Patrick A. Mello

Perspektiven der Forschung zur Privatisierung in der Sicherheitspolitik

In der aktuellen Ausgabe der Zeitschrift für Friedens- und Konfliktforschung (ZeFKo, 7. Jahrgang, 1. Heft) ist ein Beitrag von mir erschienen. Die Replik “Perspektiven der Forschung zur Privatisierung in der Sicherheitspolitik” auf den im selben Heft enthaltenen Artikel von Andreas Kruck “Wann und wie ist die Privatisierung von Sicherheit umkehrbar?” ist Teil eines Sonderhefts zu “Privatisierung von Sicherheit in Deutschland” der Gastherausgeberinnen Andrea Schneiker und Jutta Joachim, mit weiteren Beiträgen von Nathalie Hirschmann, Thomas Schmidt-Lux und Eva Herschinger.

Das ZeFKO-Themenheft kann hier über die NOMOS eLibrary eingesehen werden (die Einleitung ist frei zugänglich, ein Preprint meines Beitrags kann hier heruntergeladen werden).

Open Access Article Published in Contemporary Security Policy

Contemporary Security Policy has published an advance online version of “National Restrictions in Multinational Military Operations: A Conceptual Framework”. The open access article is part of a forthcoming CSP Special Forum on “The Politics of Multinational Military Operations”, co-edited by Stephen Saideman and myself,  with articles from Gunnar Fermann, Per Marius Frost-Nielsen, Olivier Schmitt, Daan Fonck, Tim Haesebrouck, Yf Reykers, Stéfanie von Hlatky, Justin Massie, and Kathleen McInnis.

Individual articles can be accessed here as they become available.

12th General Conference of the European Consortium for Political Research in Hamburg

From 22-25 August 2018, the University of Hamburg hosted the General Conference of the European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR). I participated as discussant for Panel 123 “Don’t Stop at the Water’s Edge: Exploring the Role of Political Parties in Foreign Policy” (Chairs: Wolfgang Wagner & Fabrizio Coticchia), with papers from Afke Groen, Magdalena Góra, Wolfgang Wagner et al., Sandra Destradi & Johannes Plagemann, and Valerio Vignoli & Fabrizio Coticchia.

Full documentation of the conference can be found here.

43rd Annual Conference of the British International Studies Association (BISA) at the University of Bath

On 13-14 June, I took part in the BISA Conference, participating in a roundtable on “Researching Non-State Actors in International Security: Methodological Challenges and Advances”, where I talked about my chapter on “Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) and the Study of Non-State Actors” from an edited volume published with Routledge in 2017, edited by Andreas Kruck and Andrea Schneiker.

The roundtable was joined by Ismene Gizelis (University of Essex), Joakim Berndtsson, (University of Gothenburg), Berit Bliesemann de Guevara (Aberystwyth University), and Ingvild Bode  (University of Kent).

A pre-print version of my QCA chapter can be accessed as PDF.

For information on BISA and the Bath conference see here.

From 6-9 June 2018, I attended the 5^th EISA European Workshops in International Studies (EWIS) at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. The EWIS format of the European International Studies Association allows scholars to engage in sustained, in-depth discussion over the course of several days, which makes them ideal to explore new topics and ideas. I participated in the workshop “The Politics of Foreign Policy Change – The Role of Policy Entrepreneurs”, co-organized by Tim Haesebrouck and Jeroen Joly (both Ghent University, Belgium). I presented a paper on “Leaders and the Politics of Foreign Policy Change”. The workshop comprised contributions from a group of 14 researchers from Belgium, Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, and the United States.

The workshop program can be accessed here.

Tagung: Von der Zivilmacht zum Europäischen Hegemon? Bundesdeutsche außenpolitische Rollen aus geschichts- und politikwissenschaftlichen Perspektiven

At the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, I participated in an interdisciplinary conference on role theory and German foreign policy. The two-day conference, co-organized by Klaus Brummer (International Relations) and Friedrich Kießling (Modern and Contemporary History), equally comprised contributions from historians and political scientists. The group of 20 participants included researchers from Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. My own contribution focused on “Roles, Role Performance, and Public Opinion in German Security Policy”. The participants are currently working on a joint publication.

The conference program can be accessed here.

Brandt School initiates The Bulletin Podcast series – first episode with an interview of Dr. Patrick A. Mello

For the first episode of the new podcast series of the Willy Brandt School at the University of Erfurt, host Maria Brackin did a 30-minute interview with me on research, teaching, academia at-large, and much more. Listen to the first episode of The Bulletin Podcast here: [MP3]

The Brandt School also runs a blog, which you can read using this link.

59th Annual Convention of the International Studies Association, 4-7 April 2018, San Francisco

At the Annual Convention of the ISA in San Francisco, I was involved with papers in two panels. The first panel on parliaments and security policy featured articles from our a special issue of the British Journal of Politics and International Relations (co-edited with Dirk Peters). The other panel focused on the politics of multinational military operations:

I also took part in a methods café and a roundtable, and served as discussant for one session of the Junior Scholar Symposium. The methods café was an ISA Innovative Panel that brought together scholars that represent diverse methods and approaches in foreign policy analysis (co-organized with Falk Ostermann). The methods café format provides an informal setting where participants can meet panelists at separate tables to discuss methods-related questions. The roundtable sponsored by the Association for Canadian Studies in the United States looked into US-Canadian relations after the first year of the Trump Administration (organized by Carolyn C. James).

