Kerstin Martens

• Global governance and global policy research, especially global education policy and global health policy
• International organizations, especially UN institutions and OECD
• Transnational relations, especially civil society actors and non-governmental organizations
• Research design and qualitative methods, such as expert interviews

Current research projects

SFB 1342 (Project A05): The global development dynamics of inclusiveness and the scope of state education
Research Team: Kerstin Martens (Project Leader); Michael Windzio (Project Leader); David Krogmann; Dennis Niemann; Fabian Besche-Truthe; Helen Seitzer

SFB 1342 (Subproject B12): Crisis Management in the Covid 19 Pandemic by International Organizations
Research team: Kerstin Martens (project leader); Alexandra Kaasch; Monika Ewa Kaminska

The 10 most recent publications

Niemann, Dennis, David Krogmann und Kerstin Martens (2023): Torn into the Abyss? Subpopulations of international organizations in times of a declining liberal international order, Global Governance: A Review of Multilateralism and International Organizations 29:3, 271-294, doi:10.1163/19426720-02903004

Martens, Kerstin, Dennis Niemann & Janna Teltemann (2023): Assessment and Evaluation - Global Discourses and National Effects, in: Claire Maxwell, Miri Yemini & Laura Engel (Hrsg.), Sociological Foundations of Education, London: Bloomsbury, 157-180.

Dobbins, Michael, Kerstin Martens, Dennis Niemann & Eva Maria Vögtle (2023): The Bologna Process as a Multidimensional Architecture of Policy Diffusion in Western Europe, in: Jungblut, Jens, Martin Maltais, Erik Ness, Deanna Rexe (Hrsg.), Comparative Higher Education Politics: Policymaking in North America and Western Europe, Cham: Springer, 427-454.

Martens, Kerstin (2023): On Evidence, Impact, and Layers in Education Policy Processes, in: Berit Karseth, Kirsten Sivesind & Gita Steiner-Khamsi (Hrsg.), Evidence and Expertise in Nordic Education Policies: A Comparative Network Analysis from the Nordic Region, Cham: Palgrave Macmillan, 383-394.

Martens, Kerstin; Windzio, Michael (Eds.), 2022: Global Pathways to Education – Cultural Spheres, Networks, and International Organizations, Cham: Palgrave Macmillan, doi:10.1007/978-3-030-78885-8

Windzio, Michael; Martens, Kerstin, 2022: The Global Development, Diffusion, and Transformation of Education Systems: Transnational Isomorphism and ‘Cultural Spheres’, in: Kerstin Martens & Michael Windzio (Eds.), Global Pathways to Education – Cultural Spheres, Networks, and International Organizations, Cham: Palgrave Macmillan, p. 1 - 35, doi:10.1007/978-3-030-78885-8_1

Windzio, Michael; Martens, Kerstin, 2022: Isomorphism, ‘Cultural Spheres’ and Education Systems: A Brief Summary and Concluding Remarks, in: Kerstin Martens & Michael Windzio (Eds.), Global Pathways to Education – Cultural Spheres, Networks, and International Organizations, Cham: Palgrave Macmillan, p. 258 - 302, doi:10.1007/978-3-030-78885-8_11

Martens, Kerstin; Niemann, Dennis; Krogmann, David, 2022: The Expansion of Education in and across International Organizations, in: Paola Mattei, Eric Mangez, Jacqui Behrend & Xavier Dumay (Eds.), Handbook on Globalization and Education, Oxford: Oxford University Press, (ito be published soon)

2023

Niemann, Dennis, Helen Seitzer und Kerstin Martens: Tackling the digital divide - How international organizations address digitalization of education, Comparative and International Education Society, Washington D.C., USA, Februar 2023 & ESPAnet, Warschau, September 2023

Martens, Kerstin: Analyzing the World of Education IOs, “Religion, Diversity, Security – International Organizations and Religion in School Education”, Braunschweig, Leibniz-Institute for Educational Media/Georg Eckert Institute, Juni 2023

Berten, John, Kirby Grabo, Alexandra Kaasch, Alexandra, Kerstin Martens, Sooahn Meier, Madelaine Moore: Global Social Policy Ideas in the COVID-19 Crisis: Expansion or Retrenchment?, International Studies Association, Melbourne, Australia, Juni 2023

Meier, Sooahn & Kerstin Martens : In the Eye of the Storm? OECD’s Crisis Leadership during the COVID-19 Pandemic in health governance, International Political Science Association, Buenos Aires, Argentinien, Juli 2023

2022

Besche-Truthe, Fabian, Kerstin Martens, Dennis Niemann & Michael Windzio: Towards global gender equality in education? Economic incentives, global cultures and IO policy recommendations, CIES, Minneapolis, April 2022

