Associate Professor of Political Science
University of Gothenburg
I study how international organizations and multilateral negotiations shape cooperation among states, both in established fields such as peace and security and in newer ones such as artificial intelligence.
I am an Associate Professor (Docent) at the Department of Political Science, University of Gothenburg. My research concerns the performance and politics of international organizations: what they achieve and who shapes their decisions. I study these questions mainly in peace and security, and increasingly in the governance of artificial intelligence.
Before entering academia, I spent several years working in international affairs, mainly at the United Nations in Bangladesh. I also have professional experience from multilateral diplomacy and negotiation support, including from the Centre for Multilateral Negotiations in Hamburg.
I hold a PhD from Stockholm University, a Master in Public Policy from Harvard University (Fulbright Scholar), and degrees from Uppsala University. I have been a visiting scholar at Stanford University, the University of Wisconsin–Madison, the Peace Research Institute Frankfurt, and the University of Tokyo.
My work has been published in journals such as the British Journal of Political Science, Journal of Conflict Resolution, European Journal of Political Research, International Studies Quarterly, Journal of Peace Research, and the Review of International Organizations. I am co-editor of the Handbook on the Global Governance of Artificial Intelligence (Edward Elgar, 2026) and of Negotiating the Paris Agreement (Cambridge University Press, 2021).
In 2023 I received the Faculty of Social Science's Pedagogical Prize at the University of Gothenburg.
Who shapes the rules that states and international organizations adopt, and why? I have studied how member states, secretariats and negotiation chairs influence outcomes in the European Union, the United Nations and other multilateral negotiations. A Swedish Research Council project (2025–2028) now extends this work to transnational actors such as NGOs and business associations.
What do international organizations achieve, and do they respond to the problems they were set up to manage? Using data on some 35,000 decisions across organizations, I have examined how institutional design shapes their policy output and responsiveness. In the UN Security Council, I have studied why some armed conflicts reach the agenda and others do not.
How do international organizations manage armed conflict, including civil wars? My work on mediation showed that organizations able to back agreements with peacekeeping are more effective mediators, and now examines how terrorist designations restrict mediators’ access. My work on UN peacekeeping has examined how missions are mandated, led and deployed, and their effects on troop-contributing countries.
How is artificial intelligence governed internationally, and who shapes the rules? Building on my work on international organizations and rule-making, I study the emerging regime complex for AI, lobbying on the EU AI Act, public preferences for AI governance across countries, and the politics of verification in frontier AI.
Every veto cast in the Security Council since 1946: 274 vetoed drafts, with the vote of each member, the sponsors, the countries and conflicts concerned, the reason given for the veto and the UN documents behind each entry. It can be explored online and downloaded as CSV files or an R package.
Explore the data →PEMA: Peacekeeping Mandates
The tasks in the mandates of 27 UN peacekeeping operations in Africa, 1991–2017.
Paper (JCR 2022) DataIPOD: Intergovernmental Policy Output Dataset
About 35,000 policy decisions by international organizations.
Paper (RIO 2024) DataPAAD: Proscription of Armed Actors Dataset
Terrorist designations of 386 armed groups by 18 governments and international organizations, 1979–2022.
Paper (JPR 2025) DataConflict management capabilities of international organizations, 1945–2010
Institutional features of 21 peace-brokering international organizations.
Paper (CMPS 2016) DataBargaining with the Banned? The Impact of Terrorist Designations on Mediation in Civil Wars
British Journal of Political Science
PDFStrategic Aid Allocation in Response to Terrorism
British Journal of Politics and International Relations
PDFDebating Threats in the UNSC: A New Dataset on Explanations of Votes 1989–2019
International Studies Perspectives
PDFAI Regulation in the European Union: Examining Non-State Actor Preferences
Business and Politics 26(2): 218–239
PDFTempering the Security Council's Expanded Perception of Threats to the Peace
Nordic Journal of International Law
PDFThe Global Governance of Artificial Intelligence: Next Steps for Empirical and Normative Research
International Studies Review
PDFDifferentiated Influence by Supranational Institutions: Evidence from the European Union
European Journal of Political Research
PDFWhen Are International Organizations Responsive to Policy Problems?
