PhD Supervisor: Cédric Dupont
Expected completion date: 2025
The key aim of the research is to assess the external-governance implications of the EU's active regulatory policy in the negotiation of free trade agreements (FTAs) between the Union and its commercial counterparts.
Leopoldo Biffi received a master’s degree in International Relations/Political Science from the Graduate Institute of International Studies and Development in September 2020. On that occasion, he was awarded the 2020 Prize of the Department of International Relations/Political Science for his thesis titled “Too Complex or Too Ambitious? Exploring hurdles in the enforcement of EU free trade agreements”. Leopoldo holds a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in International Relations from the Department of War Studies at King’s College London. His main fields of interest include EU trade and regulatory policy, political economy, international negotiations theory, and the politics of trade. Leopoldo has recently worked as a research assistant both at the Graduate Institute and at the University of St. Gallen, and as public affairs consultant at Access Partnership Ltd.
Research Experience
Research Assistant, SNF project ""Crisis, Criticism, and Change in the Investment Arbitration System"", led by Prof. Thomas Schultz, Geneva Center for International Dispute Settlement (CIDS), University of Geneva, the Graduate Institute
Research Assistant, Chair of Comparative Politics, Universität St. Gallen (2020)
Research Assistant, Centre for Trade and Economic Integration, the Graduate Institute (2020)
2020 Prize of the Department of International Relations/Political Science, the Graduate Institute
Master thesis: “Too Complex or Too Ambitious? Exploring hurdles in the enforcement of EU free trade agreements”