The External

In an analysis of French companies in response to the French Duty of Vigilance Law, Dr. Bernhard Reinsberg and Dr. Christoph Valentin Steinert assess whether compliance with mandatory due diligence laws impacts businesses' profitability. Their findings of their article ' The French duty of vigilance law: reconciling human rights and firm profitability ’ published in the Review of Internati...

In their article, ‘ From Constructive Ambiguity to Escalating Commitment: The Evolution of the Bangladesh Accord as a Transnational Institution for Collective Action ’ in  Administrative Science Quarterly, Juliane Reinecke and Jimmy Donaghey uncover how strategic ambiguity in international agreements can paradoxically strengthen rather than weaken collective action. Their eight-year study of the B...

Research from Dr Aikaterini-Christina Koula at Manchester Metropolitan University reveals how legal systems are increasingly being weaponized to silence human rights defenders, particularly in Europe. Her work introduces a taxonomy of violations perpetrated through the legal system and demonstrates how these tactics deviate from human rights standards, offering valuable insights for academics, pra...

In Episode 23, we are joined by Dr. Nicolás Pose-Ferraro ⁠(University of the Republic of Uruguay) to discuss his 2025 article in the Journal of Common Market Studies , ‘ Between Geopolitics and Political Economy: The European Union–Mercosur Negotiation to Form a Trade Agreement ’, which explores the reasons behind the latest push to conclude the EU-Mercosur agreement and what threatens its complet...

In ‘International Attention and the Protection of Human Rights Defenders: Campaigning for Agents of Change’ (Routledge 2023), Dr. Janika Spannagel  ⁠(Freie Universitat Berlin) seeks to address the question of whether and how international attention can protect and enable domestic human rights activists in authoritarian settings. In episode 22, Janika Spannagel joins the External to discuss the key...

⁠In his new book Europeanization and Informal Networks in Southeastern Europe (2025, Routledge) , Alexander Mesarovich ⁠(European University Institute) considers the impact of political culture, including informal rules which regulate political behaviour, on formal political processes. Exploring the EU accession processes of Slovenia, Croatia, and Serbia, Mesarovich identifies how the working and...

The EU has been widely criticized for its approach to migration. It has been accused of being cynical, negligent and even ‘illiberal’. But are these allegations correct? In episode 20, Michela Ceccorulli and Sonia Lucarelli join the External to discuss the key findings of their recent paper (co-authored with Enrico Fassi) "An illiberal power? EU bordering practices and the liberal international or...

Research by Claudia Ituarte-Lima and Radu Mares at Lund University examines how a pioneering environmental agreement in Latin America and the Caribbean introduces new ways of protecting nature and human rights. Their study reveals both opportunities and challenges in how this regional treaty interacts with European Union trade laws, offering insights into how different regions can work together to...

What effect does the institutional design of international organizations have on their domestic support? In their recent article, Bernd Schlipphak ,  Constantin Schäfer  &  Oliver Treib  focus on interactions between citizens’ social identity and institutional characteristics that may have the potential to polarize citizens’ attitudes owardnational organizations.   This podcast summarizes the...

Episode 17 Voluntary Sustainability Standards have emerged as influential tools to promote sustainable practices in global value chains and are becoming increasingly relevant in the context of new legislation by the European Union and other governments for the promotion of sustainable development. A comprehensive review led by Axel Marx at KU Leuven examines the evolution, impacts, and challenges...

Can leadership within the European Commission shape the EU's response to global crises?   In Episode 16, The External explores the decisive leadership of Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, during the first ten weeks of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. It features the insights from the research of Professor Elena Baracani (University of Bologna) on how von der Leyen&#3...

The European Parliament has the ability to play a key role in shaping the European Union's international agreements. But how exactly does it get involved in these complex negotiations? Researcher Marine Bardou from the University of Louvain has conducted a comprehensive study to answer this question, revealing surprising patterns in the Parliament's activities.

