糖心TV

A new monograph by , Associate Professor in PAIS, is scheduled for release by University of Pennsylvania Press in May 2013. Entitled Ethnonationalist Conflict in Postcommunist States: Varieties of Governance in Bulgaria, Macedonia, and Kosovo, the book investigates why some Eastern European states transitioned to new forms of governance with minimal violence while others broke into civil war. In this comparative study, Maria Koinova applies historical institutionalism to conflict analysis, tracing ethnonationalist violence in post­communist states to a volatile, formative period between 1987 and 1992. In this era of instability, the incidents that brought majorities and minorities into dispute had a profound impact and a cumulative effect, as did the interventions of international agents and kin states. Whether the conflicts initially evolved in peaceful or violent ways, the dynamics of their disputes became self-perpetuating and informally institutionalized. Thus, external policies or interventions could affect only minimal change, and the impact of international agents subsided over time. Regardless of the constitutions, laws, and injunctions, majorities, minorities, international agents, and kin states continue to act in accord with the logic of informally institutionalized conflict dynamics.

Koinova analyzes the development of those dynamics in Bulgaria, Macedonia, and Kosovo, drawing on theories of democratization, international intervention, and path-dependence as well as interviews and extensive fieldwork. The result is a compelling account of the underlying causal mechanisms of conflict perpetuation and change that will shed light on broader patterns of ethnic violence.

PAIS colleagues (PI), , and , along with Jon Coaffee, a new colleague joining the Centre for Interdisciplinary Methodologies (CIM) in April 2013, have been awarded a grant as part of the . The ESRC, AHRC and have launched a new research initiative entitled ‘’. The call seeks to fund research projects and a Research Integrator to develop greater understanding of how developments in science and technology (S&T) will present opportunities and threats to future UK defence and security.

The work carried out in response to this call will help enable UK defence and security to better harness possible opportunities and to counter potential threats that may emerge in future. The team from PAIS will act as a Research Integrator to enhance the potential economic and societal impact for this initiative. This will include synthesising the research outputs and enhancing their accessibility, acting as an interface with Dstl and others to encourage the uptake of the research findings and encouraging dialogue between project leads.

, Professor of Political Economy, has been awarded an ESRC Professorial Fellowship. This is a 3-year fellowship starting in September 2013, with a project entitled 'Exploring the Concept of 'the Market': Combining History of Ideas and Historiographical Approaches'.

ESRC Professorial Fellowships are extremely competitive, involve a very arduous application, and are a mark of the highest standing in any social science discipline. Many congratulations to Prof Watson.

Second year PhD student was recently interviewed on 11 February by , a blog for visual, audio, and written content by the youth and for the youth in East Africa, about her PhD research on food security and farmers’ perspectives in rural Tanzania.

, Associate Professor in International Politics of the Middle East, participated in a debate on 31 January on Jamaica Speaks radio over the causes of the current violence in Egypt, the implications for President Morsi and the possible political solutions.