From November 2021 through January 2022, the Center for Positive/Empirical Analysis of Political Economy held a series of six online events entitled “Waseda-Essex Scientific PoliSci/IR Collaboration and Exchange (abbreviated to “WE-SPICE”). With the goal of having researchers—both from the University of Essex, the top school in the field of political science in the UK, and Waseda University— encourage and inspire each other, WE-SPICE participants ranging from graduate students to young faculty members, to even professors who have been leading large-scale projects, brought in their unpublished papers and research to have discussions on different themes.
Specifically, these researchers focused on ideas such as:
- The reaction to fake news in public opinion research
- Issues leading to the research on so-called “right-winging”
- Field experiments on terrorism
- Banking regulations as well as foreign exchange issues in the field of international political economy
They even took up unique topics such as public relations diplomacy focused on orchestra performances. WE-SPICE 2021 was a very meaningful workshop series that realized enthusiastic discussions on a wide range of topics spanning political behavior theory, comparative politics, political economy and international relations.
Professor Han Dorussen, who played a role of facilitator for the University of Essex, mentioned in the final session that it was a pity that such an event could not be held face-to-face as it could in 2018, but we had a truly intense 60-minute workshop series this year. Based on this year’s success, both Essex and Waseda sides have agreed that they would keep trying to hold the WE-SPICE series annually in the future.
WE-SPICE 2021
Coordinators: Prof. Han Dorussen (University of Essex); Prof. Atsushi Tago (Waseda University)
Workshop Sessions
- Session 1: Nov. 30, 2021
“Peacekeeping, aid and violence: the integrated effect of humanitarian aid and UN peacekeeping” - Session 2: Dec. 7, 2021
“How populist attitude scales fail to capture support for populists in power” - Session 3: Dec.14, 2021
“Extremist Militant Groups and the Provision of Justice: Experimental Evidence from South Central Somalia” - Session 4: Jan. 11, 2022
“How does war affect cultural tolerance? Evidence from concert programs, 1900–1960” - Session 5: Jan. 18, 2022
“A Third-Generation Framework: Reconsidering the Relationship between Central Bank Independence and Fixed Exchange Rates” - Session 6: Jan. 25, 2022
“Inside a Black Box: The Political Economy of Central Banking in Autocracies”
Student’s voices
“I learned a lot from the latest research which is being conducted by world-class political scientists.”
“Leading political scientists from Waseda and Essex gathered and exchanged lively discussions in a warm atmosphere. I enjoyed listening to it very much.”
“For every session, I enjoyed the cozy atmosphere of the event where many questions were asked by the participants.”
“It is amazing that Waseda University is affiliated with the University of Essex.”
“It was a very valuable opportunity that scholars across universities and countries discussed the latest research.”
“It was a great learning experience because there were lively discussions based on research trends, such as opinions on the model used in theory and empirical research.”
“I realized the strength of the network beyond the university.”
