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Janne Mende

About Janne Mende
Recent Publications
Blogposts
Working Papers
Memberships
Miscellaneous

Priv.-Doz. Dr. Janne Mende

Senior Research Group Leader

mende@mpil.de
Tel. +49 (6221) 482-635

About

Janne Mende is a political scientist with a specialization in international relations. The awardee of the Franz-Xaver-Kaufmann-Prize 2022 is Senior Research Group Leader at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law since 2020. In her Research Group MAGGI (“The Multiplication of Authorities in Global Governance Institutions”) she analyzes the governance authority of state, inter-state and non-state actors in the United Nations and the European Union. In addition, she heads DFG-funded projects in the issue area of business and human rights.

In her research and teaching she focuses on global governance, on-state actors, international organizations, norms research, human rights, and qualitative research methods. In her youngest monograph (utb 2021), she develops a contextual and normatively open universalism of human rights. Her habilitation thesis (Nomos 2020) investigates the tension between private governance actors and human rights as public duties. Her PhD thesis (Campus 2015; Rowman & Littlefield 2016) analyzes liberal and communitarian approaches to collective rights, studying indigenous human rights to culture and identity in the United Nations. Her previous study on universalism, cultural relativism and female genital mutilation/cutting was published in 2011 (Transcript).


Short Vita

9/2022-8/2023            Research Associate, Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva

Since 10/2020             Max Planck Research Group Leader (W2), Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law, Heidelberg

10/2019-3/2020          Deputy professor for Transnational Governance, Technical University of Darmstadt

6/2018-10/2020          Head of DFG research project at the chair of International Relations, University of Giessen

10/2017-3/2018          Postdoctoral Fellow, Bamberg Graduate School of Social Sciences, University of Bamberg

10/2013-9/2017          Postdoctoral researcher, Chair of Globalization & Politics, University of Kassel

10/2010-10/2013        PhD candidate in Political Sciences, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen

10/2004-5/2010          Studies (Magister) of Political Science, Anthropology and Psychology, Free University Berlin

 

Visiting appointments include:

-European University Institute EUI, Robert Schuman Centre, Florence
-Cluster of Excellence: Contestations of the Liberal Script - SCRIPTS, Free University Berlin
-Centre for Global Cooperation Research (Käte Hamburger Kolleg), University Duisburg-Essen
-School of Global Studies, University of Gothenburg
-Danish Institute for Human Rights, Copenhagen
-WZB – Berlin Social Science Center, Research Unit Global Governance
-Research Centre Human Rights, University of Vienna
-School of Politics and International Relations, University of Nottingham
-New School for Social Research, New York

 

Academic Degrees:

07/2018: Habilitation and Venia Legendi in Political Science, University of Kassel
05/2014: Dr. rer. soc. in Political Science, University of Giessen
05/2010: Magistra Artium in Political Science, Social Anthropology, Psychology, Free University Berlin


List of Publications


Current Research Projects


Team

Dr. Imge Akaslan

Dr. Ruji Auethavornpipat

Dr. Gordon Friedrichs

Marie Lohrum

Dr. Katharina McLarren

Fumie Nakamura

Marcel Frentzel (student assistant)

Ronya Ramrath (student assistant)


News

The Max Planck Research Group MAGGI hosts a workshop on: The Multiplication of Global Governance Authority: Contestation, In/formalization, and Constellations. The workshop takes place at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law in Heidelberg on July 11th-12th, 2024. Limited spaces for guests are available. Please register with maggi-rg@mpil.de. Details and full program in the pdf.


