LSE IDEAS Central and South-East Europe Programme at the Jagiellonian University

The LSE IDEAS Central and South-East Europe Desk at the Faculty of International and Political Studies, Jagiellonian University in Kraków (FIPS-JU) aims to contribute to the global exchange of ideas and knowledge-building on our joined interest for academic research and outreach to a broader professional as well as general public.

The Desk focuses on research cooperation within topics of shared interest, such as: the future of democracy in Central and South-Eastern Europe and within the European Union, the appeal of illiberal democracy and populism, issues concerning migration, international and regional security, and energy security and natural resources. 

The Desk develops research opportunities focused on regional and European priorities, building on the experience of our team of experts, on topics ranging from European values and security to regional economic development and political participation.

The Desk hosts an annual conference, as well as lectures and presentations by IDEAS, FIPS-JU and affiliated experts to deepen our understanding of regional developments. It presents and publishes reports of high academic value.

The Desk is establishing an ongoing fellowship programme to encourage scholars with a focus on the region to be part of the IDEAS team while pursuing their research interest during their fellowship. Fellows are encouraged to be part of the academic community by delivering presentations and engaging students in their field of interest.

Professor  Łukasz Kamieński Is the Director of the Centre for LSE IDEAS Central and South-Eastern Europe Programme at the Jagiellonian University in Krakow. He is a university professor at the Faculty of International and Political Studies and was a Visiting Fellow at LSE IDEAS (2019) as well as the Centre for International Studies at LSE (2011). In 2003, he was also a Visiting Research Fellow at the Department of National Security Affairs of the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. He is currently the director of the Institute of American Studies and Polish Diaspora at the Jagiellonian University.

Dr Maciej Smółka is the Desk Coordinator for the Central and South-Eastern Europe Programme at the Jagiellonian University. He holds a PhD in cultural studies at the Jagiellonian Unviersity (2021). Previously, he completed an MA in American studies, and a BA in cultural studies (Jagiellonian University, 2015 and 2013). He was a visiting researcher at Dickinson College (2015) and the University of Minnesota (2018). He specialises in popular music, popular culture and American studies. He is also the author of Say Yes! to Michigan (AT, 2017), and a co-editor of From the Bowery to the Bronx (Intellect, 2022).

Dr Wojciech Michnik is currently an assistant professor of International Relations and Security Studies at Jagiellonian University and contributing editor for New Eastern Europe. In 2019, he served as the Eisenhower Defense Fellow at the NATO Defense College in Rome. Previously he taught for over two years at the American University in the Emirates in Dubai and served as a Fulbright visiting scholar at Columbia University’s Harriman Institute in 2015-2016. In 2014, he worked as a foreign and security policy analyst at the Department of the Americas, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland.