Christina Hackenesch

Christina Hackenesch is a Private Lecturer at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz and Research Associate at the German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS). She holds a habilitation in political science and specializes in EU-Africa relations, China-Africa dynamics, and EU development policy. Her work focuses on democracy promotion, governance reforms in sub-Saharan Africa, and the impact of populist movements on foreign aid. She has held roles including Programme Management at the German Development Institute (DIE) and Substitute Junior Professor at the University of Bayreuth.

• Affiliations: IDOS, Mainz University, DIE
• Education: PhD from Berlin Graduate School for Transnational Studies, Master's from Free University of Berlin/Sciences Po Paris

Research Interests

Her research bridges EU external relations with global South dynamics, focusing on:

• Populist influence on development policy
• China's party-to-party diplomacy in Africa
• EU-China competition in African governance
• EU development policy reforms post-2020

Key Contributions

Recent work includes analyzing:

• Populist radical right parties' impact on EU foreign aid (2022)
• EU's response to pandemic-driven development challenges (2021)
• Sino-African strategic partnerships (2019–2025)

Awards & Grants

While no specific awards mentioned, her extensive publications and advisory roles reflect sustained academic recognition. Active in policy circles through contributions to T20 Saudi Arabia and G20 dialogues.

Labs/Teams

Co-leads initiatives like Megatrends Africa and contributes to EU policy think tanks via the European Think Tanks Group (ETTG). Engaged in projects analyzing post-pandemic development strategies and the EU's global role.