Mission

advance our understanding of Austrian foreign policy | promote public awareness and knowledge of Austrian foreign policy and world politics | stimulate public debate | strengthen the research community | foster the exchange between scholars and practitioners

Foreign policy is becoming increasingly complex. First, in terms of policy problems and policy fields in which states have to act. In addition to traditional fields such as trade, security or human rights, states have to engage with new policy fields such as digitalization, climate change or public health, and they have to cope with the complex interdependence of policy fields. Second, foreign policy is also becoming more complex in terms of actors. It is no longer the exclusive domain of heads of states and governments, foreign ministries and diplomats but rather a heterogenous arena in which various ministries, parliaments, and non-state actors interact. Moreover, the foreign relations of parliaments, provinces, and municipalities run parallel to and, at times, in tension with national foreign policies. Third, the rise of new technologies, in particular the digital revolution, is also contributing to the complexity of foreign policy.

This growing complexity of foreign policy poses challenges but also opportunities for practicioners and scholars alike. The Foreign Policy Lab at the University of Innsbruck is committed to tackling these challenges and opportunities. As a hub for innovative ideas it seeks to promote research, education, and public debate on matters of Austrian foreign policy and world politics.

The lab’s agenda is to