Prof. Dr. Amrita Narlikar

Former President

Prof. Dr. Amrita Narlikar

  • Prof. Dr. Amrita Narlikar served as President of the German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA) from 2014 to 2024. She is also Honorary Fellow of Darwin College (University of Cambridge), non-resident Senior Fellow at the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), and non-resident Distinguished Fellow of the Australia India Institute in an honorary capacity.

    Prior to moving to Hamburg, she held the position of Reader in International Political Economy at the University of Cambridge and a Fellowship at Darwin College. She was also Senior Research Associate at the Centre for International Studies at the University of Oxford from 2003 to 2014.

    Amrita was awarded her MPhil and DPhil from Oxford University (Balliol), and was then appointed to a Junior Research Fellowship at St John’s, Oxford. She also has intellectual roots at the JNU School of International Studies and St. Stephen’s College.

    Amrita has authored/edited thirteen books. Her most recent books include:

    • International relations: the ‘how not to’ guide

      co-authored with Daniel Drezner, International Affairs, centenary Special Issue, 98(5), 2022, pp. 1468-2346

    • International Negotiation and Political Narratives: A Comparative Study co-authored with Fen Osler Hampson, London and New York: Routledge, 2022

    • Poverty Narratives in International Trade Negotiations and Beyond New York: Cambridge University Press, 2020

    Furthermore, among others:

    • Bargaining with a Rising India: Lessons from the Mahabharata

      (co-authored) Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014

    • The Oxford Handbook on the World Trade Organization

      (co-edited) Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012

    • Deadlocks in Multilateral Negotiations: Causes and Solutions

      (edited) Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010

    The policy relevance of her research brings Amrita into frequent and close exchange with practitioners. She has authored several policy briefs — e.g. for Munich Security Times, Heinrich Böll Stiftung, CIGI, Commonwealth Secretariat etc., and has had her expertise cited in a range of media outlets — e.g. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Der Tagesspiegel, Die Welt, Spiegel Online, Deutsche Welle, NDR, BBC, etc.


    Click here for CV


    Short CV

    Present Appointment

    • Lead Research Fellow at GIGA 

    • Honorary Fellow of Darwin College, University of Cambridge

    • Professor of International Relations (W3) at the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences, Hamburg Universität

    • Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the Observer Research Foundation (ORF)

    • Adjunct Senior Fellow, Research in Information System for Developing Countries (RIS)

    • Non-Resident Distinguished Fellow, Australia India Institute, University of Melbourne

    • Co-Chair, T20 Taskforce 3 (LiFE, Resilience and Well-Being)

    Previous Appointments

    President of GIGA (2014 - 2024) Professor of International Relations at WiSo, Hamburg University (2014-2024)

    University of Cambridge (2004 - 2015)

    • Permanent positions as University Lecturer, University Senior Lecturer, Reader in International Political Economy

    • Founding Director of the Centre for Rising Powers

    • Official Fellow, Darwin College

    University of Exeter (2003 - 2004)

    • Lecturer (permanent position), position held simultaneously with the New Career Development Fellowship, Nuffield Foundation (2003-3006; fellowship was transferred to Cambridge on appointment there)

    University of Oxford (1999 - 2014)

    • Junior Research Fellow (1999 - 2003)

    • Senior Research Associate, Centre for International Studies (honorary position, 2003 - 2014)

    Qualifications

    • Ph.D., Darwin College, University of Cambridge (by incorporation)

    • D. Phil., International Relations, Balliol College, University of Oxford

    • M. Phil., International Relations, Balliol College, University of Oxford

    • M.A., International Relations, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India

    • B.A., History (Hons.) St. Stephen’s College, Delhi University, India

    • Data Analysis, Essex Summer School in Social Science Data Analysis and Collection

    Grants and Fellowships

    • Since 2022: Principal Investigator, Transfer for Transformation (T4T) – Knowledge Exchange with Global Reach, Leibniz Association

