School of Law and Government PhD students Bitopi Dutta, Cornelia Baciu and Tajma Kapic have been awarded PhD scholarships from the Irish Research Council. These are very competitive awards and receive a high number of applicants every year.

Bitopi Dutta’s research is on “The politics of globalisation and development, displacement, gender and sexuality rights, Indigenous people, peace and conflict, queer studies”.  This study analyses gender transitions happening as a result of development induced displacement in tribal matrilineal communities of North East India.

Cornelia Baciu’s research is on “Determinants and Strategies of NGO-Military Interaction in Promoting Democratic Security Governance. A Case Study of Pakistan”. Applying Pakistan as a case study and a mixed-methods design, the research project explains the strategies used by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to democratise security governance in the field of counterterrorism and peacebuilding and identifies the factors determining their success or failure. The findings inform the European Union’s Global Security Strategy about mechanisms promoting democratic security and societal resilience in fragile countries, affected by multiple insecurities and advance theories of hybrid security and democratic civil-military relations.

Tajma Kapic’s research is on “The Impact of Consociational Peace Agreements on the Representation of Women in Local and National Political Institutions in Divided Societies”  This project is a study of the Dayton Agreement (1995) and the political participation of women in the post conflict society of  Bosnia and Herzegovina. International norms on democracy and women’s rights agree on the importance of the presence of women in political institutions and the importance of women’s participation in peace processes and post-conflict reconstruction. It examines the impacts on the space available for women’s political participation.

Congratulations to Bitopi, Cornelia and Tajma on their success!