IR in Practice

An insight into development cooperation for sustainable development with Dr Inge Baumgarten (GIZ)

Photo: GIZ Moreira   YJEA: Hello Dr Baumgarten, it’s very nice to have you! I would like to introduce you shortly to our readers before going right into the interview: You have worked for the GIZ, the German development agency, for quite some years now. Your focus has been on health issues in Africa, where you directed the GIZ Office to the African Union until earlier this year. Now you serve as Director of the Office in Togo. Baumgarten: Thank you very much for the honour of this interview! This […]

Political Economy

From the BRI to the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment: Catching Up to the Global Investment Gap

Photo: Denys Nevozhai | Unsplash By: Angelo Krüger   On 26. June 2022, the world’s most advanced economies – the G7 – announced a $600 bn. infrastructure investment initiative primarily to counter China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). While the 2013 announcement of the BRI was initially deemed inefficient or infeasible, Beijing successfully put in motion its estimated $1tn. dollar plan to invest abroad, at least until the Covid-19 pandemic put an early stop to most activities in the world economy. With the new Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment, the Group of Seven […]

Awareness Days

International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace – Interview with Dr Kathryn Lavelle

Photo: Mathias Reding | Unsplash 24th April 2022 marks the 3rd International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace. We had the chance to talk to Dr Kathryn Lavelle, author of “The Challenges of Multilateralism” about the topic. She gave us insights into the history as well as the developments of multilateralism and its challenges.   YJEA: Multilateralism is a buzzword that every International Relations or Political Science student has heard of. But what does multilateralism entail beyond the cooperation of multiple countries and what are the benefits of this […]

Foreign, Security and Defence Policy

#shorts: What does IR have to say about the war in Ukraine? (with Prof Karen E. Smith)

Photo: Max Kukurudziak | Unsplash   #shorts is an attempt to get researchers’ perspectives on current pressing issues in EU Politics when there is short notice and little time. Read our first #shorts with Prof Karen E. Smith (LSE) on Russian President Putin’s war against Ukraine.   How would you use the tools of IR to explain what is going on? International Relations (the area of study) offers numerous ways to try to understand and explain the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the responses to it by outsiders. The invasion […]

European Public Policy, Guest Articles

Barely addressed but highly important: Migration Camps

Photo: Salah Darwish | Unsplash Guest Author: Paulina Matt Paulina Matt studies International Relations at the Central European University with a focus on International Political Economy, Development and Refugee Policy.   The new EU Pact on Migration and Asylum offers an ambitious framework for dealing with high immigration numbers. However, it does not dedicate one single sentence to the poor conditions in migration camps. The influx of migrants is a major challenge for the European Union (EU)[i]. In 2020, more than 80 million people were forcibly displaced worldwide[ii], with over […]

European Public Policy

The most fundamental rights: Queer refugees in the European Asylum System

Photo: Anastasiia Chepinska | Unsplash Author: Alina Mehrens   It’s the end of the pride month. So, as we watch the rainbows being taken down from corporate logos, sidewalks and the flagpoles in front of public offices, it’s worth discussing how much of a safe haven Europe actually is for LGBTQ+ refugees seeking asylum from persecution in their country of origin. Going from big to small, I want to first take a look at the changing judicature at the European Court of Justice and European Court of Human Rights relating […]

IR in Science

Making Papers Publishable – The Role of Research Designs

A little while ago, we spoke to Dr Nele Kortendiek about her work, how she approaches research designs and what students should be aware of when carving out a research idea. This interview with Prof Lisbeth Zimmermann from Zeppelin University is the second part of our series on research design and will provide you will valuable insights for your next paper.   YJEA: You mainly do research in the field of multilateral cooperation and international norms and institutions. Why are you particularly interested in these topics? Zimmermann: They are the […]

Guest Articles

Is the European Court of Human Rights going too far in expanding the scope of certain rights under the Convention?

Photo: WilliamCho | Pixabay Guest author: Margarida Luciano Martins   Introduction In this short paper I intend, to the best of my legal and research abilities, to analyse the issue of the expansion of the scope of some European Convention on Human Rights (henceforth mentioned as ECHR or the Convention) rights by the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR, the Court or the Strasbourg Court), and evaluate whether the Court is overstepping its competences in its evolutive and dynamic approach on human rights protection or if its action is legitimate, […]

IR in Science

You are not there for the research design, the research design is there for you.

Moving on in the research process, we talked to Nele Kortendiek from the Zeppelin University about research design and methods. In this interview, we gained insights into what to do and what not when developing your research design as well as in Dr Kortendiek’s current research on civil society contestation of international organisations (IOs).   YJEA: Your field of research lays mainly in international organisations and migration policy. Why are you particularly interested in these topics? Kortendiek: To begin with, I was very much interested in the basic question of […]

Guest Articles

Women Protesters in Belarus and Poland – the key to change?

Photo: Lina Bob | Unsplash Guest Author: Lara Brett Lara Brett is a MA student in Contemporary European Studies at the University of Bath.   2020 was a turbulent time for everyone, but it also saw the amplification of ongoing political upheaval in eastern Europe. In Belarus and Poland, there is growing discord between authoritarian governments and the freedoms demanded by their citizens. In both nations, women have taken a leading role in the protests, but have often faced harsh repercussions. This post aims to highlight the contributions of these […]