Helsinki Seminar on Governance and Institutions
We, together with the Academy of Finland Centre of Excellence in the Foundations of European Law and Polity Research, have launched the interdisciplinary seminar series Helsinki Seminar on Governance and Institutions in Sepember 2013. The aim is to present and discuss ongoing research on European, transnational and global governance by Finnish and international scholars.
Check out the seminar website for more information>>>
Book launches
James Mittelman, “Implausible Dream: The World-Class University and Repurposing Higher Education“, and Tero Erkkilä and Ossi Piironen, “Rankings and Global Knowledge Governance: Higher Education, Innovation and Competitiveness“, Seminar: Universities and Knowledge Governance in a Global Era, Helsinki, Finland, 11 October 2017.
Jemima Repo, “The Biopolitics of Gender” Book launch talk and panel discussion, Birkbeck, University of London, 8 February 2016.
Tero Erkkilä, “Global University Rankings: Challenges for European Higher Education”, Panel discussion: Ten Years of Shanghai Ranking – Challenges for European Higher Education, Helsinki, Finland, 25 September 2013.
Niilo Kauppi, “A Political Sociology of Transnational Europe”, ECPR General Conference, Bordeaux, France, 4 September 2013.
Tero Erkkilä, “Government Transparency: Impacts and Unintended Consequences”, Seminar: Future of Freedom of Information? Government Transparency and its Unintended Consequences, Residence of the Ambassador of Finland, London, UK, 30 May 2013.
Conference activities
Jemima Repo, Invited talk “Affect, Biopolitics and Subject-Making at Checkpoint 300” University of Hertfordshire, UK, 17 January 2018.
Jemima Repo, “Feminist Commodity Activism: Dior’s Feminist T-Shirt in the Anti-Trump Women’s March” 10th Popular Culture & World Politics Conference, Newcastle, UK, 23-25 November 2017.
James H. Mittelman, Book talk hosted by “Politics and Prose” Bookstore, Washington, DC, 18 November 2017
Jemima Repo, Invited talk “Feminist Commodity Activism: The Political Economies of the Feminist T-Shirt” 15 November 2017, University of Leeds, UK.
.James H. Mittelman, “The Power of Algorithms: Governance by the Numbers” Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies Seminar, 3 October 2017.
Salla Huikuri, “Normative Binding” BISA United States Foreign Policy Working Group meeting, 21-22 September 2017, University of Edinburgh, Scotland
James H. Mittelman “Challenges Facing Development Studies” Autonomous University of Barcelona, 18 September 2017, Barcelona.
James H. Mittelman, “Educational Globalization: Repurposing Universities” EISA 11th Pan-European Conference on International Relations, 13-16 September 2017, Barcelona.
Taavi Sundell, “Fuzzy Privatization and Decline of Democracy at the University of Helsinki” (with Teivo Teivainen) EISA 11th Pan-European Conference on International Relations, 13-16 September 2017, Barcelona.
James H. Mittelman, “The Power of Algorithms: Governance by the Numbers” European Consortium for Political Research General Conference, 6-9 September 2017, Oslo.
Tero Erkkilä, “Global Knowledge Governance, Numbers and Politics of Automatization” European Consortium for Political Research General Conference, 6-9 September 2017, Oslo.
Jemima Repo, “Foucault, Sexuality, and the Neoliberal Biopolitics of Population: Gary Becker’s Economics of Fertility” 5th ECPG Conference, Lausanne, Switzerland, 8-10 June 2017.
Jemima Repo, Invited talk “Gender and a Post-war Biopolitical Apparatus” St. John’s College, Oxford University, UK, 25 May 2017.
Jemima Repo, “The Biopolitics of Trans Sterilization in Finland” Sociology Seminar Series, Newcastle University, UK, 17 May 2017.
James H. Mittelman, “The Politics of ‘We’ and ‘They’: Locksley Edmondson and International Race Relations” Cornell University Symposium, 13-14 April 2017, Ithaca.
Jemima Repo, “The Biopolitics of Transgender Sterilization in Finland” AAG Annual Meeting, Boston, USA, 5-9 April 2017.
