Dr Giada Lagana

Publication

• Date
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Research

Research Interests 

My research examines multi-level peacebuilding in Northern Ireland, focusing on European, Irish, and UK strategies. It uniquely applies an organisational lens to the study of peacebuilding policy implementation, an under-explored area, using qualitative methods that bridge History, Political Science, and Public Administration. 

I demonstrate flexibility in my research agenda, as shown by my work on civil society responses to youth unemployment in the UK’s devolved territories.

My research has been extensively cited, with over 90 citations globally and an h-index of 5, according to Google Scholar. 

Selection of Funding Awards (in brief)

Awarded £93,817.00 by the Leverhulme Trust (the Trust contributing 50% of the total salary cost and up to £6,000 per annum in research expenses to further research activities) to develop the project ‘Socio-Spatial Governance between these Islands’. 

Coordinator for the Erasmus+ - Jean Monnet Activities Support to Institutions and Associations grant worth €39.817. This project consolidated and expanded a range of EU-cantered activities pursued by the Irish Association for Contemporary European Studies (IACES). The overarching theme is the evolving Future of Europe debate. 

Awarded £4,983.00 by the GW4 Development Award to develop the project ‘The past, present and future of History and Politics in Northern Ireland & Republic of Ireland network’ (PPF NI/ROI).

Awarded £2,000 by the Centre for Law and Society, Cardiff University (Jan. 2023) to organise a week of events and workshops to mark the 25^th anniversary of the signing of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement.

Awarded £8,000 by the Innovation for All, Cardiff University (September 2021 to December 2022) for the ‘Developing paths to strengthening networks of statutory and civil society sector in the field of youth (un)employment' project. 

Awarded €15,000 by the Communicating Europe Initiative of the Irish Department for Foreign Affairs and Trade to organise the conference ‘Relationships on these islands: the European Union peacebuilding experience’, which took place in September 2021. The conference provided a public forum in which to discuss theoretical and practical issues confronting cross-border relationships, Anglo-Irish relationships and the peace process in the context of Brexit and the coronavirus pandemic.

Awarded a Simone Veil Fellowship worth €10,000 by the Project House Europe (PHE), Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU) to undertake the project ‘Tracing the origins of European Union (EU) approaches to peacebuilding: the European Community (EC) and the Northern Ireland Hunger Strikes’ (May – July 2021). This project examined the EC’s response to the Irish Republican hunger strikes of 1980 and 1981.

Awarded £1,000 by Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) to organise events for the Festival of Social Sciences: ‘Youth unemployment and civil society under devolution: a sub-state comparison’ took place in 2021, while ‘Peacebuilding in Northern Ireland: Theoretical and Practical Perspectives’ took place in 2020.

Awarded €9,000 by the Reconciliation Fund of the Irish Department for Foreign Affairs and Trade to organise the conference ‘The European Union and the Northern Ireland peace process’ at the National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG - April 2018). Fully responsible for the organization, the management and the advertisement campaign prior to the event (including Twitter and Facebook accounts and the design of a dedicated website). Please visit: https://eupeacenuig.weebly.com. The grant was integrated by a UACES small grant event worth £1,000; and contributions from the Moore Institute (€2,000); the Whitaker Institute (€3,000) and the Registrar Office (€1,000).

Awarded €65,000 by the Galway Doctoral Research Scholarship at NUIG (€15,250 per annum, four years fellowship) to complete the doctoral thesis ‘The Europeanisation of the Northern Ireland peace Process’.

Guest Lectures (most recent)

University of Liverpool. Invited participant to the workshop ‘Federalism, Conflict Management, and the Paradox of Unity’, to present the paper ‘The role of European Union (EU) metagovernance in supporting the Voluntary and Community Sector in Northern Ireland’. Paper presenter (13 June 2025).

Universidad Deusto (Basque Country). Invited participant in the week-long research retreat ‘Post-Agreement Reconciliation(s) in Changing Political Eras’, where I presented the paper ‘Bridging the Gap: Reconciliation and the Limits of High Politics in Post-Agreement Northern Ireland’. Paper presenter and speaker (31 May - 06 June 2025).

Università degli Studi di Genova. Invited by the Department of Political Science to present the book ‘Il Ruolo dell’Unione Europea Nel Processo Di Pace Nord Irlandese’ (in Italian). Invited speaker (06 May 2025).