2021

Niemann, Dennis, Krogmann, David & Kerstin Martens: A Continuous Boom? The Expansion of Edu­cation IOs, Comparative and International Education (CIES), Online Conference, April 2021

2020
Niemann, Dennis & Kerstin Martens: Competitors without a Cause? Dynamic Developments within the Population of Education IOs, European Consortium of Political Research 2020, Online Confer­ence, August 2020

Martens, Kerstin: On Evidence, Impact, and Layers in Education Policy Processes, Evidence and Expertise in Nordic Education Policies, Online Workshop, University of Oslo, September 2020 

Windzio, Michael & Kerstin Martens: The Global Development, Diffusion, and Transformation of Education Systems: Transnational Isomorphism and ‘Cultural Spheres’, Online Workshop, Universität Bremen, Dezember 2020

2019

Martens, Kerstin & Dennis Niemann: Education Leitmotifs of International Organizations, Comparative and International Education Society, San Francisco, USA, April 2019

Martens, Kerstin and Dennis Niemann: International Standards in Education, The Architecture of Arguments in Global Social Governance – Examining the Community and Discourses of International Organizations in Social Policies, Bremen, Mai 2019

Niemann, Dennis & Kerstin Martens: Education Leitmotifs of International Organizations, GLOBED Conference – Which Education Policies for Sustainable Development?, Barcelona, September 2019

2018

Martens, Kerstin, Michael Dobbins & Dennis Niemann: Explaining Policy Convergence and Polity Divergence in Federal Systems: German and Swiss Higher Education Revisited, 12^th Pan-European Conference on International Relations (EISA), Prag, Tschechien, September 2018

Niemann, Dennis & Kerstin Martens: Soft governance by hard fact? The OECD as a Knowledge Broker in Education Policy, ECPR General Conference, Hamburg, August 2018

Martens, Kerstin: The Appeal for Numbers? Standardisation and Measurement in International Education Policy, Visiting Scholar Seminar: New Research on Europe, Minda de Gunzberg Center for European Studies, Harvard University, März 2018

2017

Martens, Kerstin & Dennis Niemann (2018): Who is Who in Global Social Policy? International Organizations in Education Policy, ‘Doing’ Comparative Social Policy Analysis in a Changing Global Context, Lingnan University, Hongkong, China, December 2017

Dobbins, Michael, Dennis Niemann und Kerstin Martens: Centralization and Decentralization of German and Swiss Higher Education, European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR), Oslo, September 2017
 
Martens, Kerstin & Niemann, Dennis: Soft governance by hard facts? The OECD as a Knowledge Brokers in International Education Policy, 11th Pan-European Conference on International Relations (EISA), Barcelona, Spanien, September 2017

Martens, Kerstin: Internationalisierung von Bildungspolitik. Oder: Was haben internationale Organisationen mit Bremer Schulen zu tun?, Zürich, Mai 2017

Niemann, Dennis & Kerstin Martens: Spreading Knowledge and Evidence. The OECD as a Knowledge Brokers and Norm Entrepreneurs in International Education Policy, International Studies Association Annual Meeting, Baltimore, USA, Februar 2017

2016
Martens, Kerstin: Response to the Panel on “Global standardisation of education? The cases of the USA and Germany”, VW Symposium  Towards a Global Standardisation of Education? Exploring the Re-scaling of Policy and Governance in Multi-level Education Systems, Schloss Herrenhausen, Hannover, November 2016

Martens, Kerstin: Keynote Response to Patrick Montjouridès - Quantifying equity in learning: Conceptual and methodological progresses and challenges, and their consequences for policy-recommendations, ESRC Seminar Series, Labatory of Internationall Assessment Studies: The Futures and Promises of International Education Assessment, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, September 2016

Niemann, Dennis, Michael Dobbins & Kerstin Martens: Dezentralisierung oder Zentralisierung: Deutsche und Schweizer Hochschulreformen im Vergleich, Jahrestagung des Promotionskollegs „International-vergleichende Forschung zu Bildung und Bildungspolitik im Wohlfahrtsstaat, Bildung: (Un-)Intendierte Folgen der Internationalisierung für Gesellschaft, Politik und Arbeitsmarkt, Universität Tübingen, April 2016

Martens, Kerstin & Dennis Niemann: The Appeal of Numbers? PISA as a global leitmotif in education, Comparative and International Education Society, Vancouver, Kanada, März 2016
 
Niemann, Dennis & Kerstin Martens: When do numbers count? The perception of R&R in education, Rankings – A Sociological Perspective, Universität Bonn, Februar 2016