Is Europe effectively leveraging Chinese investments to enhance its strategic interests within the liberal international order?   In Episode 14, The External discusses the political intricacies of Chinese investments in Europe with Jappe Eckhardt, co-editor of Rising Power, Limited Influence: The Politics of Chinese Investments in Europe and the Liberal International Order . The interview explores...

Is EU trade policy primarily a market tool or a geopolitical instrument? In Episode 13, we delve into the complex interplay between market objectives and geopolitical strategies in EU trade policy, guided by research from Dr. Andrea Christou and Professor Chad Damro at the University of Edinburgh. Their study, featured in the Journal of Common Market Studies , investigates the extent to which the...

Is there a ‘Brussels effect’ through international investment dynamics? In Episode 12, The External provides insights from a recent article in Labour - Review of Labour Economics and Industrial Relations by Dr Patrick Wagner (University of Konstanz) and Professor Damian Raess (Catholic University of Lille) which investigates whether Brazilian direct investment in Europe leads to improved working c...

Are identity politics preventing the upgrading of supranational institutions as part of the EU’s response to the War in Ukraine? In Episode 11, The External provides an overview of a recent article in  Journal of Common Market Studies  by Professor  Tanja Börzel (Freie Universität Berlin) considering the reasons why member states have upgraded common interests in supporting Ukraine without grantin...

International organizations change over time, expanding into new areas and abandoning original programmes of work. But are these changes always at the behest of member states? In Episode 10, The External brings in Dr. Kseniya Oksamytna (City, University of London) to discuss the key findings of her new book Advocacy and Change in International Organizations: Communication, Protection, and Reconstr...

In a changing geopolitical landscape, the EU and its member states have introduced novel mechanisms for screening foreign direct investment for national security risks. In Episode 9, The External provides an overview of a recent article in Global Policy by Professor Sarah Bauerle Danzman (Indiana University) and Professor Sophie Meunier (Princeton University) exploring the factors that explain the...

The high seas, the polar regions, the atmosphere, outer space, and cyberspace... these areas beyond national jurisdiction have become increasingly contested, especially in an era of rising geopolitics. What role does the EU play in the governance of these areas? In Episode 8, The External is joined by Professor Joris Larik and Professor Simon Schunz who discuss the growing importance and contestat...

While the COVID-19 crisis had an economic impact worldwide, different states and regions responded with different macroeconomic policies and with very different results. In Episode 7, The External is joined by Prof Bernadette Andreosso-O'Callaghan and Prof Woosik Moon who compare these different global responses and discuss the key results from their edited volume Economic Policy and the Covid...

What role do multinational corporations play in African regional political and economic intregration? In Episode 6, the External provides an overview of the recent article by Dr Mpumelelo Mkhabela and Professor Christopher Changwe Nshimbi published in the Journal of African Business , '‘ Post-Apartheid South Africa and African Continental Integration: The Contribution of South African Multinat...

Can changes to British foreign policy be understood as an outcome of factional politics that divided the Conservative Party during the Brexit negotiations? In Episode 5, the External is joined by Benjamin Martill, who argues that the defeat of Teresa May’s Withdrawal Agreement brought to power a pro-Brexit faction with a distinct foreign policy worldview and incentives to demonstrate a cleaner bre...

National and subnational parliaments are increasingly taking up a role in regional trade negotiations, which has implications for the final negotiation outcomes. The parliamentary engagement with the EU-Mercosur Association Agreement may be a deciding factor in the agreement's future. In Episode 4, the External is joined by Bruno Luciano from the Université libre de Bruxelles and Cairo Junquei...

Individual US states engage in their own diplomatic efforts towards the EU - Illinois even has an office in Brussels - but they do so in different ways and for different reasons. This episode dives into this long-standing but under-researched practice. This episode brings in Maria Helena Guimaraes (University of Minho) and Michelle Egan (American University) to discuss their article (co-authored w...