violent and non-violent. We also pay close attention to how securitisation agendas are articulated for more classic development interventions in the Global South. Our research covers various geographical areas such as Pakistan, Afghanistan, the Middle East, the Sahel region and Madagascar. 

Russia, the EU and the neighbourhood 

The end of the Cold War has resulted in the eastward extension of Euro-Atlantic structures, mainly the European Union and NATO. Yet, it has left fundamental questions unresolved, in particular the position of Russia in Europe and the position of former Soviet states in between. Despite attempts to establish a Strategic Partnership, relations between the EU and Russia got entangled in a logic of competition and mistrust. With the crisis over Ukraine they derailed into confrontation and deep crisis.  This research theme seeks to understand the dynamics of this process by taking a critical look at the foreign policies of the EU and Russia, their interaction and the role of the neighbouring states themselves. It explores the nature of different integration initiatives and the role of perceptions. More specifically the research focus is on these aspects: EU-Russia relations Russian foreign policy EU foreign policy European Neighbourhood Policy / Eastern Partnership EU enlargement Eurasian Economic Union Energy relations Power and identity Democracy promotion and normative hegemony. 

Security, Identity, Memory 

What is the relationship between security and identity? How can historical grievances become the subject of contemporary foreign and security policies? Why do states and nations seek to defend their historical memory by means of law at times? How might the legal framing of public remembrance infringe upon freedom of speech and freedom of association? What are the ethical pitfalls of countering contemporary hybrid threats? This research cluster is situated at the intersection of various distinct research fields: International (and Global) Security, International Relations Theory, Critical Social Theory, Transitional Justice and Memory Studies. More specifically, the research focus is on these aspects: Ontological security (security of being) Memory wars and memory laws in Europe     Legitimacy and radical critique of contemporary security policies Critical geopolitics EU and NATO security governance 

Social Justice and the Reconfiguration of Capitalism in the European Union 

As societies are becoming ever more tightly entangled in the network of globally integrated markets, issues of justice not only emerge with renewed urgency: they change, reflecting the changing nature of capitalism. Our research charts the dynamics of this change by relating narratives of European integration to new modalities of post-neoliberal capitalism, and the plethora of social afflictions and policy paradoxes these have engendered. We also chart the matrix of effective governance in this context by articulating a ‘political economy of trust’ aiming to reconfigure state-economy relations so as to attenuate the increasing social uncertainty we hold to be at the root of social pathologies (such as growing inequalities and the rise of xenophobia).