China’s Bid for Hegemony? China’s New Multilateral Institutions and Social Purpose in Global Governance
Duration: 01.04.2022 – 31.03.2027
Over the past three decades, China has emerged as a major initiator of multilateral institutions, founding or co-founding at least 21 diverse initiatives since 1990. These range from development banks and security organizations to human rights forums and policy dialogues. This project systematically examines China’s institutional entrepreneurship and its implications for global order. It asks how China-led initiatives differ from existing institutions, whether they shift norms and authority in global governance, and how they relate to challenges to international hegemony. The project combines interpretivist and quantitative text analysis to map the “social purpose” of these institutions, contributing to broader debates on China’s rise, institutional proliferation, and hegemonic contestation.
Researcher: Dr. Matthew D. Stephen
Funding: Heisenberg Programme of the German Science Foundation (DFG)
The implications of Chinese praxis for International Relations theory and narratives.
Duration: 2025-2028
International Relations theory is increasingly criticised for its lack of relevance for international praxis, not least because of its lack of representation of non-Western praxis. In this project, I compare foundational assumptions and concepts of various theories and sub-disciplines with Chinese praxis, to assess their blind spots and answer the question what Chinese praxis can teach us about IR theory. Besides interrogating different strands of major theoretical traditions like Realism, Liberalism, Constructivism and the English School, I also consider the relevance of Chinese praxis for the sub-disciplines of diplomatic studies and foreign policy analysis. The goal of this project is not to ‘correct’ these perspectives on world politics, but rather to concretise claims about their insufficiency and thereby inform the growing movement for a ‘Global IR’.
Researchers: Steven Langendonk, with various collaboration partners
Funding: HSU
Letzte Änderung: 27. May 2025