    • Since 2021: Principal Investigator, Digital Diplomacy and Statecraft, Federal Foreign Office

    • Since 2021: Principal Investigator, Weltordnungsnarrative des Globalen Südens (with Prof Eckart Woertz, Prof Ulrich Mücke and Prof Jürgen Zimmerer)

    • Since 2021: Principal Investigator, Leader Types and (Liberal?) Narratives of the COVID-19 Pandemic, SCRIPTS, German Research Foundation (with Prof. Mark Hallerberg)

    • Since 2020: Principal Investigator, The Challenge to the Challenge: Responses to BRI, SCRIPTS, German Research Foundation (with Prof Mark Hallerberg)

    • Since 2018: Co-Investigator, Legitimate Multipolarity, German Research Foundation (with Dr Johannes Plagemann and Prof Heike Holbig)

    • Since 2018: Principal Investigator, SCRIPTS Excellence Cluster, FU Berlin

    • 2013: Leverhulme Research Fellowship for project entitled The Power of the Poor

    • 2012: Volkswagen Foundation Consortium Grant for project on Energy and Rising Powers. In collaboration with the University of Darmstadt

    • 2011: Conference Grant by the Centre for Research in the Social Sciences and Humanities, University of Cambridge, to organize an interdisciplinary conference with the Centre for Rising Powers in February 2012 on Rising Powers in the International System. Additional sponsorship secured from Cambridge University Press

    • 2010: Visiting International Professorial Chair, Université Libre de Bruxelles, November

    • 2008: First Mellon/CRASSH Teaching Fellowship for Innovation in Teaching (with Professor Martin Daunton)

    • 2007: Conference Grant by the Centre for Research in the Social Sciences and Humanities, University of Cambridge, to hold an inter-disciplinary conference in November 2007 on Breaking Deadlocks

    • 2003 - 2006: Nuffield Career Development Fellowship (with Dr Andrew Hurrell as Col) (to cover three year buy-out for PI, research assistance for CoI, and funding to cover research, travel, and equipment costs of both PI and CoI)

    • 2002: Leitner Visiting Fellowship, Yale Center for International and Area Studies, Yale University, March - April

    • 2001: First Hodson Memorial Essay Prize, The Round Table: Commonwealth Journal of International Affairs

    Scholarships and Prizes

    University of Oxford (M.Phil. and D.Phil.):

    • Full scholarship (fees and maintenance) by the Inlaks Foundation, London Overseas Research Students (ORS) Award, UK

    • Travel grants from Balliol College

    • Research grants from the Cyril Foster and Alastair Buchan Fund, Department of Politics and International Relations, Oxford

    School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University (M.A.):

    • First position in M.A. with distinction and highest marks in school record and first position in 15 out of 16 papers

    • Prize for outstanding performance in MA from Jawaharlal Nehru Trust

    St. Stephen’s College Prizes (B.A. Hons, History):

    • Savitri Prasad History Prize for the highest standard in tutorials

    • Prize for Seminar Paper on ‘Climatic Changes from Pleistocene to Mid-Holocene Times in Peninsular India’

    • I.H. Qureshi Memorial Prize for History for Regularity, Quality of Work and Peformance

    • Shri Ram Poplai Essay Prize

    Senior School:

    • All India Merit Scholarship for performance in All India Senior Secondary School

    • Leaving Exam, with prizes in all exam subjects from the Convent of Jesus and Mary School, New Delhi

