Ben Christian

Dr. Ben Christian is a Postdoctoral Researcher at Goethe University Frankfurt and an Associate Fellow at the Peace Research Institute Frankfurt (PRIF). His work focuses on the internal dynamics of International Organizations (IOs), including organizational culture, dissent mechanisms, and trust-building practices.

• PhD in Political Science (2023), Goethe University Frankfurt
• Visiting Fellow, London School of Economics and Political Science (2023)
• Co-Speaker, German Political Science Association Working Group on International Relations Sociology

His research explores how IOs navigate learning bottlenecks through criticism culture, as seen in his 2025 International Studies Quarterly article. He has published on UN reform, post-Brexit trust dynamics, and cynicism within IO staff, with works in Global Studies Quarterly, Journal of European Public Policy, and JIRD. Collaborations include projects on democratic spaces, multilateralism, and UN practices in crises.

Ben’s 2024–2025 articles analyze IO dysfunction (e.g., dissent suppression), trust erosion in exit processes, and self-legitimation failures. His 2023 Swiss Journal of Sociology piece examines idealism vs. cynicism in IOs. He contributed to the 2023 PRIF Report on multilateralism under crisis and the 2023 book chapter on leadership pathologies in public institutions.

Ben actively engages with academic networks, co-organizing events like the 2024 Oxford Handbook of International Political Sociology book launch and leading the DVPW Working Group on IO sociology. His work bridges political science, organizational theory, and critical IR studies, emphasizing practical reforms for equitable global governance.