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Professor Kristin M Bakke

Kristin
Professor of Political Science and International Relations
Room: 2.08, 29/30 Tavistock Square
Tel: 0203 108 9295

Email: kmbakke@ucl.ac.uk
Website

 

Biography

I am Professor of Political Science and International Relations at UCL. I came to the Department of Political Science in 2009, where I am part of the Conflict & Change research cluster. I am a core faculty member in the European and International Social and Political Studies (EISPS) programme. I am also Associate Research Professor at the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) in Norway, and Associate Editor at the Journal of Peace Research.

Prior to joining UCL, I was Assistant Professor at Leiden University and a postdoctoral fellow at the Belfer Center at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.

Originally from Norway, I studied political science at Østfold College, in my hometown Halden, and theatre theory at the University of Oslo before moving abroad. I hold a BA (2000) in Journalism and Political Science from Indiana University, Bloomington, and a PhD (2007) in Political Science from the University of Washington, Seattle.

Research

Focusing on political violence, my research explores how states respond to opposition within their borders, the dynamics of violence in self-determination struggles, post-war state-building and wartime legacies, and geopolitical orientations. I draw on multiple methods—large-n cross-case analyses, surveys, and fieldwork-based case studies—and collaborate with colleagues from different disciplines. 

At present, I am a principal investigator on two large collaborative research projects, exploring geopolitical orientations in Russia’s near abroad (jointly funded by the National Science Foundation and Research Councils UK) and the interactions between states, citizens, and informal authorities during and after revolutions and armed conflict, with a focus on Armenia, Ukraine, and Northern Ireland (funded by the Norwegian Research Council).

My book Decentralization and Intrastate Struggles: Chechnya, Punjab, and Québec received the Conflict Research Society’s Book of the Year Award in 2016. My work has been published in journals such as the British Journal of Political Science, International Security, International Studies Quarterly, Journal of Conflict Resolution, Journal of Peace Research, Perspectives on Politics, Political Geography, and World Politics.

Uncovering Politics logo showing people with raised banners and hands in silhouette

Podcast: UCL Uncovering Politics

Hear Professor Bakke speak about her research on the following podcast episode:
S8 Ep10 | Brexit and Northern Ireland

Publications

Books
Journal articles

2023

  • Bakke, K. M., Rickard, K. and O’Loughlin, J. (forthcoming 2023) ‘Perceptions of the Past in the Post-Soviet Space’, Post-Soviet Affairs.

2022

2021

2020

2018

2016

2014

2012

2010

2009

2006

Book chapters

Full list of publications on my website

Teaching

I teach courses on ‘International Conflict and Cooperation’ (undergraduate), ‘Political Violence and Intrastate Conflict’ (undergraduate), and ‘Conflict Resolution and Post-War Development’ (postgraduate).

I welcome PhD applicants with an interest in political violence, the dynamics of civil wars and revolutionary movements, rebel governance and informal institutions, post-war state-building, and wartime legacies. For an overview of past and current PhD students, please visit my website.