    Current Research

    • International Trade

    • International Negotiation

    • Multilateralism

    • World Trade Organisation

    • Geoeconomics

    • Economic Statecraft

    • International Negotiation

    • Indian Foreign Policy

    • Rising Powers

    • BRICS, especially India

    Countries and Regions

    • India

    • Brazil

    • China


    Memberships

    • Global Solutions Initiative, Member of the Advisory Board of the Global Solutions Initiative (GSI), since 2023
    • Australia India Institute, Non-resident Distinguished Fellow of the Australia India Institute, since 2022
    • American Political Science Association, Membership in discipline-specific association or network, since 2022
    • TF-3: LiFE, Resilience, and Values for Wellbeing, Co-Chair, since 2022
    • Indian Association of International Studies, Member of the IAIS International Advisory Board, since 2021
    • Finnish Institute of International Affairs, Member of the Scientific Advisory Council (SAC) of the Finnish Institute of International Affairs (FIIA), 2021 - 2023
    • International Studies Association, Membership in discipline-specific association or network, since 2020
    • Munich Security Conference Distinguished Reflection Group on Transatlantic China Policy, Member of the Distinguished Reflection Group of the Munich Security Conference, since 2020
    • Observer Research Foundation, Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), since 2020
    • Review of International Studies, Editorial Board Member of Review of International Studies, since 2020
    • Business and Politics, Member of the Editorial Board of the Journal Business and Politics, since 2015
    • Research and Information System for Developing Countries, Adjunct Senior Fellow at the Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS), since 2014

    Awards

    • Invited Member of Sustainable Finance in the Indo-Pacific (SUFIP) Development Network, Observer Research Foundation (ORF), 2023
    • Member of International Advisory Board, 2023
    • Non-Resident Distinguished Fellow, Australia India Institute, University of Melbourne, Australia India Institute (AII), 2022
    • Non-Resident Senior Fellow, Observer Research Foundation, Observer Research Foundation (ORF), 2020
    • Adjunct Senior Fellow, Research in Information System for Developing Countries, Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS), 2009

    Prof. Dr. Amrita Narlikar

    Former President



    International Studies Quarterly | 04/2024

    In the Eyes of the Beholders: The Legitimacy of Global Governance Institutions under Multipolarity

    We investigate how global publics evaluate the legitimacy of two GGIs—the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the Group of Twenty (G20)—and multipolarity’s role in those evaluations.

    Infographic | 02/2024

    European Governments and Covid-19: Unmasking the Nexus of Narratives and Policy Responses

    Why have governments with similar political institutions, cultures, and development levels reacted so differently to the COVID-19 pandemic? Summary and visualization by Eduardo Valencia of 'Pandemic narratives and policy responses: west European governments and Covid-19' by Amrita Narlikar and Cecilia Emma Sottilotta.

    Monograph | 11/2023

    Strategic Choices, Ethical Dilemmas: Stories from the Mahabharat

    The book applies the Mahabharat’s practical wisdom to strategic and ethical questions of our current times. Written for scholars, practitioners and other avid readers, it is useful for those seeking to put the world to rights and provides tasty food for thought for those who enjoy paradoxes and squared circles.

    Blog Article | 08/2023

    A Rose By Any Other Name?: In Defence of the “Global South”

    Nora Kürzdörfer and Amrita Narlikar discuss the utility of the term "Global South" and call for a recognition of the Global South’s umbrella identity, along with key differentiations within it.

    Internationale Politik | 08/2023

    Was ist schon ein Name?

    Vereinfachungen und Kategorisierungen sind allgegenwärtig, siehe „der Westen“ – nur beim Globalen Süden soll das nicht gelten? Warum man an diesem Begriff festhalten sollte. Eine Reaktion auf das IP-Titelthema im Juli/August.

    Research Project | 01/06/2021 - 31/05/2023

    Leader Types and (Liberal?) Narratives of the COVID-19 Pandemic

    This project compares decision-makers in the pandemic, with a focus on leaders, health and finance ministers. The role of these ministers is taken into account because much debate has revolved around the issues of life versus livelihoods. It considers the degree to which these persons are “experts” in the relevant policy area. It further investigates the extent to which leaders and ministers referred to scientific expertise and, when they did so, which particular disciplines they relied on.
    DFG, 2021-2023

    Research Project | 01/04/2021 - 31/03/2024

    World Order Narratives of the Global South (WONAGO)

