Irene Weipert-Fenner

Dr. Irene Weipert-Fenner is a Senior Researcher and Project Director at the Peace Research Institute Frankfurt (PRIF), serving as a member of its Executive Board since 2024 and coordinating the Research Group on Regime Competition since 2023. She holds a PhD from Goethe University Frankfurt (2013) and previously served as a Visiting Professor for Middle Eastern Politics at the University of Marburg (2019). Her research focuses on authoritarian regimes, political transformation, social movements, and socioeconomic conflicts in North Africa, with a particular emphasis on Egypt and Tunisia. Key projects include leading studies on IMF reforms, socioeconomic protests, and trust dynamics in social movements. She has authored or co-authored over 30 peer-reviewed articles and books, including The Autocratic Parliament (2020) and edited volumes on clientelism and protests. Awards include the DAVO Dissertation Prize (2014). Her work bridges comparative politics, conflict studies, and regional expertise, addressing themes like democratization, protest dynamics, and geopolitical implications of regional conflicts.

• Affiliations: PRIF, University of Marburg (visiting role)
• Education: PhD in Political Science, Goethe University Frankfurt (2013)
• Research Groups: Regime Competition, Intra-state Conflict
• Key Projects: ConTrust initiative (2021–2025), Tunisian budget politics analysis

Her research publications emphasize interdisciplinary approaches to understanding political economy, trust in social movements, and the interplay between socioeconomic grievances and authoritarian resilience. Recent work explores green hydrogen economies in North Africa and the erosion of democratic trust in Tunisia.