Magnus Lundgren, Senior Lecturer

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Why did you become a political scientist?

It is a little bit of a coincidence that I am working as a political scientist, but it ultimately goes back to an interest in international politics that emerged in my late teens. Then, as I saw more of the world, I started thinking about questions of inequality and power, which combined with an interest in history led me to the study of political science and international politics. I had a dream that I would one day work for the UN and I thought that political science was the best preparation. Whether or not that is true, I managed to end up at the UN in the end. At the UN, I worked with political affairs and democracy support, mainly in Bangladesh. After leaving the UN I applied to the PhD program at Stockholm University and after working there for some years, I came to University of Gothenburg.

Can you describe your research?

There are several tracks in my research but a common theme is that they involve international organizations and negotiations at different levels. A new project focuses on the global governance of artificial intelligence (AI). We are seeking to understand which interests and norms shape emerging regulation of this important set of technologies. Another project focuses on mediation and negotiation in armed conflict, where we are seeking to understand why, despite a wide mobilization around methods of peaceful conflict resolution, fewer wars actually get mediated.

Why are these important topics of research?

International organizations can be central instruments in the promotion of international cooperation and beneficial exchange. They stand at the center of many of today’s key global challenges – climate change, development, trade, migration, and security. We want to understand whether these organizations work in ways that are effective and legitimate.  

What do you teach?

I teach within the International Administration and Global Governance program, in particular about international conflict resolution. I also teach in the introductory political science course and the applied quantitative methods course at the master’s level.

When is your job the most enjoyable?

When you run the first analyses in a new dataset, after a period of long and arduous data collection. That’s when you find out – often within a few minutes – whether you have something interesting or not. Whether you have gold or not. That’s an exciting and very enjoyable moment.

If you hadn’t become a political scientist, what would you be doing today?

Before I started the PhD program in political science, I worked for the United Nations. So the most likely alternative career would have been to continue working for the UN. When I was younger, I thought I would become an engineer, and I did pre-engineering chemistry in high school.