Member Profile for DIE, Bonn

“Building Back Better” through social protection
Social protection plays a critical role in responding to the immediate effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and in supporting socio-economic recovery efforts. In parallel, current calls for Building Back Better have emphasized that the climate crisis needs to be considered in Covid-19 recovery plans through enhanced climate change adaptation and mitigation action. In recent years, social protection has gained importance in addressing climate change risks and facilitating a just transition to a green economy. Therefore, the momentum for Building Back Better during and after the pandemic offers a unique opportunity to integrate social protection into green and resilient recovery strategies which should not be wasted. Against this background, this article describes the role of social protection in buffering economic and social impacts of the pandemic and emphasizes the importance of linking social protection systems with climate action to address the global climate crisis.

Die nächste Bundesregierung und die Vereinten Nationen
Die nächste Bundesregierung sollte sicherstellen, dass die für VN-Organisationen und -Prozesse vorgesehenen Beiträge stabil im Bundeshaushalt verankert werden.

Demokratie schützen: Die Relevanz internationaler Demokratieförderung für Amtszeitbeschränkungen
Kann internationale Politik Demokratie schützen? Amtszeitbeschränkungen zu beseitigen ist oft ein Zeichen für Autokratisierung, weil so Machtbefugnisse desselben Amtsinhabers ausgeweitet werden und damit Demokratie gefährden.

Protecting democracy: the relevance of international democracy promotion for term limits
International democracy support can assist pro-democracy actors to safeguard presidential term limits and thereby protect and promote democracy.

From complementing to copying its member states: assessing the EU's development cooperation with Africa
This chapter analyses and discusses recent shifts in EU development cooperation towards Africa, with particular attention to the principle of complementarity that featured in formative EU development policy and was introduced in the EU Treaties as a key principle driving EU integration in this area. It considers specific institutional/legal, political as well as contextual changes as explaining the observed shift in EU development policy from one of complementing to ‘copying’ member state policy. The chapter's main ambition of this chapter is to feed into ongoing reflections on the future of the EU’s development policy, as well as inform future academic research inquiry.

The ‘Global South’ in the study of world politics: examining a meta category
This introductory contribution examines the ‘Global South’ as a meta category in the study of world politics. Against the backdrop of a steep rise in references to the ‘Global South’ across academic publications, we ask whether and how the North–South binary in general, and the ‘(Global) South’ in particular, can be put to use analytically. Building on meta categories as tools for the classification of global space, we discuss the increasing prominence of the ‘Global South’ and then outline different understandings attached to it, notably socio-economic marginality, multilateral alliance-building and resistance against global hegemonic power. Following an overview of individual contributions to this volume, we reflect on the analytical implications for using the ‘Global South’ category in academic research. Insights from China, the Caribbean, international negotiations or academic knowledge production itself not only point to patterns of shared experiences but also highlight the heterogeneity of ‘Southern’ realities and increasing levels of complexity that cut across the North–South divide. Overall, we argue for an issue-based and field-specific use of the ‘Global South’ as part of a broader commitment to a more deliberate, explicit and differentiated engagement with taken-for-granted categories.

Für ein zivilgesellschaftliches Engagement in Afghanistan
Die neue Bundesregierung hat nicht nur Umfang und Ursache des Debakels in Afghanistan aufzuarbeiten. Ebenso dringend sind Weichenstellungen, die eine weitere Destabilisierung des Landes verhindern.