2015
Martens, Kerstin: 10 Jahre Forschung zur Internationalisierung von Bildungspolitik: eine Bilanz? „Bildungspolitik im Wandel: Zwischen historischen Wurzeln und (trans)nationalem Reformdruck“, Goethe-Universität Frankfurt, Juni 2015

Fulge, Timm, Kerstin Martens & Dennis Niemann: Understanding the Demography of IOs, International Studies Association, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, Februar 2015

2014
Martens, Kerstin: Worldwide convergence through homogeneous measurement? A plea for interdisciplinary approaches to the study of international testings, ESRC seminar on “Education Governance and International Assessments”, Edinburgh, UK, Dezember 2014

Kruse, Johannes & Kerstin Martens: NGOs in Complex Global Social Governance Arrangement: Drivers of Policy Synergy or Policy Conflict?, International Sociological Association World Congress, Yokohama, Japan, Juli 2014

Martens, Kerstin, Janna Teltemann & David Reid: Convergences in Education? Bremer Tagung zu “PISA – More Than Just a Survey?”, Bremen, Mai 2014

Fulge, Timm, Tonia Bieber & Kerstin Martens: On the interplay between international and national policy-making in education policy: rational intentions, unintended consequences, and transformation capacities, American Education Research Association Meeting, Philadelphia, USA, April 2014

2013
Vögtle, Eva Maria, Tonia Bieber & Kerstin Martens: Going Global? The Bologna Process as a Template for Wordwide Higher Education Policy Reforms, International Studies Association, San Francisco, USA, April 2013

Kruse, Johannes & Kerstin Martens: NGOs as Global Social Governance Actors, Workshop zu Global Social Law & Politics, Bremen, Februar 2013

2012
Vögtle, Eva Maria & Kerstin Martens, Going Global? The Bologna Process as a Template for Worldwide Higher Education Policy Reforms, Europäischer Bildungsraum:  Europäisierungsprozesse in Bildungspolitik und Bildungspraxis, Tübingen, November 2012

Bieber, Tonia & Kerstin Martens: Transatlantic Convergence in Higher Education? Comparing Current Trends of Policy Change in Germany and the U.S., International Political Science Association, Madrid, Spanien, Juli 2012

Martens, Kerstin & Dennis Niemann: When Do Numbers Count? The Impact of international Ratings and Rankings on National Policy, International Studies Association, San Diego, USA, April 2012

2011
Conzelmann, Thomas & Kerstin Martens: Numbers, Facts, and ‘objective’ Measures – Peer Reviewing, Rankings and the Politics of Information in the OECD, Second Berlin Forum “Innovation in Governance” Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Mai 2011

Martens, Kerstin & Dennis Niemann: Governance by Comparison – How Ratings & Rankings Influence National Policy Making in Education Werkstatt, Sonderforschungsbereich “Staatlichkeit im Wandel”, Bremen, April 2011

Martens, Kerstin: Organisierte Global Governance - IOs  in den Internatio-nalen Beziehungen, Vortrag im Rahmen der Bewerbung auf die W2-Professur „Politikwissenschaft mit dem Schwerpunkt Internationale Beziehungen“ an der Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Göttingen, Januar 2011

2010
Conzelmann, Thomas & Kerstin Martens: Numbers, Facts, and Rankings as ‘objective’ Measures – Peer Reviewing as a Governance Technique in International Organizations, NIG Annual Conference, Panel on Administrative Governance, Maastricht, November 2010

Knodel, Philipp, Kerstin Martens & Dennis Niemann: Explaining Policy Change in Secondary Education – Germany and England in a Comparative Perspective, Welfare State Traditions, Education and Higher Education Policy, Konstanz, Mai 2010

2009
Martens, Kerstin: Internationalization of Education Policy – The EU and the OECD as Actors in Education Policy in Comparative Perspective, Kolloquium Integration and Diversity of the New Europe, Bremen, Mai 2009

Kommentatorin des Panels ‚Interaction between International Nongovernmental and International Governmental Organizations’, Workshop: International Organizations: actors, forums or institutions, Etmaal, Nijmegen, Niederlande, Mai 2009

Martens, Kerstin & Dennis Niemann: Governance by Comparison – How Ratings & Rankings Influence National Policy Making in Education, International Studies Association, New York, USA, Februar 2009

Jakobi, Anja P. & Martens, Kerstin: Diffusion und Konvergenz durch internationale Organisationen – Der Einfluss der OECD in der Bildungspolitik, gemeinsame Tagung des Max-Planck-Instituts für ausländisches öffentliches Recht und Völkerrecht, Heidelberg und des Sonderforschungsbereiches 597 „Staatlichkeit im Wandel“, Bremen, Januar 2009