Recent Publications

  • Liberal–Democratic Norms under Contestation: Norm Relations and their Decoupling in the US Supreme Court’s Decisions on Abortion. In: Global Constitutionalism online first (2024). doi: 10.1017/S2045381724000042. open access
  • Substance- or Legitimacy-Oriented (De)legitimation of Global Governance Institutions. The Double-Edged Role of Complexity. In: Globalizations online first (2024). doi: 10.1080/14747731.2024.2330171. open access
  • The Hidden Contestation of Norms: Decent Work in the International Labour Organization and the United Nations. In: Global Constitutionalism 12(2), 246-268 (2023). doi: 10.1017/S2045381722000259 (with Julia Drubel). Open Access
  • Corporate Human Rights Responsibilities: Dismantling the Public-Private Divide. In: Nordic Journal of Human Rights 41(3), 255-264 (2023). doi: 10.1080/18918131.2023.2254969. open access
  • Public Interests and the Legitimation of Global Governance Actors. In: Politics & Governance 11 (3) (2023). doi: 10.17645/pag.v11i3.6778. open access
  • Business Authority in Global Governance: Companies Beyond Public and Private Roles. In: Journal of International Political Theory 19(2), 200-220 (2023). doi: 10.1177/17550882221116924. Open Access
  • Transcending a Western Bias. Towards a Decolonised and Entangled Perspective in Norms Research. In: European Review of International Studies 9(3), 339-362 (2022). doi: 10.1163/21967415-09030001 (with Regina Heller, Alexander Reichwein). Open Access
  • Vermittlung in der internationalen Politik. Konturen eines neuen Forschungsfeldes. In: Zeitschrift Diskurs 8, 1-11 (2022) (with Frank Gadinger, Nele Kortendiek). Open Access
  • The governance authority of non-state actors in the business and human rights regime. In: Journal of Human Rights 21 (5), 593-603 (2022). doi: 10.1080/14754835.2022.2104119 (with Anneloes Hoff). Open Access
  • Extended Qualitative Content Analysis: Researching the United Nations and other International Institutions. In: Qualitative Research Journal 22(3), 340-353 (2022). doi: 10.1108/QRJ-11-2021-0127. Open Access
  • Norm Convergence and Collision in Regime Overlaps. Business and Human Rights in the UN and the EU. In: Globalizations online first (2021). doi: 10.1080/14747731.2021.1983342. Open Access
  • Private Actors, NGOs and Civil Society in Multilevel Governance. In: A Research Agenda for Multilevel Governance, Arthur Benz, Jörg Broschek, Markus Lederer (eds.). Edward Elgar, Cheltenham 2021, 171-189. Open Access
  • Was sind soziale Normen? Ein Dialog zwischen der rechtsphilosophischen und der konstruktivistischen Normenforschung. In: Leviathan 49 (4), 577-598 (2021). doi: 10.5771/0340-0425-2021-4-577 (with Christoph Möllers). Open Access
  • Der Universalismus der Menschenrechte. UTB, Stuttgart, 2021, 240 p. Details
  • Public and Individual Interests. Implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic. In: Jahrbuch Technikphilosophie 7, 312-315 (2021). doi: 10.5771/9783748910961-312. Open Access
    Translated into: Chinese
  • The Contestation and Construction of Global Governance Authorities: A Study from the Global Business and Human Rights Regime. In: Global Constitutionalism online first (2021). doi: 10.1017/S2045381721000113. Open Access
  • Are Human Rights Western—And Why does it Matter? A Perspective from International Political Theory. In: Journal of International Political Theory 17 (1), 38-57 (2021). doi: 10.1177/1755088219832992.
  • Global Governance und Menschenrechte: Konstellationen zwischen Privatheit und Öffentlichkeit. Internationale Politische Theorie. Nomos, Baden-Baden, 2020, 340 p. doi: 9783848715985 Details
  • Common Identities, Overlapping Authorities and Complexity. Practices of (De-)Legitimation in the United Nations. In: Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law & International Law Research Paper 2021-05 (2021). doi: 10.2139/ssrn.3790292. Open Access
  • Experteninterviews in internationalen Organisationen: Zwischen Standardisierung und Narration. In: Zeitschrift für Internationale Beziehungen 27 (2), 139-152 (2020). doi: 10.5771/0946-7165-2020-2-139.
  • The Public, the Private, and the Business-Societal. A Threefold Approach to Business Responsibility for Human Rights. In: A Research Agenda for Human Rights, Michael Stohl, Alison Brysk (eds.). Edward Elgar Publishing, Cheltenham 2020, 155-172. Open Access
  • Einfach komplex? Die gesellschaftliche Vermittlung politikwissenschaftlicher Analysen. In: Zeitschrift für Politikwissenschaft 30 (3), 379-399 (2020). doi: 10.1007/s41358-020-00229-0 (with Stefan Müller).
  • At the Junction: Two Models of Business Responsibility for Modern Slavery. In: Human Rights Review 21 (3), 313-335 (2020). doi: 10.1007/s12142-020-00596-9 (with Julia Drubel). Open Access
  • Unternehmen als gesellschaftliche Akteure: Die unternehmerische Verantwortung für Menschenrechte zwischen privater und öffentlicher Sphäre. In: Interdisziplinäre Perspektiven auf Soziale Menschenrechte, Nikolaus Goldbach, Franziska Paulmann, Julia Druschel, Carolina Alves Vestena (eds.). Nomos, Baden-Baden 2020, 77-98.
  • Business Enterprises and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR): A Hybrid Approach. In: The Global Politics of Human Rights. Bringing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) into the 21st Century. Berlin Forum on Global Politics. Berlin Forum on Global Politics, Berlin 2020, 112-116. Open Access
  • Global Governance. In: The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Global Security Studies, Scott N. Romaniuk, Manish Thapa, Péter Marton (eds.). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, Basingstoke/New York 2020. Details
  • Normative and Contextual Feminism: Lessons from the Debate around Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting. In: Gender Forum, An Internet Journal for Gender Studies 17 (68), 47-69 (2018). Open Access
  • The Concept of Modern Slavery: Definition, Critique, and the Human Rights Frame. In: Human Rights Review 20 (2), 229-248 (2019). doi: 0.1007/s12142-018-0538-y. Open Access
  • Differenz und Identität. Konstellationen der Kritik. Beltz Juventa, Weinheim, 2016, 278 p. (with Stefan Müller)
  • A Human Right to Culture and Identity? The Ambivalence of Group Rights.. Studies in Social and Global Justice, hrsg. v. Benjamin Holland, Tony Burns.. Rowman & Littlefield International, London, 2016, 222 p.
  • Kultur als Menschenrecht? Ambivalenzen kollektiver Rechtsforderungen.. Campus Verlag, Frankfurt am Main/ New York, 2015, 262 p.
  • Begründungsmuster weiblicher Genitalverstümmelung. Zur Vermittlung von Kulturrelativismus und Universalismus.. Transcript Verlag, Bielefeld, 2011, 212 p.