Tero Erkkilä and Ossi Piironen, “Rankings and Field Development in Global Knowledge Governance” International Studies Association Annual Convention, 22-25 February 2017, Baltimore.
Tero Erkkilä, “Global ideas, conceptual shifts and institutional change of Ombudsman” International Studies Association Annual Convention, 22-25 February 2017, Baltimore.
James H. Mittelman, “Accelerating Change in Global Governance: Enhancing the Participation of Excluded and Marginalized Voices” International Studies Association Annual Convention, 22-25 February 2017, Baltimore.
James H. Mittelman, “Higher Education Meets Neoliberalism: International Perspectives on Transformation and Contestation in the Global Arena” International Studies Association Annual Convention, 22-25 February 2017, Baltimore.
James H. Mittelman, “Decolonizing the Postcolonial University? Possibilities and Exigencies with Evidence from Uganda” International Studies Association Annual Convention, 22-25 February 2017, Baltimore
Jemima Repo, Keynote address: “Human Capital Theory and Demographic Change: A Feminist Critique” Interrogating the Fertility Decline in Europe: Politics, Practices, and Representations of Changing Gender Orders Conference, Ruhr University Bochum, Germany, 18 January 2017.
Jemima Repo, “Foucault, Sexuality and Gary Becker’s Neoliberal Biopolitics” Centre for Politics, Economics and Society Research Seminar, Oxford Brookes University, UK, 14 November 2016.
James H. Mittelman, “Numeric Technologies of Power: Global Development Goals” Invited lecture at Cornell University, 10 November 2016, Ithaca.
Tero Erkkilä; Salla Huikuri and Ossi Piironen, “Influence of Rankings in Development Aid. Emergence of the International Aid Transparency Initiative” European Consortium for Political Research General Conference, 7-10 September 2016, Prague.
Tero Erkkilä, “Transnational Policy Ideas and Global Diffusion of Ombudsman” European Consortium for Political Research General Conference, 7-10 September 2016, Prague
Jemima Repo, “The Sexual Politics of Human Capital Theory” ECPR General Conference, Prague, Czech Republic, 7-10 September 2016.
Tero Erkkilä and Ossi Piironen, “Policy Instruments and International Organisations: Rankings and Field Structuration in Global Knowledge Governance” IOGLOB Conference, 1-3 September 2016, Strasbourg.
Tero Erkkilä and Attila Krizsan, “Competing with ‘Others’: Aspects of Professionalism and Global Competition Informing Identities of EU Civil Servants and Lobbyists” International Sociology Association Forum of Sociology, July 10-14 2016, Vienna
Tero Erkkilä “Transnational Governance and Global Diffusion of Ombudsman” International Studies Association Annual Convention, 16-19 March 2016, Atlanta.
Salla, Huikuri; Tero Erkkilä & Ossi Piironen, “Influence of Rankings in Development Aid: Emergence of the International Aid Transparency Initiative”. European Consortium for Political Research General Conference, 7-10 September 2016, Prague
Jemima Repo, “The Biopolitics of Gender” Invited talk, Department of Philosophy, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 31 April 2016.
Jemima Repo, “The Sexual Politics of Human Capital Theory” Invited paper, International Political Economy Workshop, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 29-30 April 2016.
Jemima Repo, Presentation on “The Biopolitical Origins of Gender Theory” American Association of Geographers Annual Meeting, San Francisco, USA, 28 March – 2 April 2016.
Salla Huikuri, Presentation on “The European Union and the Arms Trade Treaty” at the Finnish International Studies Association conference, Aulanko, Hämeenlinna, Jan 15, 2016 and ISA Annual Convention in Atlanta, USA, March 16-19, 2016.
Jemima Repo, “What is Gender Genealogy? Foucault, Butler and Biopolitics” Invited talk, Laboratoire d’études de genre et de sexualité, University of Paris VIII, France, 18 March 2016.
