Dr Frank Grundig

Dr Frank Grundig joined the School in 2007. He previously taught at the University of Essex and was a Marie Curie Fellow. Since 2019 he has also been Deputy-Director of the Global Challenges Doctoral Centre at the University of Kent. 

I have been interested in international institutions and various aspects of climate change and environmental politics and policy since grad school. The emphasis of my research has shifted somewhat over the years but I remain interested and research active in all the areas listed below. Since I have taken on the role of Deputy-Director at the Global Challenges Doctoral Centre at Kent my interest in sustainable development, especially as it relates to climate change, has intensified.  Empirically I have engaged in qualitative field work, survey research, and (survey) experiments.

Individual climate change attitudes and behaviour, their drivers and how to influence them (current empirical focus South East Asia)

Climate change and its relationship to other Sustainable Development Goals

The influence of international institutions on domestic climate politics and policy making and the mobilisation of domestic civil society groups working on climate change (current empirical focus Latin America).

International institutions and their effectiveness in general and the effect of structural power on environmental regime effectiveness in particular.

International cooperation and institution from an international relations theory point of view (neoliberal institutionalism / neo-institutionalism, (neo)-realism, two-level-games).

Current projects

With colleagues at Kent and in Thailand I am currently working on climate change policy attitudes in South East Asia (Thailand) with a focus on identifying policy relevant levers to improve climate action.

With colleagues at Kent and in Malaysia I am currently working on identifying trade-offs people are willing to make with regard to climate change policies.

I am in the process of completing a project on the influence of international institutions on climate change policy in Peru and mobilisation of civil society groups in Peru and Ecuador.

Undergraduate

• POLI6750 Politics and IR Internship

• Individual climate change attitudes and behaviour
• Climate change and sustainable development
• Negotiations on the climate regime and other environmental regimes
• Mobilisation of climate change NGOs / CSOs
• Climate regime / environmental regimes
• Influence of domestic politics on international climate change outcomes and of international climate regimes on domestic politics.
• Effectiveness and wider effects of international institutions and organisations
• International relations theory projects (mainly with an empirical focus): neoliberal institutionalism / neo-institutionalism, (neo)-realism, two level-games and second image / second image reversed theories.
• Climate change and conflict