IMESS Dissertation

The research dissertation is the most important part of the IMESS programme and showcases the sum of your achievements during the two-years of study. Preparation therefore starts early, during the first year, while producing the 20-25,000 word long dissertation, constitutes half of your workload during the second year. Much of the research training undertaken in the first year facilitates the production of a substantive research-based dissertation.

Working on your dissertation, you will be pursuing original research on a topic of great personal interest. It will also equip you with invaluable skills for your future career, either in high level public and private sector institutions or in academia. A number of IMESS dissertations have formed the basis for articles in peer reviewed academic journals.

The expertise of the second year IMESS partner universities varies greatly and your dissertation will be best served by seeking a close match with the specialisms on offer. Most major interests can be catered for, but particularly encouraged are topics related to the following themes:

Economics and Business Track

University of Belgrade (Serbia)

Economic transition in the Western Balkans
Business culture in Serbia
Marketing communication in the Western Balkans
The Balkans in the global economic history

Corvinus University, Budapest (Hungary)

Banking and financial stability
Comparative economics
Corruption studies
Development studies / development economics
Fiscal and monetary policies
Foreign Direct Investment policies / investment promotion
Game theory and its applications
Institutional economics
International political economy
Migration studies
Sustainable development
Transition studies / transition economics
Theory and practice of international trade
EU Economic Governance

Jagiellonian University, Krakow (Poland)

Economic aspects of EU enlargement
Regional economic integration in Europe
Financial Systems in the EU
EU and the global economic system Mechanisms of the internal market
EU economic policy
Entrepreneurship and small-and-medium sized enterprise development in Central & Eastern Europe
Health care sector

Charles University Prague (Czech Republic)

Banks and Banking in Central and Eastern Europe
Eastern Enlargement of the EU and Its Consequences
Economic Development, Transition and Growth
Economic Transformation in Central and Eastern Europe
European Economic Policy
Financial Crisis and Its Consequences
Foreign Investments in Central and Eastern Europe
Health Service and the Problems of Ageing in Central and Eastern Europe
Post-communist Countries in International Trade
Oil and Gas between Europe and Eurasia
Public Finance Advanced (including Central European Financial Markets)

Tartu University (Estonia)

The connections between fiscal policy and the governments ideological composition
Linkages of labour mobility with firms innovative activities
Impact of international work experience on entrepreneurship
Dynamics of the exports of services at the firm-level
Innovation, entrepreneurship and economic growth: advanced and developing countries’ differences
The role of economic and political institutions in entrepreneurial activity
Entrepreneurship and economic development
Micro and macro factors affecting entrepreneurship
Institutional structure and entrepreneurial activity
Assessment of human capital in PIAAC framework: cross-country comparisons (PIAAC - Program of International Assessment of Adult Competences)
Assessment of human capital in PISA framework: cross-country comparisons (PISA - Program for International Student Assessment)
Study achievements as potential for creating new human capital: Estonia and cross-country comparisons (PISA database)
Cross-border labour migration
Social capital and spread of internet
Tax burden shift in the European Union
Alcohol consumption patterns in the Baltic countries (data from survey)
Implications of financing frictions faced by innovative activity on productivity, growth and development
The impact of financial institution structure and regulatory institution structure of the economy on the innovative activities of firms
Random coefficients, endogeneity, and cross-sectional dependence in linear and non-linear panel data models with large number of individuals
Motives and Institutional Distance of FDIs of Estonian MNCs
Divestments of Estonian MNCs
The Internationalization of Estonian Firms
Phases of International New Ventures in Estonia
A Model of Export Sales Management Behaviour based on Estonian Firms
Animosity related to products (Estonia vs Russia, Ukraine vs Russia)
A Meta-Analysis of International Joint Ventures (IJVs)
Mergers and Acquisitions Strategy in Estonia
Green Export Marketing Strategy of Estonian Firms
International Joint Ventures in Estonia versus
Germany Global Branding versus Local Branding
PPP in Estonia – Changes and Limits
Public Choice Approaches to Fixing Fees and its Critique
The Role of Public Sector Firms in the Innovation System of Estonia
Comparative Analysis of Innovation Policies in EU
R&D Funding: Models and Critique

Politics and the International Economy Track

University of Belgrade (Serbia)

TBC

Corvinus University, Budapest (Hungary)

