Beāte Livdanska

Beāte Livdanska serves as a Lecturer (In-house) and Ph.D. student at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Riga Stradinš University, Latvia. Her academic focus centers on the foreign policy dynamics of small EU member states, particularly Latvia and Lithuania, within European Union frameworks concerning Belarus and geopolitical crises.

Her research explores how small states navigate EU sanctions mechanisms, bilateral relations with Belarus, and status-seeking behaviors in foreign policy. Key themes include Latvia-Belarus diplomatic interactions under the shadow of the Ukrainian war, Lithuania's role in shaping EU policy toward Belarus, and the instrumentalization of political influence by small states within EU decision-making processes.

Livdanska's scholarly output reveals a consistent emphasis on small-state agency in EU foreign policy, with recent works analyzing the impact of geopolitical shocks on bilateral relations and the strategic use of sanctions. Her publications demonstrate methodological rigor through case study approaches and comparative analyses spanning 2004-2025.

She actively contributes to major research initiatives including The status of small member states in the European Union: Latvia's and Lithuania's policy towards Belarus (comparative analysis 2004-2024) as project leader, Values in action: development of responsible, secure and educated civil society as expert, and Enhancing General Practitioner Resilience in Latvia as expert. These projects reflect her engagement with both national policy development and EU structural funding mechanisms.