German Institute for Global and Area Studies | Leibniz-Institut für Globale und Regionale Studien

German Institute for Global and Area Studies | Leibniz-Institut für Globale und Regionale Studien

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India

With a population of 1.4 billion, a dynamic economy, and growing political weight in the global order, India has become an important partner for Germany in the EU. GIGA researchers analyse India’s foreign policy, digital policy, the role played by its media, and the country’s role in forums for global governance, including the climate regime and BRICS. 

  • Experts

    Contact

    Current Research

    Countries and Regions

    Prof. Dr. Miriam Prys-Hansen

    Prof. Dr. Miriam Prys-Hansen

    Lead Research Fellow / Head of Research Programme "Global Orders and Foreign Policies"

    T. +49 40 428874-30[email protected]

    • Regional and emerging powers

    • Global and regional environmental politics

    • Global climate regime

    • India

    • BRICS

    PD Dr. Dr. Ariel Macaspac Hernandez

    PD Dr. Dr. Ariel Macaspac Hernandez

    Research Fellow

    [email protected]
    • Negotiations and stakeholder dialogue
    • Conflict management
    • Transformation to sustainability
    • Care and human flourishing
    • Governance of sustainability transitions
    • Knowledge cooperation, knowledge/science diplomacy
    • Scenario-building and futures scenarios
    • Sustainable energy
    • Urban mobility
    • Food security
    • Climate change, climate governance
    • Environmental and climate justice
    • Asia and Pacific
    • Latin America and the Caribbean
    • Southern Africa
    • Philippines
    • Indonesia
    • India
    • Japan
    • Mexico
    • Brazil
    • South Africa
    • Jamaica
    Dr. Sangeeta Mahapatra

    Dr. Sangeeta Mahapatra

    Research Fellow

    T. +49 40 428874-40[email protected]
    • Geopolitics of Tech
    • Digital Politics
    • Digital Authoritarianism
    • Disinformation and Counter-Disinformation
    • AI and Internet Governance
    • South and Southeast Asia
    • India
    • Bangladesh
    • Indonesia
    • Singapore
    Dr. Johannes Plagemann

    Dr. Johannes Plagemann

    Senior Research Fellow / Editor GIGA Focus Global Research Team Spokesperson

    T. +49 40 428874-23[email protected]

    • Multipolarity, Rising Powers, and International Politics

    • Legitimacy and International Institutions

    • Populism and Foreign Policy

    • India

    • South Asia

    • Mozambique

    In Brief

    How Unpredictable Is Trump's Foreign Policy Set to Be?

    GIGA Insights | 24/11/2024

    How Unpredictable Is Trump's Foreign Policy Set to Be?

    Donald Trump's likely foreign policy is widely deemed unpredictable. Political observers from other countries recognise in Trump their own right-wing populist leaders past and present. From Erdoğan in Turkey, to Duterte in the Philippines, Orbán in Hungary, and Modi in India: the foreign policies of populists in power are more predictable than is often assumed.

    BRICS Summit 2023: Union of the Global South

    GIGA Insights | 23/08/2023

    BRICS Summit 2023: Union of the Global South

    The alliance of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa is meeting for the 15th BRICS Summit in Johannesburg. The grouping wants to reposition itself, and many countries of the Global South are interested in joining. GIGA experts observe and analyse these developments.

    Research Projects

    Research Project | 01/02/2023 - 31/01/2025

    Mapping and Strengthening Civil Society Response to Disinformation

    Governments in autocratic and autocratizing contexts may use anti-fake news laws to discredit critical civil society actors as agents of “disinformation” and punish them. Through comparative and cross-learning insights derived from field studies, we seek to map civil society responses against the autocratic use of disinformation laws and strengthen policies for right to information and freedom of speech and expression.
    NED, 2023-2025

    PD Dr. Andreas Ufen

    Dr. Sangeeta Mahapatra

    Dr. Janjira Sombatpoonsiri

    Research Project | 01/07/2022 - 31/03/2023

    Platforms and Online Workers in India and Africa: Challenges and Opportunities for Decent Work

    Technological advances and digitalisation are rapidly transforming the world of work, and the emergence of online labour platforms is one manifestation of this. The resulting labour market outcomes and dynamics are not well understood, particularly in the Global South. This project consists of a series of four studies that contribute to understanding the characteristics and dynamics of online work in India and selected African countries.
    GIZ, 2022-2023

