Today at UNU-CRIS in Bruges, a seminar by Jorge Damián Rodríguez Díaz was held, which unpacked how transnational capital drives "automotive regionalism" across Mercosur and USMCA, highlighting deep tensions between global capital and national development goals.

📢Can ASEAN strengthen cooperation over shared water resources?. New policy brief highlights the gaps in transboundary water governance across Southeast Asia—despite nearly all ASEAN countries sharing watercourses, few binding agreements exist. 🔍Access:

📢 Can stronger institutions and investments end hunger in Africa by 2025?. New study assesses progress under the Malabo Declaration, analyzing how non-hunger areas like trade, investment, and governance influence hunger reduction. 🔍 Open access here:

Regionalism + Polycrisis: Can Integration Survive Global Fragmentation?. As global crises intensify, regionalism is harder to achieve. Study explores how major regions can strengthen integration amid rivalry, weak institutions, and inequality. Read more:

What does "digital sovereignty" mean, and who gets to define it?. New study unpacks the global surge in interest around digital sovereignty, tracing its evolution from a fringe concern to a central pillar of tech policy across the world. 🔍 Open access:

📢New journal article!. New paper explores how grassroots feminist groups across Eurasia are reimagining activism in the face of patriarchal state agendas and neoliberal donor frameworks. 🔍 Read more:

How do personal health and dissatisfaction with healthcare influence migration decisions across Africa?. New research highlights the nuanced, layered relationship between health, mobility, and inequality in Africa. Read more:

Who really shapes Pacific Regionalism: Island nations or global powers?. New study finds:.• Japan respects PICs’ ownership.• China and the US exert a negative influence.• EU potentially compromises ownership through power/ identity narratives. Read more

How does the EU promote its rules globally?.This paper by UNU-CRIS Research Intern Alexandre Lejeune dives into the EU’s normative power and its strategic mix of unilateral, bilateral, and multilateral tools to diffuse GI standards worldwide. Read more:

📢 New working paper alert!. New study shows that global market access supports growth and innovation, but can come at the expense of environmental performance. 🔍 Read more:

📢 How does digital tech adoption shape hiring, training, and firm performance in India?. New paper highlights the nuanced role of human capital in leveraging the benefits of digital transformation. 📄 Read more:

📢 How does power shift and evolve within regional organizations over time?. New study analyzes 75 ROs over seven decades to map the balance between scope, decision-making power, and power concentration. 🔍 Read more:

As António Guterres' term nears its end, the question looms: Could 2026 finally bring a woman, and one from Latin America, to lead the UN?. New blog explores the political, gender, and regional dynamics shaping the race for the next UN Sec-Gen. 🔗Blog:

Over the last 2 days, the UNU-CRIS Advisory Committee was held at our premises in Bruges. As part of the programme, we held a joint lunch between the members and our researchers. We are grateful to the AC members for their time and for sharing their insights and expertise.

Starting tomorrow: #EUIA25 – Europe in a Fragmenting World.📍 Brussels | 21–23 May. Organised by Brussels School of Governance, UNU-CRIS, Egmont Institute, IEE_Bruxelles, PAISWarwick. 🗓️ Final programme:

What is changing in the field of Comparative Regionalism?. Tobias Lenz & Fredrik Söderbaum highlight three key transformations—conceptual, theoretical, and methodological—that are moving the field beyond both EU-centrism and EU-criticism. 🔗 Read more:

🎓 Applications are now open for the 2025 BOF Doctoral Scholarships with the UNU-CRIS label!. 🗓️ Apply for UNU-CRIS label by 14 May 2025.🗓️ Submit full application by 21 May 2025.📅 Start date: 1 October 2025. Find full details and forms here:

📢How do Latin American regional organizations engage with civil society?. New Article finds that despite institutional differences, the impact of civil society on regional governance remains minimal—restricted largely to agenda facilitation. 🔗Read more:

📢New Publication: The Palgrave Handbook of EU-Latin American Relations. What role does the European Parliament play in shaping EU–Latin American relations? Explore the inter-parliamentary dynamics, motivations & tensions in EU–LAC dialogue. 🔗Read more:

🌿 New Publication: Enhancing Sustainability of Constructed Wetlands for Agricultural Water and Nutrient Management Practices through Social Innovations. How can constructed wetlands (CWs) be made more sustainable in agricultural settings?. 🔗 Read more: