Gary Marks

Gary Marks is a Distinguished Professor of Political Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-Chapel Hill) and a Part-Time Professor at the European University Institute (EUI) in Florence. His primary affiliation is with the Department of Political Science at UNC-Chapel Hill, where he holds the Burton Craige Professorship. He also serves as a Research Professor at the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies at the EUI. Marks received his Ph.D. in Political Science from Stanford University and has held visiting professorships and fellowships at institutions such as VU Amsterdam, the Free University of Berlin, and the Hoover Institution.

His research focuses on comparative politics, multilevel governance, European integration, and international organization. Notable contributions include his postfunctionalist theory of governance, detailed in works like Multi-Level Governance and European Integration (2001) and A Theory of International Organization (2019). He has been awarded prestigious honors, including the Humboldt Research Prize (2010), the Daniel Elazar Federalism Scholar Award (2017), and the Martha Derthick Award (2023) for his influential scholarship.

Marks co-founded the UNC Center for European Studies (1994) and the EU Center of Excellence (1998). He currently co-leads an ERC Advanced Grant (TRANSNATIONAL) investigating political polarization in Western societies. His recent research explores education-based political cleavages, transnational governance, and the implications of crises like the pandemic on solidarity and policy responses.

• Awards: Humboldt Research Prize, Martha Derthick Award, Daniel Elazar Award, Honorary Doctorate from Maastricht University (2024)
• Grants: €2.5M ERC Advanced Grant (2010–2015), Current ERC Grant on Political Polarization (2021–2026)
• Labs/Teams: Transnational Lab at EUI, Chapel Hill Expert Survey (CHES) project

Marks’ work bridges academic and policy circles, with datasets like the CHES providing foundational insights into global governance and political dynamics.