Ulla Pape

Dr. Ulla Pape serves as a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Otto Suhr Institute for Political Science at Freie Universität Berlin, where she works on the DFG-funded project "Variations of Governance in Hybrid Regimes: Business, State, and Civil Society in Contemporary Russia" since April 2018. Her academic career includes positions as Lecturer in European Studies at the University of Bremen (2016-2018), Postdoctoral Researcher in the Third Sector Impact Project at Radboud University Nijmegen, and Senior Researcher at the Higher School of Economics in Moscow (2014-2016).

Dr. Pape holds a PhD in International Relations and International Organization from the University of Groningen (2012), an MA in International Humanitarian Action from the same institution (2004-2005), and an MA in Slavonic Languages, Eastern European History and Political Science from the University of Münster (1993-2002). Her doctoral research focused on the collaboration of civil society organizations with Russian state institutions and their impact on domestic policy-making.

Dr. Pape's research primarily centers on social policy, health and civil society development in Russia and Europe, with particular expertise in HIV/AIDS policy in Russia. Her scholarly work examines complex relationships between state institutions and civil society organizations in authoritarian and hybrid regimes, with a strong focus on Russian governance structures. She employs qualitative methods to investigate how nonprofit organizations navigate political constraints while advocating for social change, particularly in sensitive areas like public health.

Her publication record demonstrates consistent scholarly output across multiple disciplines including political science, public health, and civil society studies. Dr. Pape has published extensively on Russian civil society, government-nonprofit relations, and health policy, with significant contributions to understanding how political context shapes nonprofit advocacy strategies in restrictive environments. Her work frequently appears in top journals such as Europe-Asia Studies, Voluntas, and Journal of Civil Society.

• The Politics of HIV/AIDS in Russia (2014 monograph)
• Numerous peer-reviewed articles in leading journals
• Contributions to edited volumes on civil society in Eastern Europe

Dr. Pape has received research funding through prestigious projects including the DFG-funded GOVRUS project and the Third Sector Impact Project. Her work bridges academic research and practical policy applications, particularly in understanding how civil society organizations can effectively operate within restrictive political environments while addressing critical social issues like public health crises.