The UniCT unit (University of Catania) is composed of Daniela Irrera, full professor of political science at the School of Advanced Defence Studies, (CASD), and Francesca Longo, full professor of political science at the University of Catania. UniCT’s contribution focuses on two main levels of analysis: the intergovernmental level, with particular attention to the European Union dimension, and the non-governmental level.
As for the intergovernmental level, the objective is to analyze to what extent Italian defense initiatives fit into the framework of the EU’s Common Security and Defense Policy and how they contribute to European strategies and objectives. At the non-governmental level, the UniCT group examines the role of NGOs and civil society organizations that collaborate with the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, assessing their impact on governmental decisions and field missions. The empirical analysis is conducted through a “process tracing” approach on political speeches, official documents, and NGO reports, with the aim of understanding the degree of coordination or friction between these actors and Italian and European institutions.
- Daniela Irrera: Full Professor of Political Science and International Relations at the School of Advanced Defence Studies, CASD in Rome. She is also Visiting Professor of Political Violence and Terrorism and Civil Society and Sustainability at the OSCE Academy in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. She is Chair of the ECPR. She is Adjunct Professor of Global Civil Society at the University of Catania. She also teaches Comparative Politics at Tor Vergata University, Rome and International Politics at the University of Padua. She has held a Fulbright Scholarship at the University of Delaware, US; a DAAD fellowship at The Peace Research Institute Frankfurt, and a Marie Curie fellowship at UFSC, Brazil. She has been visiting researcher at the EU Centre of Excellence at the University of Alberta, Canada and at Loughborough University, UK. Her primary research focuses on action and influence on global politics by non-state actors, both positive (civil society organisations and NGOs) and negative (organised crime and terrorism). As for policy impact, she serves as a consultant to the Radicalisation Awareness Network Policy Support (RAN PS), EU Commission and to the UN Working Group on the use of mercenaries.
- Francesca Longo: PhD. Doctor of International Relation and Full Professor of Political Science and International Relations at the University of Catania, where she serves as Vice-Rector. She is also Jean Monnet Professor of European Union Policy and Member of the Executive Committee of the International Political Science Association (IPSA). She is a member of the Steering Committee of the Italian European Studies Association (AUSE) and member of the Editorial Board of the “Peace Human Rights Governance Journal”. She leaders the Italian research group working on the H2020 EU-funded research project “PROTECT The Right to International Protection. A Pendulum between Globalization and Nativization?” Francesca Longo has authored and co-edited a list of publications in the field of political science and international relations. Her primary research focuses on European policy on migration and asylum and the European Union political system. Moreover, she authored and co-edited articles and a book on Italian foreign policy and Italian migration policy in Italian and international Journals. She has held the DAAD fellowship at the Cairo University and a visiting professorship at the University of Liege.