2008
Martens, Kerstin: The Comparative Turn in OECD Education Policy, Copenhagen GARNET Workshop: The Power of Numbers: Exploring the Use of Ratings, Rankings and Benchmarking Schemes in Global Governance, Kopenhagen, November 2008

Martens, Kerstin: Civil Society, Accountability and the UN, Global Citizenship in Action? Civil Society and Accountable Global Governance, New York, USA, November 2008, Audio Präsentation

Martens, Kerstin: Warum gibt es keinen PISA-Schock in den USA? Amerikanische Außenpolitik und ihre (Nicht)Folgen, Vortrag im Rahmen der Bewerbung auf die W3-Professur „Politikwissenschaft und Internationale Beziehungen“ an der Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Tübingen, Oktober 2008

Martens, Kerstin: NGOs als transnationale Akteure, Vortrag im Rahmen der Bewerbung auf die W3-Professur „Economic and Social Aspects of Global Institutional Development with Special Emphasis on the Non-Profit-Sector“ an der Rubrecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Juni 2008

Martens, Kerstin: NGOs als Akteure in den Internationalen Beziehungen, Vortrag im Rahmen der Bewerbung auf die W2-Professur „Internationale Beziehungen“ an der Universität Osnabrück, Osnabrück, April 2008

2007
Jakobi, Anja P. & Kerstin Martens: The OECD as an Agent of Transnational Communication in Education Policy, Mechanisms of OECD Governance – International Incentives for National Policy Making, Bremen, September 2007

Martens, Kerstin: NGO Accountability in the UN System, Civil Society and Accountable Global Governance, Göteburg, Schweden, Juni 2007

2006
Martens, Kerstin & Klaus Dieter Wolf: Boomerangs and Trojan Horses –The Unintended Consequences of Internationalizing Education Policy through the EU and the OECD, European Forum 2006/07: Assessing the Quality of Education and its Relationships with Inequality in European and other Modern Societies, Europäisches Hochschulinstitut Florenz, Italien, November 2006

Martens, Kerstin & Klaus Dieter Wolf: Boomerangs and Trojan Horses –The Unintended Consequences of Internationalizing Education Policy through the EU and the OECD, Douro6 Meeting: European Integration and the Governance of Higher Education and Research – The Challenge and Complexities of an Emerging Multi-level Governance System, Douro Valley, Portugal, September/Oktober 2006

Martens, Kerstin & Klaus Dieter Wolf: PISA als Trojanisches Pferd – die Internationalisierung der Bildungspolitik in der OECD, Kongress der Deutschen Vereinigung für Politikwissenschaft 2006, Arbeitskreis ‚Politische Steuerung’, Münster, September 2006

Holzinger, Katharina, Dirk Lehmkuhl (Arbeitskreis ‚Politische Steuerung’) & Kerstin Martens (Projekt ‚Internationalisierung der Bildungspolitik’): Reform der Hochschulpolitik, Panelorganisation, Kongress der Deutschen Vereinigung für Politikwissenschaft 2006, Münster, September 2006, mit Beiträgen von Detlef Müller-Böhling, Uwe Schimank, Manfred G. Schmidt & Frieder Wolf

Martens, Kerstin: NGOs in den Internationalen Beziehungen – Konzeptionelle Überlegungen und empirische Befunde, Vortrag im Rahmen der Bewerbung auf die Juniorprofessur „Internationale Beziehungen und Weltgesellschaft“ an der Universität Bremen, Bremen, September 2006

Jakobi, Anja P. & Kerstin Martens: Education Policy and International Organisations – The International Stimulation of National Policy Change, Panelorganisation, International Political Science Association, Fukuoka, Japan, Juli 2006, mit Beiträgen von Karen Mundy, Roger Dale & Susan Robertson

Martens, Kerstin: NGOs in den Internationalen Beziehungen – Konzeptionelle Überlegungen und empirische Befunde, Vortrag im Rahmen der Bewerbung auf die Juniorprofessur „Internationale Politik“ an der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, April 2006

2005
Martens, Kerstin & Klaus Dieter Wolf: Boomerangs and Trojan Horses –The Unintended Consequences of Internationalizing Education Policy through the EU and the OECD, CONNEX-Workshop: Soft Modes of Governance and the Private Sector – the EU and the Global Experience, Darmstadt, November 2005

Martens, Kerstin & Anja P. Jakobi: Internationale Organisationen und Implementation – Der Einfluss der OECD in der Bildungspolitik, Tagung der DVPW-Sektion ‚Internationale Politik’, Mannheim, Oktober 2005

