Leiden political scientists Claire Vergerio and Kathleen Brown win awards
Two researchers from the Institute of Political Science were recently awarded prizes. Claire Vergerio received the Francesco Guicciardini Prize for her book on the historical origins of the primacy of the state in international law ('best book in the historical international relations category'). In addition, Kathleen Brown received the Rudolf Wildenmann Prize for her paper 'IMF survival instincts: risk exposure and the design of loan programs'.
Best book on the history of international relations
Political scientist Claire Vergerio received this year's Francesco Guicciardini Prize for best book in the historical international relations category. She received this prize for her book War, States, and International Order: Alberico Gentili and the Foundational Myth of the Laws of War (Cambridge University Press 2022). The Francesco Guicciardini Prize is awarded annually by the International Studies Association and awards the best book on topics related to histories of international relations and/or the use of history to illuminate theoretical, conceptual and analytical issues in international relations.
You can read an interview with Vergerio about her book here.
How the state gained a key position in the laws of law
Who has the right to wage war? The answer to this question is one of the most fundamental principles of any international order and is also the starting point for Vergerio's book. Under current international humanitarian law, this right is essentially limited to sovereign states. It is generally believed that this provision stems from the ideas of late-16th-century jurist Alberico Gentili. Claire Vergerio argues that this story is a myth, concocted in the late 19th century by a group of prominent international jurists who drafted the contemporary law of war. These jurists reinterpreted Gentili's writings on war after centuries of marginal interest, and this revival was closely linked to a project to make the modern sovereign state the actor in international law. By exposing the origins and spread of this narrative, Vergerio calls for a profound reappraisal of when and with what consequences war became the exclusive prerogative of sovereign states.
'Timeless and timely article at the same time'
Political scientist Kathleen Brown won the Rudolf Wildenmann Prize of the European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR) for her paper "IMF survival instincts: risk exposure and the design of loan programs." The Rudolf Wildenmann Prize has been awarded since 2001 for an outstanding paper by an emerging researcher. The European Consortium for Political Research described Brown's work as a "timeless and timely article at the same time".
IMF: own financial security first
Kathleen presented her paper 'IMF survival instincts: risk exposure and the design of loan programs' at the ECRP Resourcing International Organisations workshop in April 2023. She examines how the International Monetary Fund (IMF) decides on lending to governments in financial distress. How generous the IMF is and what conditions are attached to the loans appears to depend on the extent to which the IMF itself is exposed to risk. If there are more risky loans outstanding, for instance, the IMF provides smaller loans with stricter conditions. This is to protect itself. So this international organisation's pursuit of its own security and need for accurate accounting has direct implications for states and other organisations.Done