I am Senior Lecturer in IR at Stockholm University. My research interests include: EU foreign policy, European Neighbourhood Policy, climate governance, human rights promotion and authoritarian diffusion.
Journal of contemporary Central and Eastern Europe, May 18, 2021
The Eastern Partnership (EaP) cooperation framework between six eastern European neighbours and t... more The Eastern Partnership (EaP) cooperation framework between six eastern European neighbours and the EU has long been seen by the Kremlin as the EU’s attempt to undermine Russia’s influence in its s...
Existing research typically sees European Union (EU) development co‐operation as one of its tools... more Existing research typically sees European Union (EU) development co‐operation as one of its tools for influencing third countries. By contrast, in focusing on technical assistance as a part of EU development co‐operation, this article examines third countries' influence on this co‐operation. The article builds on unique data on the EU's technical assistance to third countries and third countries' requests for technical assistance from the largest EU technical assistance instrument – the Technical Assistance and Information Exchange. The findings demonstrate that third countries are selective in the assistance that they request and that via such requests third countries can influence the extent of technical co‐operation with the EU. The article provides a novel outside‐in perspective on the EU's development co‐operation and contributes to our understanding of how the EU's technical assistance functions.
There is increasing public debate about the governance of climate change and its repercussions fo... more There is increasing public debate about the governance of climate change and its repercussions for nature and human livelihoods. In today's digitalized communication landscape, both public and private actors involved in climate change governance use social media to provide information and to interact with stakeholders and the broader public. This Focus Article discusses two main aspects of debates about climate change and climate governance on Twitter, which previous theories suggest to shape climate governance across domestic and global levels: non-state climate action and public opinion formation on the social media. We see significant advancement in the environmental social sciences studying these two areas. Yet, we also see the need for a better understanding of how public and private actors in the climate governance complex interact on Twitter, and how these actors shape, and are shaped by, experiences, values, and positions. This understanding will help to advance climate governance theories. This article proceeds in three steps. We first discuss previous social media research on non-state climate action and public opinion formation related to climate change and its governance. Then we sketch avenues for future research, elaborating how Twitter data might be used to investigate how non-state climate action and public opinion formation on social media are linked to and influence climate governance. We conclude by making the case for drawing together Twitter data and climate governance research into a more coherent research agenda.
The European Union (EU) is increasingly relying on regional policy networks to govern climate cha... more The European Union (EU) is increasingly relying on regional policy networks to govern climate change outside its borders, both in the areas of climate change adaptation and mitigation. Although the functioning of such policy networks has consequences for climate policy in participating countries, little is known about the role of such networks. This article focuses on the example of climate cooperation with the European Neighbourhood Policy region, conceptualizing the EU as a network manager. Using a novel dataset on climate networks in the European Neighbourhood Policy region for the period 2013-2017, we show that the EU uses climate networks for multiple purposes. The results suggest that the EU uses climate networks not only to mitigate the risks associated with climate change, but also to manage varying contexts in the region.
What influences the European Union’s (EU’s) policy towards human rights abuse in third countries?... more What influences the European Union’s (EU’s) policy towards human rights abuse in third countries? What effects do the EU’s punitive measures have on the subsequent human rights situation? In literature, there is no consensus about the effects of such an instrument; moreover, scholars often question the consistency of its application in regions where the EU has strong strategic interests. Utilizing time-series cross-section analysis of twelve former Soviet republics over two decades, the present article demonstrates that the severity of imposed measures is guided by the actual human rights situation, and the presence of competing interests does not determine their intensity. Additionally, coercive measures are shown to have a positive effect on the subsequent human rights situation. At the same time, competing interests of the EU prove able to undermine the instrument’s ex-ante credibility and, thereby, limit its potential impact.
Abstract By focusing on the role of, and interplay between, external actors and domestic factors,... more Abstract By focusing on the role of, and interplay between, external actors and domestic factors, the present essay explores the evolution of Ukraine’s foreign policy. It argues that this policy has been shaped to a significant degree by positive and negative externalities, being a response to domestic developments as well as external challenges and opportunities. Acknowledging the importance of cost–benefit calculations by domestic actors, the essay does furthermore explore the role of norms and values in forming Ukraine’s foreign policy preferences.
ABSTRACT Since the early 1990s the European Union (EU) has been the largest donor to the post-Sov... more ABSTRACT Since the early 1990s the European Union (EU) has been the largest donor to the post-Soviet states. In the last decade it more than doubled development assistance to the region. One of the major purposes of assistance is human rights promotion. At the same time, it is still an open question whether, and under what conditions, assistance can improve human rights in recipient countries. This study applies time-series cross-section (TSCS) analysis to identify effects of external assistance. Using data from 12 post-Soviet states over 20 years, I show that conditions under which states are more likely to display a positive effect are high state capacity and political conditionality attached to economic cooperation agreements. Whereas, when state capacity is lower, assistance might cause a slight deterioration of the human rights situation. In hybrid regimes, assistance is associated with negative effects, indicating that external assistance might induce deterioration of human rights in such regimes.