Blogposts

  • Die Komplexität der Menschenrechte. Symposium "The Concrete Utopia of Human Rights", 18 August 2021. Online
  • Plagiate – die frühe Rolle der Universitäten. theorieblog, 2019. Open Access
  • Which Business? Controversies about the Scope of Application of a Future Treaty on Business and Human Rights. Völkerrechtsblog, 2018. Open Access
  • A New Responsibility in the Making: Business Companies and Human Rights. WZB Orders Beyond Borders, 2018. Open Access

Working Papers

  • The Multiplication of Authorities in Global Governance Institutions. A Research Agenda. Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law & International Law Research Paper Series 7 (6), 2022 (with Ruji Auethavornpipat, Marie Lohrum, Fumie Nakamura). Open Access
  • Common Identities, Overlapping Authorities and Complexity. Practices of (De-)Legitimation in the United Nations. Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law & International Law Research Paper Series 6 (5), 2021. doi: 10.2139/ssrn.3790292. Open Access

Memberships

• German Political Science Association (DVPW)

        • Section International Relations

        • Working Group Sociology in International Relations

        • Thematic Groups IR Norms Research

        • Thematic Group International Organization

• Deutsche Gesellschaft für Politikwissenschaft

• Section “Norms and Changes in Global Politics”, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen (spokesperson)

• Standing Group “International Relations”, European Consortium for Social Research (ECPR)

• Working Group “International Relations as a Social Science”, British International Studies Association (BISA)

• Research Group “United Nations”, University of Potsdam

• Research Group “Migration and Human Rights”, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen

• Global Business and Human Rights Scholars Association (BR2R)

• Academic Council on the United Nations System

• Connecticut/Baden-Württemberg Human Rights Research Consortium

• Max Planck Group on Business and Human Rights (spokesperson)

Miscellaneous

Head of Conferences and Workshops

“The Russian War in Ukraine: What’s Next?”, Expert workshop with Caroline Fehl, Gunther Hellmann, Elvira Rosert, David Sirakov, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, 19.6.2023 (with the GGS section Norms and Change in World Politics)

“Public(s) in Global Politics”, annual conference of the DVPW working group “Sociology in International Relations” in cooperation with the section “Political Sociology” of the German Sociological Association (DGS), 11.-12.11.2021 (with Ulrich Franke, Thomas Müller, Jasmin Siri)

“Human Rights Responsibilities beyond the State. Pushing the Boundaries of Public and Private“, online workshop, Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law, 10.-11.06.2021 (with Anneloes Hoff)

“Beyond Western Liberalism: Mapping Blind Spots in IR Norm Research”, GGS annual conference, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, 2.-3.12.2019 (in cooperation with DVPW thematic group “IR Norms Research”, Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy at the University of Hamburg, Institute of Political Science at the University of Duisburg-Essen, Peace Research Institute Frankfurt)

“The Concept of Mediation in International Relations”, annual conference of the DVPW working group “Sociologies in International Relations”, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, 14.-15.11.2019 (with Frank Gadinger and Nele Kortendiek)

“Researching International Organizations Empirically”, workshop of the GGS section Norms and Change in World Politics, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, 15.11.2018


Service to the Academic Community

Deputy Gender Equality Officer, Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law

Spokesperson of the Max Planck Group on Business and Human Rights, Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law

Head of Discussion Group on Human Rights, Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law

Spokesperson of the section “Norms and Change in Global Politics”, Giessen Graduate Centre, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen


Expert Reports and Selection Committees for Research Funding Institutions

  • Horizon Europe, European Research Council (ERC)
  • Austrian Academy of Sciences
  • Carlo Schmid Program, German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)
  • National Science Centre Poland
  • Dissertation Award of the German Political Science Association (DVPW)


Supervision of PhD Theses

Valter Angelo da Silva Junior: Non-State Actors’ Authority under European Union’s Trade Agreements

Thomas Cranshaw: The Legitimacy of the OECD’s PISA Studies

Marie Lohrum: The Governance Authority of Lobbyists in the EU

Fumie Nakamura: The Governance Authority of Transnational Municipal Networks