Research areas in Cooperative Security

PhD scholars in this area will examine key challenges in international security, broadly understood to include but not confined to military security, and the strategies state actors deploy to enhance it. Of particular interest are projects addressing how patterns of asymmetric interdependence in the political, economic and cultural realms shape emerging security threats and how states combine cooperative and autonomy-enhancing strategies in response. Projects on the international governance of security, including the political dynamics within international organizations such as the United Nations, are also welcome.

Potential research questions include the following:

• How do patterns of asymmetric interdependence generate new forms of vulnerability and security competition?
• Under what conditions do states prioritize cooperation over autonomy in responding to international security threats?
• How do domestic political factors shape states’ choices between cooperative and autonomy-seeking strategies?
• How do major powers use interdependence strategically to enhance their security or constrain others?
• To what extent do cooperative security arrangements mitigate or exacerbate geopolitical rivalry?

Contributions that combine theoretical innovation with empirical analysis are highly encouraged. Projects may use qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods and engage with a wide range of regional or global contexts.

PhD scholars in this area will examine migration as a core issue of foreign policy and international security. The focus lies on how migration dynamics generate, transform, and become embedded in security challenges, and how state and non-state actors respond through strategies that combine cooperation and autonomy. Migration is increasingly intertwined with geopolitical competition, asymmetric interdependence, and hybrid forms of conflict, making it a critical domain for the study of contemporary security.

Of particular interest are projects that analyze the securitization and strategic instrumentalization of migration in international relations. This includes the use of migratory movements as tools of coercion, pressure, or political destabilization, often described as the “weaponization” of migration, as well as the expanding practice of migration diplomacy. Projects may investigate how such strategies exploit interdependence and institutional vulnerabilities, how they affect security outcomes and threat perceptions at the national, European, and international levels, and how European states and institutions respond to these challenges.

A central focus of this research area is the role of disinformation and information manipulation in migration security dynamics. Increasingly, foreign and domestic actors deploy disinformation, post truth narratives, and coordinated influence campaigns to amplify migration-related fears, polarize societies, and undermine trust in democratic institutions. Such practices can be understood as part of broader strategies of hybrid or asymmetric warfare in which informational tools are combined with the strategic use of migration to destabilize political systems and shape security perceptions. Projects are encouraged to examine both the mechanisms and security consequences of these dynamics, as well as the responses of European and national actors and their implications for democracy, the rule of law, human rights and societal resilience.

At the same time, this research area addresses the conditions under which cooperative security arrangements emerge to manage risks perceived as migration-related, to mitigate conflict, and enhance resilience. This includes the role of European and international institutions, as well as the effectiveness and limits of coordinated responses in the face of politicization, strategic contestation, and growing pressures for autonomy and border control.

Potential research may include, but is not limited to, the following:

• How do states and other actors use migration strategically in geopolitical competition, for example through coercion or migration diplomacy?
• How do foreign and domestic actors use disinformation and information manipulation related to migration as instruments of political destabilization or hybrid warfare?
• How do disinformation campaigns interact with migration dynamics to shape threat perceptions and influence political outcomes in European states?
• How do patterns of asymmetric interdependence create security vulnerabilities in the field of migration?
• Under what conditions do cooperative arrangements at the EU or international level emerge to address migration-related security threats, and when are unilateral or autonomy seeking responses more likely?
• How do EU and member state responses to migration-related security challenges affect democracy, human rights, the rule of law, and societal resilience across Europe?
• What role do European and international institutions play in balancing security, cooperation, and democratic governance in migration policy?

Contributions that bridge theoretical innovation with empirical analysis are highly encouraged. Projects may use qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods and engage with a wide range of regional or comparative contexts, with a particular focus on Europe and its external relations.

PhD scholars in this area will examine key challenges of economic security and their implications for economic policy. Geopolitical tensions, international trade disputes and disruptions of global supply chains have recently increased interest in questions related to economic security. In line with the programme’s overall focus on pressing global security challenges, this area addresses how economic interdependencies and international trade relationships shape economic security. Relevant research might connect to fields of international economics, international finance, and public economics. Projects are encouraged to examine both causes and consequences of economic security challenges, as well as corresponding policy responses at the European and national level. Also welcome are projects on the resilience of international trade and global supply chains, as well as geoeconomic analyses related to international trade policy, multinational investment, and economic sanctions. 