James H. Mittelman, Chair of Roundtable and Presenter, “Where Are the Public Intellectuals in International Relations,” International Studies Association Annual Convention, Atlanta, GA, March 17, 2016
Salla Huikuri, “The United States and Treaty Making: International Criminal Law as an Example”, Invited talk at lecture series “The 2016 presidential elections: a vantage point to comprehend U.S. politics and political system” organized by the Finnish Political Science Association, Swedish School of Social Sciences (Helsinki), Feb 24, 2016.
Ossi Piironen, “Transnational Governance by Numbers : Rankings as Mechanisms of Governing”. Doctoral Dissertation. Presented for public examination at the University of Helsinki, 19 February 2016.
Jemima Repo, “The Sexual Politics of Human Capital Theory” Invited talk, Philosophy, Politics and Economics Society, Durham University, UK, 1 February 2016.
James H. Mittelman, Guest Speaker, Colloquium on his forthcoming book, Universities and International Relations: Repurposing Higher Education, Graduate Center of the City University of New York, January 29, 2016
Jemima Repo, “The Biopolitical Origins of Gender Theory” Invited talk, Christina Research Seminar, University of Helsinki, Finland 19 January 2016.
Jemima Repo, “The Sexual Politics of Human Capital Theory” Finnish International Studies Association conference, Hämeenlinna, Finland, 15-16 January 2016.
Jemima Repo, Keynote address, “The Biopolitics of Gender in Feminist Theory and Politics”, Spaces and Tactics of Politics: Transnational connections, neoliberalisation and the reshaping of civil society –conference, Turku, Finland, 10-11 December 2015.
Jemima Repo, “Gender Equality and the Neoliberal Governance of Labour and Life” Invited talk, The Body of the Governed: The Biopolitics of Race and Gender in Theory and Political Practice workshop, University of Kent, Canterbury, 5-6 December 2015.
James H. Mittelman, Research Roundtable on his forthcoming book, Universities and International Relations: Repurposing Higher Education, School of International Service, American University, Washington, DC, November 8, 2015
Jemima Repo, Presentation on “Strippers, Snow, Spongebob and Syrian Guerrillas The Gendered Class Politics of Post-Fordian Male Insecurity” Popular Culture and World Politics Conference 8, University of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, 20-21 November 2015.
Jemima Repo, “The Biopolitical Origins of Gender Theory” Invited talk, Gender and Bare Lives Workshop, Marc Bloch Centre, Berlin, Germany 12-13 November 2015.
Jemima Repo, Presentation on “The Biopolitics of Gender” Politics Research Seminar, Newcastle University, 30 October 2015.
Jemima Repo, Presentation on “Gender’s Violent Genealogy” 9th Pan-European Conference on International Relations, Giardini Naxos, Sicily, Italy, 23-26 September 2015.
Jemima Repo, Presentation on “Gender Genealogy: Historicity, Materiality, Biopolitics” APSA Annual Meeting, San Francisco, USA, 3-6 September 2015.
Jemima Repo, Presentation on “Gary S. Becker’s Gender Economics: Population, Labour, and Human Capital Theory”, 4th European Conference on Politics and Gender, Uppsala, Sweden, 11–13 June 2015.
James H. Mittelman, Respondent on Panel “Whither Critical Inquiry”, Conference in Honor of James Mittelman, American University, Washington, DC, 26 March 2015.
Niilo Kauppi, Presentation on “Debating Global University Rankings as Political Facts”, XLVII Annual Conference of the Finnish Political Science Association, Turku, Finland, 19-20 March 2015.
Jemima Repo, “Governing Life Through Gender” Invited talk, University of Groningen, the Netherlands, 20 May 2015.
Jemima Repo, “Historicising Gender as a Category for Biopolitical Governance” Invited talk, University of Groningen, the Netherlands, 18 May 2015.
Jemima Repo, Presentation on “The Biopolitics of Gender: Demography, Equality, and Human Capital”, University of Oulu, Finland, 18 March 2015.
Jemima Repo, Presentation on “Fasismi ja kapitalismi: Marxilaisia tulkintoja” [Fascism and Capitalism: Marxist Perspectives] (co-authored with Mikael Brunila), Sociology Days, Helsinki, Finland, 5–6 March 2015.