Centre for Peace and Conflict Research, School of Politics and International Relations, University College Dublin. Invited to the conference and book launch organised by Dr Paul Gillespie ‘Ireland, Britain and Europe: Constitutional Futures After Brexit’. Taking part as speaker to the panel ‘Constitutional Futures in Ireland and Britain after Brexit: emerging research themes’. Invited speaker (07-08 April 2025).

Cardiff University. Invited to represent the School of Law and Politics (LAWPL) in the panel ‘Northern Ireland Politics since the Good Friday Agreement’. The other speakers were: Dr Clare Rice (University of Edinburgh) and Siobhan Fenton (a writer and political commentator on Northern Irish, Irish and British politics based in Belfast). The event was chaired by Dr Jonathan Kirkup (LAWPL). Invited speaker (03 April 2025).

Association Protestante D'entraide De Cognac. Invited by Prof Didier Poton to deliver a presentation on ‘La réconciliation entre Catholiques et Protestants en Irlande du Nord: un échec?’ (in French). Seminar Series ‘Les Rencontres d’Elisa’. Invited speaker (15 March 2025).

University of Galway. Invited by the School of Political Science and Sociology to deliver a session in the MA programme in Public Policy on ‘Implementing Peace’. Guest lecturer (23 February 2025).

Queen’s University Belfast. Invited by Dr Michele Crepaz to deliver the presentation “Civil Servants and Peacebuilding in Northern Ireland: ‘Keep People Talking’”. Invited speaker (30 January 2025).

Cardiff University. Presented the paper ‘Robust Action and Bureaucratic Conflict Management in Northern Ireland, 1985-1998’ at the conference ‘How to Talk About Peace While Waging War?’. Paper presenter and conference organiser (10 January 2025).

Xavier University, Cincinnati (Ohio, USA). Invited by Prof Timothy White to deliver a session of the course ‘The Politics of War and Peace’. Guest lecturer (14 November 2024).

Ohio State University, Columbus (Ohio, USA). Invited by Prof Teri Murphy to deliver the presentation ‘The Northern Ireland Office (NIO) and Northern Ireland’ . Invited speaker (13 November 2024).

The Charles and Louise Travers Department of Political Science, UC Berkley (California, USA). Invited by Prof. Christopher Ansell to deliver the presentation ‘Routine Peace in Northern Ireland’ . Invited speaker (18 October 2024).

Institute of European Studies, Berkley University (California, USA). Invited by Prof Jeroen Dewulf to deliver the presentation ‘The European Union and the Northern Ireland Peace Process’. Invited speaker (16 October 2024).

University College Dublin. Convenor of the section on Political Violence at the ECPR General Conference. Presented the paper ‘Undeniable contact: the role of Irish and British civil servants in the Northern Ireland peace process’. Section convenor and presenter (13 August 2024).

Queen’s University of Belfast. Invited by Prof Muiris MacCarthaigh to deliver the presentation ‘The Civil Service and Peacebuilding in Northern Ireland’ at the School of History, Anthropology, Philosophy and Politics. Invited speaker (3 June 2024).

University of Tampere (Finland). Presented the paper “‘Keep people talking’: metagoverning interactive governance arenas to negotiate the Northern Ireland peace process” at the International Research Society for Public Management Annual Conference (IRSPM). Paper presenter (17 April 2024 ).

University of Trento. Invited by Dr Emanuele Massetti to deliver the presentation ‘Anglo-Irish relations and the Northern Ireland peace process’, at the School of International Studies. Invited speaker (9 April 2024).

University of Galway. Invited by the School of Political Science and Sociology to deliver a session in the MA programme in Public Policy on ‘Implementing Peace’. Guest lecturer (20 March 2024).

University of Notre Dame (USA). Invited by the Keough School of Global Affairs to deliver the presentation ‘Ireland, the European Union, and the Northern Ireland peace process’. Invited speaker (13 February 2024).

University of Nantes (France). Invited by Prof Michel Catala and the Centre de Recherche en Histoire Internationale et Atlantique to deliver the presentation ‘The European Union and the Northern Ireland peace process’. Invited speaker (13 November 2023).