Journal of contemporary Central and Eastern Europe, May 18, 2021
The Eastern Partnership (EaP) cooperation framework between six eastern European neighbours and t... more The Eastern Partnership (EaP) cooperation framework between six eastern European neighbours and the EU has long been seen by the Kremlin as the EU’s attempt to undermine Russia’s influence in its s...
Existing research typically sees European Union (EU) development co‐operation as one of its tools... more Existing research typically sees European Union (EU) development co‐operation as one of its tools for influencing third countries. By contrast, in focusing on technical assistance as a part of EU development co‐operation, this article examines third countries' influence on this co‐operation. The article builds on unique data on the EU's technical assistance to third countries and third countries' requests for technical assistance from the largest EU technical assistance instrument – the Technical Assistance and Information Exchange. The findings demonstrate that third countries are selective in the assistance that they request and that via such requests third countries can influence the extent of technical co‐operation with the EU. The article provides a novel outside‐in perspective on the EU's development co‐operation and contributes to our understanding of how the EU's technical assistance functions.
There is increasing public debate about the governance of climate change and its repercussions fo... more There is increasing public debate about the governance of climate change and its repercussions for nature and human livelihoods. In today's digitalized communication landscape, both public and private actors involved in climate change governance use social media to provide information and to interact with stakeholders and the broader public. This Focus Article discusses two main aspects of debates about climate change and climate governance on Twitter, which previous theories suggest to shape climate governance across domestic and global levels: non-state climate action and public opinion formation on the social media. We see significant advancement in the environmental social sciences studying these two areas. Yet, we also see the need for a better understanding of how public and private actors in the climate governance complex interact on Twitter, and how these actors shape, and are shaped by, experiences, values, and positions. This understanding will help to advance climate governance theories. This article proceeds in three steps. We first discuss previous social media research on non-state climate action and public opinion formation related to climate change and its governance. Then we sketch avenues for future research, elaborating how Twitter data might be used to investigate how non-state climate action and public opinion formation on social media are linked to and influence climate governance. We conclude by making the case for drawing together Twitter data and climate governance research into a more coherent research agenda.
The European Union (EU) is increasingly relying on regional policy networks to govern climate cha... more The European Union (EU) is increasingly relying on regional policy networks to govern climate change outside its borders, both in the areas of climate change adaptation and mitigation. Although the functioning of such policy networks has consequences for climate policy in participating countries, little is known about the role of such networks. This article focuses on the example of climate cooperation with the European Neighbourhood Policy region, conceptualizing the EU as a network manager. Using a novel dataset on climate networks in the European Neighbourhood Policy region for the period 2013-2017, we show that the EU uses climate networks for multiple purposes. The results suggest that the EU uses climate networks not only to mitigate the risks associated with climate change, but also to manage varying contexts in the region.
What influences the European Union’s (EU’s) policy towards human rights abuse in third countries?... more What influences the European Union’s (EU’s) policy towards human rights abuse in third countries? What effects do the EU’s punitive measures have on the subsequent human rights situation? In literature, there is no consensus about the effects of such an instrument; moreover, scholars often question the consistency of its application in regions where the EU has strong strategic interests. Utilizing time-series cross-section analysis of twelve former Soviet republics over two decades, the present article demonstrates that the severity of imposed measures is guided by the actual human rights situation, and the presence of competing interests does not determine their intensity. Additionally, coercive measures are shown to have a positive effect on the subsequent human rights situation. At the same time, competing interests of the EU prove able to undermine the instrument’s ex-ante credibility and, thereby, limit its potential impact.
Abstract By focusing on the role of, and interplay between, external actors and domestic factors,... more Abstract By focusing on the role of, and interplay between, external actors and domestic factors, the present essay explores the evolution of Ukraine’s foreign policy. It argues that this policy has been shaped to a significant degree by positive and negative externalities, being a response to domestic developments as well as external challenges and opportunities. Acknowledging the importance of cost–benefit calculations by domestic actors, the essay does furthermore explore the role of norms and values in forming Ukraine’s foreign policy preferences.
