Day of Women in Science: research fellow Agnieszka Nitza-Makowska

On 11 February, the University of Tartu and the Estonian Youth Academy of Sciences (EYAS) celebrate the Day of Women in Science for the third time already. On the one hand, the goal of celebrating the Day of Women in Science is to highlight and appreciate the daily work and achievements of women researchers. On the other hand, the aim is to contribute to promoting gender equality and breaking gender stereotypes in academia and society. To honour women and inspire girls to pursue with science, we share our women's work in science.  Agnieszka Nitza-Makowska is a research fellow at the Asia Centre as well as an assistant professor at Collegium Civitas (Poland).  

• What is one research question that you are currently working on? 

What are the non-material and 'soft' implications of China's rise for South Asia and beyond? 

• Why is solving this research question important? 

We observe China's rise in key international cooperation and competition areas. While most of the research focuses on this process's economic and geopolitical aspects, I look at China's soft power and environmental policies. As China leaves a heavy multifaceted footprint in Pakistan, its 'all-weather friend', this country serves as a relevant yet extreme example and not only case study. Another one is India, which cooperates with China, its arch-rival, in global environmental governance and simultaneously continues a collision course in geopolitics. Therefore, my research is important because it touches upon the often neglected aspects of China's rise and demonstrates whether and how this state's soft power and soft (environmental) laws work on the ground. 

• If you find an answer to it, what would be different in the world? (i.e how your research could make a difference?) 

My research investigates how China projects itself to the international audience and actually behaves on the ground. Moreover, it sheds light on the discrepancy between these two types of performance. Decision-makers, opinion-shapers and businesses in Brussels, Tallinn, Warsaw, and so on should watch China's actions in other parts of the world. That's necessary to identify challenges and opportunities linked to cooperation with Beijing and find ways to achieve a "win-win" result. 

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