Aims and Central Research Question
The group’s research focuses on three aspects:
- We examine the consequences of climate change for individuals in developing countries and investigate whether climate change induced environmental events have the potential to trigger migration and as a consequence can increase existing inequalities potentially triggering violent conflict.
- We research what determines public support or opposition towards international trade and migration. For instance, do individuals who economically lose from trade nevertheless view trade agreements positively if they believe such agreements result in welfare gains for society, e.g., by reducing inequality?
- We analyze the consequences of different design options of international cooperation efforts. Here we investigate whether countries in the Global South can rely on strict environmental clauses in their trade agreements to successfully counteract the potential negative effects that further economic liberalization might have for the natural environment.
Background
The group’s research centers on several distinct yet interrelated facets of international politics with a specific focus on questions relating to political economy thereby approaching the topic of inequality from various angles.
Methods
- Survey experiments
- Event data analysis
- Time-series-cross-section analysis
Project partner
Prof. Tobias Böhmelt (University of Essex)
Tobias Böhmelt is Professor in the Department of Government at the University of Essex. Find more information about Thomas Böhmelt here.
Prof. Susanna Campbell (American University)
Susanna Campbell is Assistant Professor in the School of International Service at American University. Find more about Susanna Campbell.
Prof. Vally Koubi (ETH Zurich)
Vally Koubi is Professor and Senior Scientist at the Center for Comparative and International Studies (CIS) at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH), and a professor at the Institute of Economics at the University of Bern. Find more information about Vallly Koubi here.
Prof. Lisa Lechner (University of Innsbruck)
Lisa Lechner is Assistant Professor in Political Science Methodology at the University of Innsbruck. Find more information about Lisa Lechner here.
Prof. Quynh Nguyen (Wyss Academy for Nature)
Quynh Nguyen is a professor of Environmental Governance and Global Development at the Wyss Academy for Nature at the University of Bern. Find more information about Quynh Nguyen here
Prof. Lena Schaffer (University of Lucerne)
Lena Schaffer is Assistant Professor for Political Science and International and Transnational Relations at the University of Lucerne. Find more information about Lena Schaffer here.
Literature
Publications
Jansesberger, V., 2024. Sudden weather disasters as triggers for ethnic protest in autocracies?. Political Geography, 113, p.103163.
Nguyen, Q, Spilker, G., Koubi, V. and Böhmelt, T., 2024. How sudden-versus slow-onset environmental events affect self-identification as an environmental migrant: Evidence from Vietnamese and Kenyan survey data. Plos one, 19(1), e0297079.
Rhein, S. and Jansesberger, V., 2024. Does drought exposure erode trust in the political system in Sub-Saharan Africa?. Climatic Change, 177(7), p.114.
Raess, D. and Wagner, P., 2024. The “Social Europe” effect: Does southern foreign direct investment in Europe improve labor rights in the Global South?. International Interactions, 50(2), pp.209-242.
Schönhage, N. L., Wieland, T., Bellani, L., & Spilker, G., 2024. Can the court bridge the gap? Public perception of economic vs. generational inequalities in climate change mitigation policies. Environmental Research Letters.
Strauch, R., 2023. Public opinion effects of digital state repression: How internet outages shape government evaluation in Africa. Journal of Information Technology & Politics, 1-14.
Wagner, P. and Raess, D., 2023. South to north investment linkages and decent work in Brazil. Labour, 37(1), pp.122-159.
Campbell, S. and Spilker, G., 2022. Aiding War or Peace? The Insiders’ View on Aid to Post-conflict Transitions. Journal of Politics 84(3): 1370-1383.
Koubi, V., Böhmelt, T., Spilker, G. and Schaffer, L., 2022. Climate events and the role of adaptive capacity for (im-)mobility. Population and Environment 43: 367–392
Lechner, L. and Spilker, G., 2022. Taking it Seriously: Commitments to the Environment in South-South Preferential Trade Agreements. Environmental Politics 31(6): 1058-1080.
Strauch, R., & Weidmann, N. B., 2022. Protest and digital adaptation. Research & Politics, 9(2), 20531680221100440.
Koubi, V., Nguyen, Q., Koubi, V., Böhmelt, T. and Spilker, G., 2021. Environmental Migrants and Social Movement Participation. Journal of Peace Research 58(1): 18-32.
Spilker, G., Nguyen, Q., Koubi, V. and Böhmelt, T., 2020. Attitudes of Urban Residents toward Environmental Migration in Kenya and Vietnam. Nature Climate Change 10: 622-627.