James H. Mittelman, Participant on Roundtable “The Contested Worlds of Higher Education: Universities and Global Governance”, ISA Annual Convention, New Orleans, LA, 18–21 February 2015.
James H. Mittelman, Presentation on “Global Knowledge Governance: A Critical Perspective” on Panel “Robert W. Cox’s Contribution to International Relations”, ISA Annual Convention, New Orleans, LA, 18–21 February 2015.
James H. Mittelman, Presentation on “Decolonizing the Academy: Postcolonial Challenges and Experience” on Panel “Decolonizing the Western Academy: Postcolonial Challenges to Western IR”, ISA Annual Convention, New Orleans, LA, 18–21 February 2015.
James H. Mittelman, Presentation on “Global South Caucus: Past and Future”, ISA Annual Convention, New Orleans, LA, 18–21 February 2015.
James H. Mittelman, Participant on Roundtable “Governing by Numbers: Global Governance and Regional Worlds”, ISA Annual Convention, New Orleans, LA, 18–21 February 2015.
Niilo Kauppi, Participant on Roundtable “A Market for Global University Rankings”, ISA Annual Convention, New Orleans, LA, 18–21 February 2015.
Ossi Piironen, Chair and Discussant on Panel “Rankings and the Global Governance of Knowledge”, ISA Annual Convention, New Orleans, LA, 18–21 February 2015.
Niilo Kauppi, Presentation on “Knowledge Production and Higher Education Ranking”, KNOWSCIENCE Workshop, Lund University, Sweden, 15–17 January 2015.
Jemima Repo, Presentation on “The Chicago School on the Sexual Division of Labour: On the Biopolitics of the ‘Unholy Alliance’ Between Feminism and Neoliberalism”, SUNS Gender Studies Conference, Helsinki, Finland, 21–22 November 2014.
Niilo Kauppi, Presentation on “Toward a Transnational Political Sociology of Higher Education”, Association européenne de l’éducation, Amiens, France, 17 November 2014.
Niilo Kauppi, Presentation on “European Integration, Knowledge Production and Higher Education: The Case of U-Multirank”, European Science Foundation/University of Strasbourg Institute for Advanced Studies, France, 10 October 2014.
Tero Erkkilä, Presentation on “Global University Rankings, Transnational Policy Discourse and Higher Education in Europe”. Science Governance Seminar. European Science Foundation, Strasbourg, 10 October 2014.
Jemima Repo, Presentation on “Gender as a Technology of Population Governance”, ECPR General Conference, Glasgow, United Kingdom, 3–6 September 2014.
Tero Erkkilä, Presentation on “Global Governance Indices as Policy Instruments: Actionability, Transparency and Comparative Policy Analysis”. European Consortium for Political Research General Conference, 3-6 September 2014, Glasgow.
Jemima Repo, Presentation on “Gender, Demographic Change and Human Capital Theory”, Politics of Population, Migration and Ecology Programme Launch, Birkbeck College, University of London, UK, 15 May 2014.
Niilo Kauppi, Presentation on “Les élections européennes et le vote populiste en Finlande”, University of Strasbourg, France, 15 May 2014.
Tero Erkkilä, Presentation on “Government Transparency. Impacts and Unintended Consequences”. Department of Political Science, University of Stockholm, 9 May 2014
Niilo Kauppi, Presentation on “Les élites transnationales du pouvoir”, Ecole des hautes études en sciences sociales, Paris, France, 8 April 2014.
James H. Mittelman, Participant on Roundtable “Geopolitics and Cybereducation“, ISA Annual Convention, Toronto, Canada, 26–29 March 2014.
Tero Erkkilä, Presentation on “Global University Rankings and Shifts in Institutional Strategies” (with Ossi Piironen). International Studies Association Annual Convention, March 26-29 2014, Toronto.
James H. Mittelman, Co-chair and Presenter on Distinguished Scholar Panel Honoring Shahid Qadir and Third World Quarterly, ISA Annual Convention, Toronto, Canada, 26–29 March 2014.
Niilo Kauppi, Presentation on “Social Scientists as Operators of Global Governance”, ISA Annual Convention, Toronto, Canada, 26–29 March 2014.