Potential research questions include the following:

• How do patterns of international trade generate new forms of economic vulnerability and threats to economic security?
• Which geoeconomic factors determine threats to economic security along the global supply chain?
• To what extent do multinational investment and international capital flows influence economic dependencies and economic security of countries?
• Which strategies should economic policy pursue to address benefits and risks of economic interdependencies?
• To what extent do international trade and investment agreements mitigate or exacerbate economic security?

Contributions that bridge theoretical innovation with empirical analysis are highly encouraged. Projects may use analytical and quantitative methods at different levels of aggregation, including regional, industry, and international perspectives.

This research area invites PhD projects that examine the role of international law in shaping and responding to contemporary global security challenges, in line with the program’s focus on interdependence, cooperation, and autonomy. It spans both traditional fields of peace and security, such as the use of force and the peaceful settlement of disputes, and areas that have become increasingly central to security research, including geo-economics, maritime security, or the governance of critical infrastructures and supply chains. The focus lies on how legal norms and institutions structure, and are reshaped by, the strategies of state and non-state actors in managing security risks arising from (asymmetric) interdependence. Particular attention is given to how actors navigate tensions between legal commitments and security imperatives through interpretation and application, including the invocation of exceptions and justifications, as well as the broader implications for cooperation, autonomy, and the coherence of international law.

Illustrative research questions include:

• To what extent does international law retain its normative authority and systemic coherence in an increasingly contested security environment?
• How are international legal norms interpreted, adapted, or limited in response to evolving patterns of interdependence, state competition, and security concerns?
• What role can international law play in sustaining cooperation in the global commons, including maritime and terrestrial domains?
• How do geoeconomic dynamics reshape existing frameworks of international economic and trade law?
• How do informal and minilateral forms of cooperation affect the interpretation, coherence, and potential fragmentation of international legal obligations?
• How do international courts, tribunals, and other dispute settlement mechanisms engage with and adjudicate security-based justifications?
• To what extent do legal frameworks enable or constrain state strategies aimed at resilience, autonomy, and control over critical infrastructures and strategic sectors?

The program welcomes projects that combine rigorous legal analysis with perspectives from international relations, political economy, or related fields. Methodologically, proposals may be doctrinal, empirical, or interdisciplinary, and may adopt comparative or global perspectives.

PhD scholars in this area will examine psychological decision-making processes in security-relevant negotiations. The focus lies on how interdependent actors negotiate cooperation under conditions of internal disagreement and external or internal threat. Of particular interest are projects that investigate how parties with divergent interests, values, or strategic priorities can form, maintain, or fail to form cooperative coalitions when they simultaneously depend on one another to respond effectively to threatening actors or destabilizing developments.

Projects may examine negotiations between political parties, governmental or non-governmental actors, institutions, organizations, or societal groups that face shared security challenges while also pursuing conflicting interests. Such challenges may include external threats, internal polarization, democratic instability, migration-related conflicts, climate and energy insecurity, or other contexts in which collective security depends on coordinated action among actors who are not naturally aligned.

The research area is especially interested in psychological mechanisms that shape whether actors move beyond narrow self-interest and positional bargaining toward integrative, trust-based, or coalition-building forms of coordination. Relevant processes may include trust and distrust, strategic communication, perceived dependence, social identity, risk perception, mandate constraints, and the psychological conditions under which actors become willing to accept trade-offs for the sake of joint security.

Potential research questions include the following:

• How do perceived external or internal threats influence the willingness of interdependent actors to negotiate across institutional, or ideological divides?
• Under what conditions do actors with conflicting interests recognize their mutual dependence and engage in cooperative security-oriented negotiation?
• How do threat perceptions affect coalition formation, trust, concession-making, and integrative problem solving in security-relevant negotiations?
• When do internal divisions among potential coalition partners undermine coordinated responses to threatening actors or destabilizing scenarios?
• Which communication strategies help transform adversarial bargaining between interdependent actors into cooperative coalition-building?
• How do psychological processes such as distrust, identity threat, moral conviction, or perceived betrayal obstruct cross-party cooperation in security contexts?
• How do representatives negotiate when they must defend the interests of their own constituency while contributing to broader collective security?
• What role do perceived legitimacy and mandate constraints play in determining whether negotiators can make concessions in coalition-building processes?

Projects may use experimental, quasi-experimental, survey-based, qualitative, computational, or mixed-method approaches. Especially welcome are projects that combine psychological theory with empirically tractable negotiation paradigms, including dyadic or multi-party negotiations, coalition simulations, role-play studies, communication analyses, or scenario-based decision-making tasks. Contributions should advance the understanding of how cooperation can emerge, fail, or be restored under conditions of interdependence, conflict, and security-relevant threat.