Dr. Hermine Van Coppenolle
Question & answer
What is your research about?
My research is about global climate governance. Specifically, I have investigated the Paris Agreement and how its institutional design relates to state ambition and climate policy. Beyond this, I am interested in institutional interaction, such as between EU trade policy and global climate governance. Methodologically, I use both qualitative methods such as content analysis, as well as more quantitative approaches such as regression analysis.
With the department, I am assisting Professor Claire Dupont and the RETOOL project with their survey analysis.
Why the interest in that subject?
Climate change is a major issue that leaves no life untouched. Understanding how people and institutions can cooperate on climate change, and perhaps even contributing to improving that cooperation, is a big driver for me.
How would colleagues describe you?
I hope colleagues would describe me as approachable and helpful. If anything, I like making myself useful and I love digging my teeth into problems, be they computer-related, methodological, or perhaps even philosophical (one question that was once tackled during lunch: can a nihilist be stingy?)
What is the first thing you do when you have unexpected free time in your agenda?
Few things make me happier than curling up on the couch with a book or a video game, a pot of tea by my side and music playing in the background.