Academic Interests
Dr. Marianne Riddervold's main areas of academic interest include theory development within the field of international relations and European integration, transatlantic relations, European security, the EU as an international actor, EU crises, and cooperation, conflict and interaction in the global commons.
Background
Riddervold completed her PhD at the Department of Political Science in 2011. Her thesis title was 'A humanitarian common policy through deliberation? On the characteristics of EU foreign policy'. She did parts of her Phd at the Harvard Kennedy School.
Riddervold was in 2015-2016 a visiting researcher at UC Berkeley Institute of European Studies, California, USA, where she has since been affiliated as a Senior Fellow.
Before coming back to Arena, Riddervold was a Professor of International Relations/Comparative politics at the Inland University Norway.
Riddervold has participated in and managed several externally funded projects projects, including from the EU Horizon funds, the Norwegian research council, the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign affairs and the Norwegian Ministry of Defence.
Current Projects
Riddervold is involved in several projects and networks:
Affiliation with UC Berkeley
Riddervold is a Senior Fellow at the Institute of European Studies at UC Berkeley. She is also affiliated with the Jean Monnet Center of Excellence in European Studies. The center studies, among other things, the EU’s role in the world, the process of European integration, European society and culture, and how the EU shapes global issues and broader international cooperation.
The Representative Disconnect: Diagnosis and Strategies for Rectification (REDIRECT)
The main objective of REDIRECT is to enhance our understanding of the current transformations of representative democracy in Europe at national and supranational level, and at the interconnection between different levels of territorial representation. ARENA is a collaborator in this project.
Changing transatlantic security relations: Implications for Europe and Norway (TransatDefence)
The TransatDefence project, funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Defence, sets out to explore longer-term and ongoing changes in the transatlantic security relationship, what this tells us about the future direction in which the relationship is going, and what this implies for Europe and Norway. ARENA is the lead of this project, with the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI) as a partner. The Institute of European Studies at the University of California, Berkeley and the Center for International Affairs & World Cultures at Northeaster Univeristy are also affiliated with the project.
Norway and the EU undergoing change
The Norway and the EU undergoing change project analyses what the EU's development in various policy areas means for Norwegian interests, focusing on EU developments in security, economy, democracy, green transition, and health affect Norway. The project is funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Health.
Governing Crisis in the European Union (GovernCrisis)
Governing Crisis in the European Union is a two-year cooperation project between UC Berkeley and the University of Agder, Norway. Through establishing meeting places, GovernCrisis aims to make both conceptual progress and empirical contribution in accounting for the EU’s ability to govern in crisis, with relevance for the broader EU integration and political science literature.
Transnational Political Networks & The Future of Global Order
Transnational political networks – groups of individuals who transcend national boundaries – are major forces shaping global order, despite great power competition. With financial support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York, and under Professor Mai’a Cross’s leadership at the Center for International Affairs & World Cultures at Northeastern University, the project aims to break new ground in the investigation of transnational political networks through its focus on the types of networks that matter and how they gain influence.
Norway and Space: Strategic Positioning, Allied Cooperation, and Exposure (NSPACE)
NSPACE analyses how Norway can best navigate a more competitive space environment, with particular attention to geopolitics, the High North, and Norwegian vulnerabilities and strategic opportunities. The project provides in-depth insight into a domain of growing importance for both military and civilian actors and will generate knowledge directly relevant to Norwegian authorities’ strategic assessments in the years ahead.
Towards TransAtlantic Burden Shifting? Insights from US-Norway Defense Cooperation amidst diverging strategic priorities (TABS)
In the TABS project, we ask: To what extent, and if so, how, does European rearmament and increased defence effort bind the US closer to Europe? In particular: is Norway - through its unique defence-industrial and military contributions to western security - a possible model of ‘burden shifting’ among the allies?
Transatlantic Network for Dialogue, Education and Multidisciplinary Research (TANDEM)
TANDEM connects 18 higher education institutions from Europe (6), the United States (7), and Canada (5) with the shared objective of fostering a broad and informed dialogue on transatlantic relations.
Riddervold is also affiliated with the Jean Monnet Center of Excellence in European Studies at UC Berkeley. The Center's diverse research activities focus on key aspects of the European Union and its role in the world; its member states and the integration process; contemporary European society and culture; and how the EU as a global actor shapes international issues, events, and governance.