Backlash against green energy infrastructure: Experimental survey evidence from France, Germany, Norway, and the UK
As climate mitigation measures become deeper and more ambitious, the distributional effects of the green transition become more pronounced. This increases the potential for green backlash, which existing work has documented for specific policies (such as congestion charges, car-free zones, or carbon taxes) and large renewable energy infrastructure (such as onshore or offshore wind installations).
Democratic resistance to illiberalism in Hungary and Serbia
This seminar will explore democratic opposition resistance to illiberalism in Hungary and Serbia. Drawing on recent civic mobilisations, protest movements in Serbia, and emerging spaces of opposition in both countries, the speakers will examine how citizens and local actors challenge the entrenched systems of Viktor Orbán and Aleksandar Vučić. In a comparative discussion, the seminar will shed light on the forms, limits, and potential of democratic engagement under illiberal rule in contemporary Europe.
Belonging in exile: How to write an almost global history of the German-Jewish diaspora
In this talk Miriam Ruerup will discuss the challenges of writing a history of the experience of statelessness. At the centre of her research are the “victims” of the development of strong nation-states — those who experienced a fundamental loss of rights and security through the loss of their citizenship. The focus will, however, not only lie on the experience of loss, but also on those who translated their displacement into the creation of a diasporic community bound by their shared experiences of exile and trauma, as well as by a common cultural heritage.
The legislative politics of climate change mitigation: Evidence from the European Parliament
Climate change mitigation policies often impose concentrated costs in exchange for diffuse future benefits. The associated burden has spurred opposition from stakeholders and a prominent backlash from populist and radical right (PRR) parties, which politicize green policies as elitist impositions on everyday citizens. This raises the question whether mainstream political actors react to the electoral pressure from the PRR and become less supportive of green policies. While the theoretical argument is compelling, it is difficult to provide a systematic test for such an effect.
Ukraine and beyond: Shaping Europe’s security future
Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine upended Europe’s security order, exposing vulnerabilities that continue to shape trans-Atlantic strategy. By early 2025, Russia is advancing slowly in Ukraine’s east, while Kyiv faces resource and manpower strains, and U.S. policy under a new Trump administration introduces uncertainty. Neither side has a clear path to achieving its objectives, and prospects for a ceasefire remain slim. Still, U.S. leverage—sanctions capacity, military weight, and alliance leadership—offers a narrow window to test Moscow’s willingness to negotiate.
Our research makes it clear: by capitulating to the right, Labour is driving voters to Reform UK
The new battle for Britain
EDI Staff Induction
Ayse Polat
I work on the international politics of law, race, and migration in the modern Middle East.