Banking and financial stability
Comparative economics
Corruption studies
Democratisation processes and backsliding
Development studies / development economics
Foreign Direct Investment policies / investment promotion
Institutional economics
International political economy
Migration studies
Sustainable development
Transition studies / transition economics
International Aid Policies

Jagiellonian University, Krakow (Poland)

TBC

Helsinki University (Finland)

Long-term economic development
Income and wealth inequality
From fiscal states to modern welfare states
Consumption and everyday life
History of economic policy
Causes and consequences of intersecting inequalities
History of economic thought
History of economic crises political economy of the welfare state
Globalisation waves and business history
General impacts of environmental crises

Charles University Prague (Czech Republic)

Central and Eastern Europe in International Context
Conflicts in the Post-Soviet Area
Democratic Development
Eastern Enlargement of the EU and Its Consequences
Economic Transformation in Central and Eastern Europe
European Economic Policy
Financial Crisis and Its Consequences
Insurgency in Post-Soviet area
Post-communist Countries in International Trade
Oil and Gas between Europe and Eurasia
Parties and Elections
Political Systems of East Central Europe
Political Systems of the Post-Soviet Area Public Finance Advanced (including Central European Financial Markets)
Regional Integrations in East-Central Europe
Security Issues in the Caucasus and Central Asia

Tartu University (Estonia)

Comparative political economy
EU economic governance (European Semester, Recovery and Resilience Facility)

Politics and Security Track

University of Belgrade (Serbia)

Security system of Serbia
Security in post-communist Balkans
Political anthropology
Politics in post-communist Balkans

Corvinus University, Budapest (Hungary)

Corruption studies
Democratisation processes and backsliding
Development studies / development economics
Europeanization processes
Geopolitics / Geostrategy
International political economy
Migration studies
Non-state actors in international politics
Small state studies
Social policies and the labour market
Sustainable development
The changing nature of European national elites
War and peace studies

Jagiellonian University, Krakow (Poland)

Nation, nationalism and identity construction in Central Europe
Transatlantic relations in the post-Cold War world
International security in the post-Cold War Europe
EU on the global political stage
Germany in Europe after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Helsinki University (Finland)

Finland’s foreign policies
International politics and security in the Baltic Sea region and beyond
Post-Soviet space
The significance of the Nordic/Scandinavian Cooperation
Regional institutions
Neutrality as a pattern of Finnish security policy
Cold War and Post-Cold War international and economic relations in North-East Europe
Politics of memory in North-East Europe
European integration in a historical and cultural perspective
Small states as political actors
International security organizations (League of Nations, NATO, UN)
Borders and citizenship

Charles University Prague (Czech Republic)

Central and Eastern Europe in International Context
Conflicts in the Post-Soviet Area
Constitutional Transformation of States in Central and Eastern Europe
Democratic Development
Eastern Enlargement of the EU and Its Consequences
Insurgency in Post-Soviet area
Migrations and Refugees
Oil and Gas between Europe and Eurasia
Parties and Elections
Political Systems of East Central Europe
Political Systems of the Post-Soviet Area
Politics of History
Populism – Causes and Manifestations
Regional Integrations in East-Central Europe
Security Issues in the Caucasus and Central Asia

Tartu University (Estonia)

Traditional and critical geopolitics
Borders, territorial disputes, cross-border cooperation
Secessionist conflicts and unrecognized countries
Questions of territoriality and sovereignty
Power sharing and liberal peacemaking
EU enlargement
Biopolitics
Russian foreign and security policies
Regionalism and federalism
EU-Russia relations
Common neighborhood
Arts and politics
Sport megaevents
International law
EU-Turkey relations
Theories of liberalism, democracy, nationalism, nation-statehood, federalism, sovereignty, international peace and order, self-determination of nations
International economy
International conflict
International organizations
Global problems
International relations in the Baltic Sea region
Relations between Russia and the Baltic States
Foreign policy of the Baltic states
Politics of collective memory and international relations
Identity in international relations
Self-determination and secession
State-making
International recognition
Territorial disputes and conflict
Contestation of political authority
Political violence and extremism
Politics of history and memory
History of the Russian Empire, Eastern Europe, and Soviet Union
Language policy and politics
Theories of nationalism
Border studies
European neighborhood policy and democracy promotion
Comparative political economy
EU economic governance (European Semester, Recovery and Resilience Facility)