IGSD News

On the 16th October the University of Warwick signed an MOU with El-Yurt Umidi Foundation for the training of prospective personnel and students, from Uzbekistan. The Delegation was led by Professor Gulnoza Ismayilova, its Executive Director. She signed an MOU with Warwick, represented by Professor Virinda Kalra, DPVC International, and accompanied by Professor Elena Korosteleva. This will offer opportunities for introducing spotlights, IGSD STA and various course provision to Uzbekistan Universities and its Early Career Researchers, and other professionals.

The Sustainability Spotlight, together with IGFSD colleagues, had a follow-up event at WBS, to hear research initiatives from sustainability champions, and to discuss how best the spotlight can support them, in the course of the year. Initiatives came from PAIS, WBS, WMG, Stats, Law, and Economics, offering such a breadth and depth of sustainability research across the university! Thank you to all who joined us on the day, and to Cher and Tanya - for such an efficient (and yummy) organisation and lunch!

On 23-25 September in Brussels I participated in the final SHAPEDEM-EU project conference joined by a sister Embrace project. It is thrilling to see how much we have done over three years taking stock of local democracy perceptions in both neighbourhoods, and engagement from various stakeholders! I was also fortunate to have support from my two talented colleagues Asya Kudlenko & Aijan Sharshenova - indebted to them! I also thank the leadership team - Andrea Gawrich & Fabian Schöppner - for their unwavering determination in the face of so many challenges this project has had, and all my fellow researchers who made this project enjoyable and worthwhile!
As part of WP2 we are expecting a series of outputs, in addition to our reports. These among others, will include our article 'From the communities of practice' to the 'Community of Relations: lessons learned from Ukraine & Belarus' in Contemporary Politics SI, and a book chapter in a joint monograph. My own OUP book 'Complexity & Community in IR: nurturing resilience in Central Eurasia's (out on November 2025) will reference the project and our fieldwork too! Thank you all, especially the European Commission & University of Warwick for the financial & logistical support!!

Professor Korosteleva was invited to speak at the conference in Stockholm, organised by the Centre for Baltic and East European Studies, Sodertorn University. It focused on examining tendencies both in Russia, and its neighbours following its war of aggression against Ukraine. In addition to academic experts, the conference included representatives from Swedish SIDA, Swedish Defence Research Agency and various government representatives, and the Baltic states and Finland. In her presentation Elena focused on 'the Absent People NO MORE, of Central Eurasia', and how this may change the dynamics of Russian order-building in the short- and long-terms.

Professor Korosteleva also met with researchers from the Stockholm Resilience Centre to discuss options for collaborations.

Prof. Korosteleva is invited to join the World Bank's Advisory Board overseeing the design and implementation of the Worldwide Governance Indicators (WGI). WGI describe broad patterns in perceptions of the quality of governance across counties and over time, and helps them increase their economic growth, build their human capital and strengthen their social cohesion, by examining over 200 economies worldwide.