Maynooth Centre for European and Eurasian Studies, the Irish Institute for International and European Affairs (IIEA), Maynooth University Social Science Institute and the Department of Sociology. Delivered the presentation ‘Northern Ireland and the EU on the 25th anniversary of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement’. Invited speaker (25 May 2023).

The Association for the Study of Nationalities (ASN) World Convention. Took part to an online book panel based on my book, The European Union and the Northern Ireland Peace Process, with Prof Niall Ó Dochartaigh (NUIG), Prof Daniel Wincott (Cardiff University); Prof Timothy J. White (Xavier University) and Dr Robert Sata (CEU). Invited speaker (25 May 2021).

Book Launces 

(2021) - The European Union and the Northern Ireland Peace Process. The Association for the Study of Nationalities (ASN) World Convention. Book panel, Columbia University (NY). Invited speakrs: with Prof. Niall Ó Dochartaigh (NUIG), Prof. Daniel Wincott (Cardiff University); Prof. Timothy J. White (Xavier University) and Dr Robert Sata (CEU) 

(2020) - The European Union and the Northern Ireland Peace Process; Wales Governance Centre, Cardiff University. Guest Speakers: Prof. Niall Ó Dochartaigh (NUIG), Prof. Daniel Wincott (Cardiff University), Dr Mary C. Murphy (University College Cork) and Mr Carlo Trojan (former Secretary General of the European Union Commission). 

Teaching

Undergraduate level

PL9380 - Parliamentary Studies

PL9340 - Politics in Practice: Work Placement Module Application (Module Convenor)

PL9246 - The Politics of Borders: Conflict and Cooperation in Modern Europe (Module Convenor)

PL9338 - Sex, Drugs & Public Policy

Masters

PLT062 - Research Methods: Approaches to Knowledge.

PLT449 - Multilateralism and International Law.  

PLT453 - The Politics of International Intervention in conflict and peace. (Module Convenor)

PLT432 - Themes and Debates in Contemporary Comparative Politics.

I also supervise various undergraduate and masters students for their dissertations.

Biography

Qualifications 

• PhD in Political Science - National University of Ireland (NUI) Galway. Awarded a four-year full-time 'Galway Scholarship Reseach Scheme' by the School of Political Science and Sociology. 2018.
• MA in International Relations (18/20), Université de Nantes et La Rochelle. 2013
• BA in Literature and Philosophy, Università degli studi di Pavia (Italy), 2011

Certificates 

• Cardiff University Education Fellow and HEA Fellow. 2022

• Postgraduate Diploma in Academic Practice – National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG). 2017

• DAEFLE: diplôme d’aptitude à l’enseignement du français langue étrangère (professional qualification for teaching French as a foreign language) - Institut Universitaire des Langues - Français Langue Étrangère (IUL-FLE), Université de La Rochelle. 2010

Visiting Appointments 

• Visiting Scholar, Institute of European Studies (IES), UC Berkely (California). Fall 2024

• Visiting Researcher, Roskilde School of Governance, Roskilde Universitet (Danmark). Spring 2024

• Visiting Lecturer, European Summer Programme (ESP), Universite` Catholique de Lille (France). 2022
• Simone Veil Fellow, Project House Europe (PHE), Ludwig Maximilians Universitat Munchen (Germany). 2021

Professional memberships

• Fellow of the Royal Historical Society since 2021. 
• President of the Irish Association for Contemporary European Studies. 

Academic positions

Committees and reviewing

Peer-reviewer

• Routledge Studies on the European Union and Global Order series,
• European Policy Analysis;
• Transforming Government: People, Process and Policy,
• Blog ‘Ideas on Europe’. 

Committees 

Reviewer of applications to the Taith Research Mobility Programme - College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences – Cardiff University.

Supervisions

I am happy to supervise research students in the following areas:

• Any aspects of the Northern Ireland conflict and peace process.
• Northern Irish politics since 1969 (including contemporary themes)
• Dealing with the past and post-conflict reconciliation in relation to Northern Ireland or in comparison with Northern Ireland.
• Public Administration in Northern Ireland 
• Bureaucratic Approaches to Peacebuilding
• British-Irish relations.
• Irish Republicanism (Sinn Fein and/or the IRA)