International Studies Quarterly 67(3)
PDFDecision-Making in International Organizations: Institutional Design and Performance
Review of International Organizations 17: 815–845
PDFOnly as Fast as Its Troop Contributors: Incentives, Capabilities, and Constraints in the UN's Peacekeeping Response
Journal of Peace Research 58(4): 671–686
DataSlow Progress on Rapid Deployment: Reform Initiatives and the Potential Perils of International Policy Paradigms
International Studies Review 23(3): 455–483
PDFDecorating the 'Christmas Tree': The UN Security Council and the Secretariat's Recommendations on Peacekeeping Mandates
Global Governance 27(2): 226–250
PDFCausal Mechanisms in Civil War Mediation: Evidence from Syria
European Journal of International Relations 26(1): 209–235
PDFNaming and Shaming by International Organizations: Mapping Condemnatory Speech Acts Across 27 IOs, 1980–2015
Cooperation and Conflict 54(3): 356–377
PDFStability and Change in International Policy-Making: A Punctuated Equilibrium Approach
Review of International Organizations 13(4): 547–572
PDFFrom Revolution to Resolution: Exploring Third-Party Mediation in Nonviolent Uprisings
Peace and Change 43(3): 271–291
PDFThe Performance of International Organizations: A Policy Output Approach
Journal of European Public Policy 23(7): 1077–1096
PDFMediation in Syria: Initiatives, Strategies, and Obstacles, 2011–2016
Contemporary Security Policy 37(2): 273–288
PDFLeanings and Dealings: Exploring Bias and Trade Leverage in Civil War Mediation by International Organizations
International Negotiation 19(2): 315–342
PDFInternational Organizations as Peacemakers: The Evolution and Effectiveness of Intergovernmental Instruments to End Civil War
PhD dissertation, Stockholm University
Bargaining
In: Gagnon, Stockemer, and Sawyer (Eds.) IPSA Companion to Political Science. Springer
PDFChairs in Multilateral Negotiations: Roles, Strategies, and Impact
In: Svensson and Möller (Eds.) Nuclear Negotiations. Springer
PDFPåverkar ett medlemskap i valutaunionen Sveriges inflytande i EU?
In: Calmfors (Ed.) Dags för euron? Stiftelsen Fritt Näringsliv
LinkMediation in Syria 2016–2019: A Tale of Two Processes
In: Fraihat and Svensson (Eds.) Conflict Mediation in the Arab World. Syracuse University Press
Mediation and Peace Agreements
SIPRI Yearbook 2014. Oxford University Press
Governing Artificial Intelligence: Public Preferences and Regulatory Options
PDFMapping Diplomatic Representation in Europe, 1648–1715: New Data from the Repertorium der diplomatischen Vertreter
PDFAI-reglering i Europeiska unionen: Vad vill näringslivet och andra icke-statliga aktörer?
SIEPS 2024:4
LinkInfluence in Multilateral Aid Organizations: A Literature Review
Expert Group for Aid Studies, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sweden
LinkMember State Influence in the Negotiations on the NDICI
Expert Group for Aid Studies, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sweden
PDFWhen Security Meets Survival: The Impact of the Houthi Terrorist Designation on Aid to Yemen
AidData Policy Brief
LinkSå kan EU forma den globala regleringen av AI
Dagens Industri (op-ed)
I teach courses in international politics, conflict and conflict resolution, and quantitative methods at the University of Gothenburg. I supervise students at bachelor's, master's, and doctoral levels. In 2023, I was awarded the Faculty of Social Science's Pedagogical Prize.
I have developed a set of browser-based interactive tools for my course on Conflict and Conflict Management. Students use them to work through core concepts, such as the security dilemma and veto dynamics in the UN Security Council.
View Interactives →Magnus Lundgren
Department of Political Science
University of Gothenburg
Box 711, 405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden