TRANSNORMS is a five-year research project funded by the DFG's “Reinhart Koselleck” scheme. The main research question is: How are norms translated between the global and the local?

• Theoretically, we integrate diffusion and norms research with work on cultural translations. So far, these literatures have been largely disconnected, partly because of allegedly incompatible ontological and epistemological assumptions.
• Methodologically, we explore to what extent automated content analyses are suitable to understand subtle differences in meanings, and how these techniques can be paired with qualitative analyses. The project thus introduces concepts from computational social science (text as data, quantitative text analysis, e.g. topic modeling) to international norms research.
• Empirically, we investigate processes of norm translation in two policy areas. First, we study the global politics of climate change, with norms being translated between the global (UNFCCC) and the domestic level (national and local policy formulation). Second, we analyze norm translation in the area of human rights and the rule of law.

As project partners, we cooperate with the Department for Natural Language Processing, Institute of Computer Science, University of Leipzig (Prof. Dr. Gerhard Heyer, Dr. Christian Kahmann).

Publications

Höhne, Chris, Christian Kahmann, Mathis Lohaus (2024): “Continuity and Change in Norm Translations After the Paris Agreement: From First to Second Nationally Determined Contributions.” Global Environmental Politics (online early). https://doi.org/10.1162/glep_a_00743

Höhne, Chris, Christian Kahmann, Mathis Lohaus (2023): “Normübersetzung und quantitative Textanalyse: Methodenreflektion am Beispiel von globaler Klimapolitik.” Zeitschrift für Internationale Beziehungen 30(2), 200-212. https://doi.org/10.5771/0946-7165-2023-2-200

Höhne, Chris, Christian Kahmann, Mathis Lohaus (2023): “Translating the norm bundle of an international regime: states’ pledges on climate change around the 2015 Paris conference.” Journal of International Relations and Development 26(1), 185-213. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41268-022-00285-9.

News and events

• October 2023: Paper presentation at the Earth System Governance conference, Nijmegen: "Global norms in corporate disclosures: Companies’ discursive engagement with climate change and business norms."
• September 2023: Two paper presentations at the EISA 16th Pan-European Conference on International Relations in Potsdam: "Global norms in corporate disclosures: Companies' translation of climate change and business norms" and "The Translation of UNFCCC Norms into National Climate Change Plans (1995-2021)."
• June 2023: Paper presentation at the DVPW IB-Sektionstagung in Friedrichshafen: "Global norms in corporate disclosures: Companies' translations of climate change and business norms."
• March 2023: Paper presentation at the International Studies Association 2023 Annual Convention for Panel FA50 "New Insights from Corporate Environmental Disclosures": "Global norms in corporate disclosures: Companies' translations of climate change and business norms."
• February 2023: Paper presentation at the AK Umwelt-Tagung "Umwelt- und Klimapolitik in Bewegung: Politisierung, Mobilisierung und Transformation in Zeiten der Krise" (Panel 13): "The Translation of UNFCCC-norms into national climate change documents (1995-2021)."
• May 2022: Invited presentation at the Cluster of Excellence "Climate, Climate Change, and Society" (CLICCS), Hamburg (virtual session): “Translating the norm bundle of an international regime: The case of climate change."
• March 2022: Poster Session at the International Studies Association (virtual session): “Translating International Norms into Domestic Action? A Quantitative Text Analysis of National Policy Responses to Climate Change.”
• October 2021: Keynote on “The translation of climate change norms”, held at a workshop by the GlocalClim project, Stockholm University (virtual session).
• September 2021: Panel organized at the DVPW congress: “Neue analytische und methodische Perspektiven auf die Forschung zu (internationalen) Normen“ and paper presented on “Translating international norms into domestic action? A quantitative text analysis of national policy responses to climate change.”
• September 2021: Panel participation at the Earth System Governance conference, Bratislava (virtual session): “Translating international norms into domestic action? A quantitative text analysis of national policy responses to climate change.”
• April 2021: Panel at the International Studies Association (virtual meeting). "How do states translate the regime’s norm bundle? The case of climate change in the context of the Paris Agreement"
• March 2021: Presentation and debate at the TU Darmstadt (virtual meeting): “How do states translate the regime's norm bundle? The case of climate change in the context of the Paris Agreement."
• October 2020: Presentation at the DVPW IB-Sektionstagung in Freiburg (virtual meeting). “How do states translate the UNFCCC climate change norm? Quantitative text analysis of national contributions to the implementation of the Paris Agreement.”

Meet the team

July 2023 in Dahlem. From left to right: Mathis Lohaus, Chris Höhne, Christian Kahmann, Myrodis Athanassiou (research assistant, 2021-2023), Maren Lorenzen-Fischer (research assistant 2021-2023), Thomas Risse

June 2021 at Tempelhofer Feld. From left to right: Mathis Lohaus, Chris Höhne, Luise Dose (research assistant, 2019-2021), Christian Kahmann, Sarah Hechler (research assistant, 2019-2021), Thomas Risse, Kristina J. Schmidt (research assistant, 2019-2021).

Alumni

We are grateful to our former research assistants for their excellent work:

• Myrodis Athanassiou (Freie Universität Berlin, 2021-2023)
• Luise Dose (Universität Leipzig, 2019-2021)
• Sarah Hechler (Freie Universität Berlin, 2019-2021)
• Maren Lorenzen-Fischer (Freie Universität Berlin, 2021-2023)
• Kristina J. Schmidt (Freie Universität Berlin, 2019-2021)