ABSTRACT Since the early 1990s the European Union (EU) has been the largest donor to the post-Sov... more ABSTRACT Since the early 1990s the European Union (EU) has been the largest donor to the post-Soviet states. In the last decade it more than doubled development assistance to the region. One of the major purposes of assistance is human rights promotion. At the same time, it is still an open question whether, and under what conditions, assistance can improve human rights in recipient countries. This study applies time-series cross-section (TSCS) analysis to identify effects of external assistance. Using data from 12 post-Soviet states over 20 years, I show that conditions under which states are more likely to display a positive effect are high state capacity and political conditionality attached to economic cooperation agreements. Whereas, when state capacity is lower, assistance might cause a slight deterioration of the human rights situation. In hybrid regimes, assistance is associated with negative effects, indicating that external assistance might induce deterioration of human rights in such regimes.
The paper analyses two successful examples of the EU’s engagement in Ukraine. These engagements t... more The paper analyses two successful examples of the EU’s engagement in Ukraine. These engagements took place at a bilateral EU-Ukraine level of cooperation. Drawing on the positive results of this cooperation, I argue that for more effective and flexible engagement with EaP states, a more differentiated approach has to be applied, targeting individual needs of the partner states. Although the EaP states face common challenged, bilateral cooperation might prove to be more effective when taking into account policy-specific needs. During the last years, cooperation with Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova has developed much further than that with Belarus, Armenia and Azerbaijan. Eastern partnership, being established as a framework of cooperation with Eastern neighbours, with time, might need to develop a more differentiated approach to the beneficiary states to be more effective.
Sport is being increasingly recognized for the contribution it can make to the development and pe... more Sport is being increasingly recognized for the contribution it can make to the development and peace. This way sporting organizations (SOs), being functionally irrelevant to politics, have been involved in the process of changing political reality. This thesis investigates the process of norm diffusion in SOs on the example of the norm of development and peace. The main attention has been paid to investigation of the promoters of the sport for development and peace norm among SOs, the motives of latter to adopt the norm, and mechanisms of the norm promotion, as well as the conditions under which the norm is most likely to be adopted by an SO. The research shows that the theories accounting for the diffusion of international norms and their impact on state practices are applicable to the analysis of the process of norm diffusion in functionally irrelevant organizations. Empirical analysis shows that for a given organization agents promoting the norm are mainly determined by the scope of the organization per se. The results suggest that the major motivations for SOs to adopt the norm are game promotion, legitimation, conformity and esteem. It has also been shown that the dominant mechanism of norm promotion is socialization, which is enabled by the sustainable cooperation and monitoring by the norm promoters. Finally, the conditions, under which the norm is more likely to be embraced, are shown to be the intrinsic characteristics of the norm, norm prominence, and the context of the crisis situation. At the same time, characteristic of an SO, as well as the status of the norm promoters proved important in defining the likelihood of embracing the norm. This thesis makes a theoretical contribution to the existing research on norm diffusion and deepens the understanding of the process and conditions under which organizations adopt new norms.
There is increasing public debate about the governance of climate change and its repercussions fo... more There is increasing public debate about the governance of climate change and its repercussions for nature and human livelihoods. In today's digitalized communication landscape, both public and private actors involved in climate change governance use social media to provide information and to interact with stakeholders and the broader public. This Focus Article discusses two main aspects of debates about climate change and climate governance on Twitter, which previous theories suggest to shape climate governance across domestic and global levels: non-state climate action and public opinion formation on the social media. We see significant advancement in the environmental social sciences studying these two areas. Yet, we also see the need for a better understanding of how public and private actors in the climate governance complex interact on Twitter, and how these actors shape, and are shaped by, experiences, values, and positions. This understanding will help to advance climate governance theories. This article proceeds in three steps. We first discuss previous social media research on non-state climate action and public opinion formation related to climate change and its governance. Then we sketch avenues for future research, elaborating how Twitter data might be used to investigate how non-state climate action and public opinion formation on social media are linked to and influence climate governance. We conclude by making the case for drawing together Twitter data and climate governance research into a more coherent research agenda.
Uploads
Papers by Karina Shyrokykh
by an SO.
The research shows that the theories accounting for the diffusion of international norms and their impact on state practices are applicable to the analysis of the process of norm diffusion in functionally irrelevant organizations. Empirical analysis shows that for a given organization agents promoting the norm are mainly determined by the scope of the
organization per se. The results suggest that the major motivations for SOs to adopt the norm are game promotion, legitimation, conformity and esteem. It has also been shown that the dominant mechanism of norm promotion is socialization, which is enabled by the sustainable
cooperation and monitoring by the norm promoters. Finally, the conditions, under which the norm is more likely to be embraced, are shown to be the intrinsic characteristics of the norm, norm prominence, and the context of the crisis situation. At the same time, characteristic of an SO, as well as the status of the norm promoters proved important in defining the likelihood of embracing the norm. This thesis makes a theoretical contribution to the existing research on norm diffusion and deepens the understanding of the process and conditions under which
organizations adopt new norms.