    The decades since the late twentieth century are marked by the end of the bipolar world order and the rise of countries of the Global South. Most explanations focus on political and economic power shifts and do not pay much attention to ideas of order, especially those prevalent in the Global South. To provide a more inclusive perspective, this project researches world order narratives in Latin America, Africa, Middle East and Asia. It is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research as part of its Area Studies strategy.
    BMBF, 2021-2024

    Research Project | 01/01/2021 - 31/01/2024

    Digital Transformation Lab (DigiTraL): Digital Diplomacy and Statecraft

    The Digital Transformation Lab (DigiTraL) is funded by the Federal Foreign Office. Its first phase “Digital Diplomacy and Statecraft” focuses on how digitalisation offers new opportunities, challenges, and instruments for foreign policy. It will identify the options and (security) threats of digitalisation to develop timely responses of (digital) diplomacy.
    FFO, 2021-2024

    Research Project | 01/09/2020 - 31/08/2024

    The Challenge to the Challenge: The Belt and Road Initiative’s Implications for Liberal Trade and (Digital) Finance and the Response in Other Countries

    This SCRITPS project considers the implications of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) for the liberal script. It focuses on two policy areas, namely trade and finance. Both are critical for the potential re-allocation of wealth across borders. The project investigates how governments respond to the challenge of the BRI, and what explains the variation in responses.
    DFG, 2020-2024

    E-Internatinal Relations | Interview | 24/01/2024

    Interview - Amrita Narlikar: Profile Feature International Relations

    E-International Relations interviewd Amrita Narlikar on the changing world order, innovative research debates, and her latest book "Strategic Choices, Ethical Dilemmas". It is the world’s leading international relations website with daily publications of unique content aimed at academics, general interest readers, and students

    Reuters | Quote | 11/09/2023

    HINTERGRUND-Neue Weltordnung mit G7, G20, Brics - Abstimmung geht an UN vorbei

    Amrita Narlikar wird in diesem Hintergrundartikel für Reuters zur Weltordnung, dem Globalen Süden und zur Erweiterung der Mitgliedschaft zitiert.

    Deutsche Welle | Interview | 09/09/2023

    ¿Es India la verdadera potencia del futuro?

    In this background video on India, produced in the framework of the 2023 G20 summit, Amrita Narlikar shares her insights on global geopolitical shifts, on India, and India's changing role on the international stage (minutes: 7:40, 8:47, 10:33). 

    Madya Bharat Hindi Sahitya Samiti | 29/11/2023

    "Strategic Choices, Ethical Dilemmas"

    Organiser: Madya Bharat Hindi Sahitya Samiti Prof. Dr. Amrita Narlikar (Speaker)

    Amrita Narlikar was invited to present in Hindi her latest co-authored book "Strategic Choices, Ethical Dilemmas". Organised by one of the oldest institutions promoting Indian languages, literature, and culture together with the School of Journalism and Mass Communication (Indore University).

    Conference | 25/11/2023 - 26/11/2023

    Ethical and Moral Dimensions of Statecraft

    India's Strategic Culture - Addressing Global and Regional Challenges, Symbiosis International (Deemed University), Pune Prof. Dr. Amrita Narlikar (Speaker)

    Amrita Narlikar was invited as keynote speaker to the 2nd session of the International Relations Conference on "India's Strategic Culture - Addressing Global and Regional Challenges" with Foreign Minister Jaishankar. She spoke about a non-anthropocentric view of IR, among others.

    Teaching | Universität Hamburg | 2022

    Economic Statecraft and Weaponised Interdependence

    Universität Hamburg Hamburg Germany

    Master-level seminar in Political Science

    Teaching | Universität Hamburg | 2020

    Economic Statecraft and Weaponised Interdependence

    Universität Hamburg Hamburg Germany

    Master-level seminar in Political Science

    Teaching | Universität Hamburg | 2020

    Multilateralism, Crisis, and Coronavirus

    Universität Hamburg Hamburg Germany

    Master-level seminar in Political Science

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