Welcome!
I am Niklas Hänze, a PhD student at the Department of Politics and Public Administration and the Excellence Cluster The Politics of Inequality at the University of Konstanz. My research examines the interplay between the natural environment and politics, with a particular focus on how political factors shape societies’ vulnerability to climate impacts, the long-term institutional consequences of repeated hazard exposure, and the role of the international community in assisting vulnerable populations.
I am interested in both the causes and consequences of environmental shocks. On the one hand, I investigate why some societies are more vulnerable to natural hazards than others, analyzing how political structures, armed conflict, and institutional weaknesses exacerbate disaster impacts. On the other hand, I examine how these shocks, in turn, shape political dynamics - whether by fostering or eroding social cohesion, triggering institutional reform, fueling conflict or attracting aid. My research combines insights from political science, environmental studies, and economics to understand how climate risks interact with governance and inequality on both national and subnational levels.
Methodologically, I employ state-of-the-art quantitative and spatial approaches to investigate these questions. My work contributes to the broader understanding of how environmental shocks interact with political structures, influencing governance, conflict, and international aid. Prior to my doctoral studies, I earned a BA from Osnabrück University and an MA from the University of Konstanz.