Martens, Kerstin: How to become an Influential Actor – the ‘Comparative Turn’ in OECD Education Policy, Workshop New Arenas of Governance in Education, Bremen, September 2005

Martens, Kerstin: Culture and Foreign Policy – A Comparative Study of Britain, France and Germany, ECPR Joint Workshop Sessions: New Directions in Cultural Politics, Granada, Spanien, April 2005

Martens, Kerstin: The OECD as Actor in International Politics, Panelorganisation und Leitung, International Studies Association, Honolulu, USA, März 2005, mit Beiträgen von Klaus Armingeon, Jutta Joachim, Martin Marcussen & Jason Sharman

Martens, Kerstin: (Ab)using International Organizations? States, the OECD and Educational Policy, International Studies Association, Honolulu, USA, März 2005

Kommentatorin des Panels ‚Human Rights Education’, International Studies Association, Honolulu, USA, März 2005

Weymann, Ansgar, Kerstin Martens & Carolin Balzer: Life Course Policies in an Era of Globalization, Europe and North America – Societies in Contrast, Hanse-Wissenschafts-Kolleg, Delmenhorst, März 2005

2004
Martens, Kerstin & Carolin Balzer: Comparing Governance of International Organisations – The EU, the OECD and Educational Policy, American Political Science Association, Chicago, USA, September 2004

Martens, Kerstin: Professionalisierung der NGO-Einbindung in das UN System, Tagung des Arbeitskreises ‚Neue Soziale Bewegungen’ der DVPW, Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin, Juli 2004

Balzer, Carolin & Kerstin Martens: International Higher Education and the Bologna Process – What part does the European Commission play?, epsNet, Prag, Tschechien, Juni 2004

Martens, Kerstin & Carolin Balzer: Comparing Governance of International Organisations – The EU, the OECD and Educational Policy, ECPR Joint Workshop Sessions: Policy Implementation by International Organisations, Uppsala, Schweden, April 2004

Martens, Kerstin: NGOs in the UN System, Kolloquium an der Graduate School of Social Sciences, Universität Bremen, Februar 2004

2003
Martens, Kerstin: The UN System and Humanitarian NGOs – Theoretical Accounts and Structural Relations, The Donor-State-NGO (DONSTAGO) System, Bergen, Norwegen, November 2003, auf Einladung des Center for Development Studies, Universität Bergen, Norwegen

Martens, Kerstin: Explaining Societal Activism by Intra-organizational Factors – Professionalized Representation of Human Rights NGOs at UN Level, American Political Science Association, Philadelphia, USA, August 2003

Martens, Kerstin: Explaining Societal Activism by Intra-organizational Factors – Professionalized Representation of NGOs at UN Level, International Political Science Association, Durban, Südafrika, Juli 2003

Martens, Kerstin & Sanen Marshall: New Dynamics in Global Governance? Foreign Cultural Policy in a Comparative Perspective, International Studies Association, Budapest, Ungarn, Juni 2003

Martens, Kerstin: NGOs in the UN System – A Study of Institutionalised Relations, Workshop on Non-Profit Organisations, Dublin, Irland, Februar 2003

2002
Martens, Kerstin: Professionalised NGO Representation at UN Level, Transnational Third Sector Research: Reviewing the Past, Understanding the Present and Charting the Future, Bergen, Norwegen, Mai 2002, schriftlicher Beitrag auf Einladung

Martens, Kerstin: Institutionalising Societal Actors into Structures of Global Governance: Human Rights NGOs in the UN System, International Studies Association, New Orleans, USA, März 2002

2001
Martens, Kerstin: Institutionalising Societal Actors into Structures of Global Governance: NGOs in the UN System, Centre for the Study of Global Governance, London School of Economics, November 2001, Vorstellung meines Dissertationsprojektes

1998
Martens, Kerstin: The Role of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in International Relations, CANE (Central and Northern England PSA Graduate Network), University of Keele, Großbritannien, November 1998

Summer term 2022

Expert Interviews

Research Support for the Master Thesis

Advanced Research Methods

Winter term 2020/21

Research Design

Internship

Summer term 2020

Research support for the Master Thesis

Expert Interviewing

Transformations of the State

Advanced Research Methods

Pisa, Politics and Pedagogy: How the OECD Made it into German Classrooms (Workshop with Dr. Dennis Niemann, Helen Seitzer)

Winter term 2019/20

Research Design

InIIS-BIGSSS-Field-A-Colloq: Education Leitmotifs of International Organizations mit Dr. Dennis Niemann

Summer term 2019

Research support for the Master Thesis