Ossi Piironen & Tero Erkkilä, Presentation on “Global University Rankings and Shifts in Institutional Strategies”, ISA Annual Convention, Toronto, Canada, 26–29 March 2014.
Niilo Kauppi, Presentation on “Transnational Power Elites”, Sciences Po Paris, France, 18 March 2014.
Ossi Piironen, Chair (together with Nelli Piattoeva) of Workshop “Numbers, Governance, and Politics”, XLVI Annual Conference of the Finnish Political Science Association, Tampere, Finland, 6–7 March 2014.
Jemima Repo, Panel discussant at viewing of documentary film “MissRepresentation”, University of Helsinki, Finland, 2 February 2014.
Tero Erkkilä, Presentation on “Politics and Numbers. Global Governance and Policy Instruments.” Bologna from Below -seminar. MISHA, University of Strasbourg, 29 January 2014.
Jemima Repo, Discussant on Panel “Governmentality, Governance, Russia”, Annual Aleksanteri Conference, Helsinki, Finland, 24 October 2013.
Jemima Repo, Presentation on “Equality as Biopolitical Governmentality”, 8th Pan-European Conference on International Relations, Warsaw, Poland, 18–21 September 2013.
Jemima Repo, Participant on Roundtable “Beyond Biopolitics?”, 8th Pan-European Conference on International Relations, Warsaw, Poland, 20 September 2013.
Jemima Repo, Organiser and Chair of Panel “Paradoxes of Liberal Politics”, 8th Pan-European Conference on International Relations, Warsaw, Poland, 19 September 2013.
Jemima Repo, Chair of Panel “From Bio- to Thanatopolitics”, 8th Pan-European Conference on International Relations, Warsaw, Poland, 19 September 2013.
James H. Mittelman, Presentation on “What Is Known about Emerging Powers and South-South Cooperation? Knowledge Production”, Research Network on Global Governance and the Emerging Global South Conference, Rising Powers and South-South Cooperation, Shanghai, China, 12–13 September 2013.
Tero Erkkilä, Presentation on “Redefining European Higher Education”, ECPR General Conference, Bourdeux, France, 4–7 September 2013.
Jemima Repo, Presentation on “Gender Equality and the Biopolitics of Reproduction”, ECPR General Conference, Bourdeux, France, 4–7 September 2013.
Niilo Kauppi, Discussant on Panel “European Integration and Social Values”, ASA Annual Meeting, New York City, NY, 10 August 2013.
Jemima Repo, Presentation on “Herculine Barbin and the Omission of Biopolitics from Judith Butler’s Gender Genealogy”, International Symposium on Foucault, Helsinki, Finland, 28 June 2013.
Jemima Repo, Presentation on “Gender, Genealogy, Materiality”, Materialities and Materialisms in Contemporary Thought, Helsinki, Finland, 14–15 June 2013.
Niilo Kauppi, Discussant in Workshop “Sociologie des élites”, Institut d’études politiques de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France, 30 May 2013.
Jemima Repo, Presentation on “The Biopolitical Origins of Gender Theory”, 5th Christina Conference on Gender Studies, Helsinki, Finland, 23–25 May 2013.
Tero Erkkilä & Ossi Piironen, “University Rankings and Transnational Governance of Higher Education: Constructing Autonomy as an Attribute of Success”, ISA Annual Convention, San Diego, CA, 1–4 April 2012.
Niilo Kauppi, Discussant in Colloquium “Bologne et au-delà”, Institut d’études politiques de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France, 2 March 2013.
Past projects
Tero Erkkilä, Ossi Piironen and Niilo Kauppi were involved in the project Transnational Governance of Higher Education: Ideas, Policy Instruments and Institutional Change (2010–2012), funded by the Network for Higher Education and Innovation Research (HEINE) at the University of Helsinki. The project explored the complex relationships between international university rankings and transnational higher education policy ideas, their diffusion, transformation and impact on national policies and institutional practices. Hence, the project scholars have successfully increased our knowledge of transnational governance of higher education, particularly its discourses, ideas, operating models and the normative principles of governance that it promotes.