Workshop "Fragile Commitments: Stress-testing support for human rights"

From 10-12 April 2024 we are holding a workshop at the MZES as part of our DFG-funded project on support for human rights.

At this workshop the project team (Sabine Carey (University of Mannheim), Katrin Paula (TUM), Rob Johns (University of Southampton), Nadine O’Shea (TUM) ) presents the research design and planned survey experiments. We are excited to discuss our plans with external experts Bert Bakker (University of Amsterdam), Anita Gohdes (Hertie School), and Neil Mitchell (UCL).

Contribution to the Workshop "Wissenschaft meets Außenpolitik" in Berlin

Sabine Carey will participate at the Workshop “Wissenschaft meets Außenpolitik” Deutsche Außenpolitik aus der Sicht der Internationalen Beziehungen on 21/22 March 2024. She will contribute to a panel on civil war and fragile states. The workshop is jointly organized by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Auswärtige Politik, the SCRIPTS Cluster at the Free University of Berlin and the University of Zürich.

Guest lecture at the University of Bergen

Sabine Carey will give a guest lecture at the Challenges in Advanced Democracies (CHAD) Research Group at the Department of Comparative Politics, University of Bergen, on 6th March 2024. She will present her work on perceptions of the police in Northern Ireland, co-authored with Marcela Ibanez (University of Zurich), Eline Drury Løvlien (NTNU), and Marie-Therese Meye (University of Mannheim).

Presenting research on perceptions of police in Northern Ireland

Sabine Carey presented a project on perceptions of the police in Northern Ireland at the Collegio Carlo Alberto in Turin in November 2023. This study investigates how shared community background with police officer and the context of policing shapes perceived effectiveness of the officer, twenty five years after the Northern Ireland peace agreement and after extensive reforms of the police forces.

Discussing German attitudes towards defence spending, security and transatlantic relations.

Sabine Carey is contributing to a discussion about German attitudes towards defence spending on 18 July 2023. Tim Büthe and Joseph Grieco present initial insights from their project “German Public Opinion on Foreign Affairs in Times of Transatlantic Stress”, co-authored with Atsushi Tago (Waseda), Jason Reifler (Exeter) and Thomas Scotto (Glasgow), followed by a discussion with Sabine Carey, Gunther Hellmann (Goethe Universität Frankfurt) and Jeff Rathke (Johns-Hopkins University).

New postdoc position at TU Munich at joint DFG project

For the joint DFG project “Security threats and fragile commitments: Stress-testing German support for human rights at home and abroad” with Prof. Katrin Paula (TUM), we are looking for a postdoctoral research fellow starting 1 Sept.2023. This is a 3-years full-time research position. Application deadline is 24 June 2023. For more details, see the call.

Roundtable on war in Ukraine

Sabine Carey participated in a roundtable on the war in Ukraine, organised by the University of Mannheim on 7 March 2023. The roundtable was moderated by Thomas Fetzer (Law) and included besides Sabine Carey Philipp Gassert (Contemporary History), Marc Helbling (Sociology) and Eckhard Janeba (Economics).

Presentation at the 6th Conference on the Political Economy of Democracy and Dictatorship

Sabine Carey is presenting a joint project with Anita Gohdes and Neil Mitchell at the 6th International Conference on the Political Economy of Democracy and Dictatorship (PEDD) at the University of Münster, 23-25 February 2023. This project asks whether auxiliary armed forces help leaders stay in power. Initial results suggest that while pro-government militias in general do not contribute to leadership tenure, leaders that can rely on auxiliary forces that are directly connected to them stay in power for longer than those without a direct link to such armed group. A direct link seems to signal loyalty more effectively than co-ethnic or co-religious militia forces.

Talk at the Hamburg Empirical Political Science Seminar Series HEPS

On 25 January 2023 Sabine Carey presented a joint research project with Christian Gläßel and Katrin Paula at the Hamburg Empirical Political Science Seminar Series. The study is part of the post-conflict perceptions project. It investigates how anti-government radio in the Terai region of Nepal shaped attitudes towards the police, peaceful activism and perceived chances of future peace several years after the radio ceased transmission.

Congratulations to Felix Olsowski!

CONGRATULATIONS to Felix Olsowski, who passed his viva with flying colours for his doctoral dissertation “Judicial independence in illiberal regimes” on 17 January 2023! In his master piece (with impressive new data on the Philippines!), he shows how leaders in illiberal regimes strategically harness selected benefits of judicial independence while minimising the risks attached to that.

A big “thank you” to Scott Gates and Thomas Bräuninger as additional examiners, and of course to all current and former members of Chair who celebrated this memorable event with us!

Online info session for women about PhD programmes (2023)

I will again hold an informal zoom session for women who are potentially considering pursuing a PhD in political science.

The goals of this session are:

• to provide you with some basic information about the format of PhD programmes/positions (primarily in Europe)

• to provide a save space for you to ask questions

• to put you in a better position for making an informed choice.

Together with Prof. Hanne Fjelde (Uppsala University), and Prof. Emmy Lindstam (IE University in Madrid), who received her PhD from the University of Mannheim last year, we will discuss:

• what to consider when deciding to pursue a PhD, incl. pros & cons of a PhD

• how to look for a suitable PhD programme

and importantly try to answer your questions about pursuing a PhD in political science. Note that we will not provide information about specific funding programmes.

Date: 7th February 2023, 1-2pm CET.

Interested? -> Please email us at info4female.students@uni-mannheim.de by 3rd February and mention whether and where you are enrolled in an MA programme. We will then send you the link to the Zoom room.

I look forward to hearing from you!

New round of the "Publication Support Series"

I am organising a new round of my Publication Support Series. The first one started in April 2021 and connected a fantastic group of women broadly in peace and conflict research.

After this great experience I am issuing a call for a second instalment. This series is intended for female PhD students and early career students in Europe working broadly on empirical questions in the area of conflict, peace and human rights research. The series consists of three online workshops (April 2023, October 2023, January 2024). At the end of the series each participant should be in a position to submit an article to a peer-reviewed journal. 

Interested? Check out the call for application. Deadline for applications 13 March 2023.

Keynote lecture at the annual conference of Rotary International in Mannheim

Sabine Carey gave the keynote lecture at the annual conference of Rotary International, which was held on 12 November in Mannheim. In this lecture, she discussed “unintended consequences” of various tools designed to prevent the use of state repression.