    Prof. Dr. Jann Lay

    Tevin Tafese

    Dr. Otto Kässi

    Elvis Melia

    Research Project | 01/09/2021 - 29/02/2024

    Performance Monitoring Asia-Pacific Research Area (APRA), Phase II

    The Asia-Pacific research area (APRA) comprises about half of the world's population and some of its most dynamic economies. The importance of the region as producer of knowledge is reflected in its growing number of international publications and patents, as well as development of new (digital) business models. By analysing the performance of science, technology, and innovation in the APRA, the project aims at supplying an empirical-evidence base for the strategic further development of cooperation with countries in Asia-Pacific.
    BMBF, 2021-2024

    Dr. Margot Schüller

    Dr. Iris Wieczorek

    Dr. Marcus Conlé

    Dr. Yun Schüler-Zhou

    Publications

    Chapter in Edited Volume | 2025

    India’s Multi-Platform Election Campaigns for Voter Mobilisation

    This chapter examines multi-platform and multi-discourse political messaging during the 2019 Indian General Elections by India's two largest political parties. It demonstrates how multi-platform partisan messaging enables certain discursive and leadership styles for voter outreach and mobilization.

    Dr. Sangeeta Mahapatra

    Research Fellow

    Aus Politik und Zeitgeschichte | 12/2024

    Souveränität, territoriale Integrität, Nichteinmischung: BRICS als sicherheitspolitischer Akteur

    Trotz ihrer Heterogenität sollte die Bedeutung der BRICS auch in sicherheitspolitischer Hinsicht nicht unterschätzt werden. Während interne Spannungen fortbestehen, gewinnt die Gruppe sowohl symbolisch als auch diskursiv an Einfluss – gerade im Globalen Süden.

    Prof. Dr. Miriam Prys-Hansen

    Lead Research Fellow / Head of Research Programme "Global Orders and Foreign Policies"

    Journal of Asian Security and International Affairs | 10/2024

    India's Security and Climate Policy: Navigating the China Challenge

    This paper focuses on India’s multifaceted approach to its “China challenge” with and outside the climate regime. It examines whether this rivalry might lead to a breakdown of cooperation and an increased potential for conflict and weaponisation of seemingly disconnected issue-areas.

    Prof. Dr. Miriam Prys-Hansen

    Lead Research Fellow / Head of Research Programme "Global Orders and Foreign Policies"

    Policy Paper | 07/2024

    Regulation or Repression?: Government Influence on Political Content Moderation in India and Thailand

    Governments and tech companies worldwide periodically clash over what content is acceptable to post online and who gets to decide. As states exert legal, economic, and political pressure on social media platforms and users to control online conversations, the platforms frequently seek to push back.

    Dr. Janjira Sombatpoonsiri

    Research Fellow

    Dr. Sangeeta Mahapatra

    Research Fellow

    GIGA Focus Asia | 5/2024

    Development, Peacebuilding, and Women’s Agency in Northeast India

    Peace and development in Northeast India are crucial for India’s grand vision for political, social, and economic ties with the Asian region. Durable peace can be achieved by including local actors in formal peace processes, especially women, who have been active agents for peace at the grassroots.

    Dr. Amrita Saikia

    Associate

    Media Contributions

    F.A.Z. PRO Weltwirtschaft | Expert Comment / Guest Contribution | 05/12/2024

    Kolumne Weltblick: Wenn es brenzlig wird, schalten Autokraten das Internet ab

    Geraten Regime unter Druck, leiden häufig die Menschenrechte und die Machthaber schränken die Informations- und Redefreiheit ein, schreibt Prof. Dr. Christian von Soest in der FAZ-Kolumne "WELTBLICK".

    Prof. Dr. Christian von Soest

    Lead Research Fellow / Head of Research Programme "Peace and Security"

    ZEIT Online | Expert Comment / Guest Contribution | 24/02/2024

    Indien: Im weltpolitischen Abseits

    Indien wird international umworben wie nie zuvor. Doch der Personenkult um Premierminister Narendra Modi und der Verfall demokratischer Standards nähren Zweifel an einer vermeintlichen "Wertepartnerschaft" mit dem Westen, kommentiert GIGA-Wissenschaftler Dr. Johannes Plagemann.

    Dr. Johannes Plagemann

    Senior Research Fellow / Editor GIGA Focus Global Research Team Spokesperson

    Lectures

    German Institute for Global and Area Studies | 20/11/2024

    4th Indo-German Track 1.5 Strategic Dialogue

    Organiser: German Institute for Global and Area Studies Prof. Dr. Patrick Köllner (Organiser, Panelist, Chair)

    At the 4th Indo-German Track 1.5 Strategic Dialogue, Patrick Köllner offered a German perspective on cooperation with India in the Indo-Pacific. The strategic dialogues are co-organised by the GIGA and the SWP on the German side and the ICWS and the RIS on the Indian side.

    Prof. Dr. Patrick Köllner

    Director of the GIGA Institute for Asian Studies / Vice President

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