See the full ISA 2018 program here.

BJPIR Special Issue – Parliaments in Security Policy: Involvement, Politicisation, and Influence

The British Journal of Politics and International Relations (BJPIR) has published a Special Issue, guest edited by Patrick A. Mello and Dirk Peters: “Parliaments in Security Policy: Involvement, Politicisation, and Influence”.

The special issue focuses on the pivotal democratic institution – parliament – to study legislative involvement in security matters and its effects on policy outcomes. The  contributing articles employ a diverse set of theoretical perspectives and methods to explore the role of 11 different parliamentary bodies from a broad range of contemporary Western democracies.

BJPIR is a peer reviewed journal of the Political Studies Association of the UK with an Impact Factor of 1.423 (2016) and Rankings of 62/165 in Political Science and 24/86 in International Relations [More Information].

Abstract: “While parliaments have long been neglected actors in the analysis of security policy, a research literature on the subject is growing. Current research is focused primarily on how parliaments, relying on formal legal competences, can constrain governmental policies. However, this research needs expansion in three areas. First, informal sources of parliamentary influence on security policy deserve more systematic attention as the significance of parliaments often hinges on contextual factors and individual decision-makers. Second, we still lack a systematic understanding of the effects of parliamentary involvement on security policy. Finally, the role of parliaments for the politics of security is almost completely uncharted territory. When parliaments become involved in security policy, does it foster transparency and contribute to the politicisation of security policy so that security policy becomes a ‘normal’ political issue? The article reviews current research, derives findings from the contributions to this Special Issue, and spells out their wider implications.” [Read Further]

Introduction to the Special Issue:

Mello, Patrick A., and Dirk Peters (2018) ‘Parliaments in Security Policy: Involvement, Politicisation, and Influence’, British Journal of Politics and International Relations https://doi.org/10.1177/1369148117745684.

Contributing Articles (in alphabetical order):

Hegemann, Hendrik (2018) ‘Towards ‘Normal’ Politics? Security, Parliaments and the Politicisation of Intelligence Oversight in the German Bundestag’, British Journal of Politics and International Relations https://doi.org/10.1177/1369148117745683.

Kaarbo, Juliet (2018) ‘Prime Minister Leadership Style and the Role of Parliament in Security Policy’, British Journal of Politics and International Relations https://doi.org/10.1177/1369148117745679.

Kriner, Douglas L. (2018) ‘Congress, Public Opinion, and an Informal Constraint on the Commander-in-Chief’, British Journal of Politics and International Relations https://doi.org/10.1177/1369148117745860.

Lagassé, Philippe, and Patrick A. Mello (2018) ‘The Unintended Consequences of Parliamentary Involvement: Elite Collusion and Afghanistan Deployments in Canada and Germany’, British Journal of Politics and International Relations https://doi.org/10.1177/1369148117745681.

Oktay, Sibel (2018) ‘Chamber of Opportunities: Legislative Politics and Coalition Security Policy’, British Journal of Politics and International Relations https://doi.org/10.1177/1369148117745680.

Raunio, Tapio (2018) ‘Parliament as an Arena for Politicization: The Finnish Eduskunta and Crisis Management Operations’, British Journal of Politics and International Relations https://doi.org/10.1177/1369148117745682.

Rosén, Guri, and Kolja Raube (2018) ‘Influence Beyond Formal Powers: The Parliamentarisation of European Union Security Policy’, British Journal of Politics and International Relations https://doi.org/10.1177/1369148117747105.

Schade, Daniel (2018) ‘Limiting or Liberating? The Influence of Parliaments on Military Deployments in Multinational Settings’, British Journal of Politics and International Relations https://doi.org/10.1177/1369148117746918.

Strong, James (2018) ‘The War Powers of the British Parliament: What Has Been Established and What Remains Unclear?’, British Journal of Politics and International Relations https://doi.org/10.1177/1369148117745767.

Wagner, Wolfgang (2018) ‘Is There a Parliamentary Peace? Parliamentary Veto Power and Military Interventions from Kosovo to Daesh’, British Journal of Politics and International Relations https://doi.org/10.1177/1369148117745859.

Joining the Editorial Board of Foreign Policy Analysis

I am honored to be joining the Editorial Board of Foreign Policy Analysis, led by Editor-in-Chief Cameron G. Thies and Associate Editors Klaus Brummer, Juliet Kaarbo, Brian Lai, Deborah Welch Larson, and Arlene B. Tickner.

I look forward to meeting everyone at ISA San Francisco (Editorial Board Meeting: April 4, 4:30 PM, Parlor 1-4278, Hilton San Francisco Union Square).

“Reflecting the diverse, comparative and multidisciplinary nature of the field, Foreign Policy Analysis provides an open forum for research publication that enhances the communication of concepts and ideas across theoretical, methodological, geographical and disciplinary boundaries. By emphasizing accessibility of content for scholars of all perspectives and approaches in the editorial and review process, Foreign Policy Analysis serves as a source for efforts at theoretical and methodological integration and deepening the conceptual debates throughout this rich and complex academic research tradition. Foreign policy analysis, as a field of study, is characterized by its actor-specific focus. The underlying, often implicit argument is that the source of international politics and change in international politics is human beings, acting individually or in groups. In the simplest terms, foreign policy analysis is the study of the process, effects, causes or outputs of foreign policy decision-making in either a comparative or case-specific manner.” [Read More]

For the current issue of Foreign Policy Analysis, see here.

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