Project on Global Governance
2014 – Present
This project investigates the problem of unrestrained and potential power in global politics, asking what conditions make global institutions legitimate and non-dominating. Drawing on neo-republican theory, Dr. Buckinx examines core global governance tasks—regulation, administration, and the distribution of goods—and argues that these should be assigned only to actors meeting strict criteria of global public accountability. The project supports her book-length manuscript, Freedom and Power in Global Politics: Rethinking Global Governance, and informs ongoing research on the UN Veto Initiative, prospects for globally vigilant citizenship, and the ethics of democratic participation at the international level.
Project on Self-Determination, Environment, and Migration
2017 – Present
This project examines the intersection of environmental change, migration, and self-determination, with particular attention to low-lying Pacific Island communities facing existential threats from sea-level rise. A central output is the 2021 LISD report Self-Determination and Sea-Level Rise, which was cited in the UN General Assembly's selected bibliography on sea-level rise in relation to international law (UN Document A/CN.4/752/Add.1, 2022). Dr. Buckinx attended COP27 as a member of Princeton's official delegation in November 2022. The project also covers climate refugees, climate engineering governance, and the ethical dimensions of environmental policy. Dr. Buckinx co-convenes Princeton's Climate Futures Initiative.
Project on Gender in the Global Community
2020 – Present (Director); 2017 – 2020 (Co-Director, Student Fellows)
Established in 2010, this project examines the functioning of gendered structures and norms in the international system, connecting gender equality to security, peace, sustainable development, and political participation. Dr. Buckinx has co-directed the annual Gender and Security Student Fellows Program since 2017, with three volumes of student research published in the LISD Student Research Series (2018, 2019, 2021). Since 2021, the project has partnered with the UN Office of the SRSG for Children and Armed Conflict and All Survivors Project on conflict-related sexual violence, including a 2024 formal partnership agreement on child-inclusive reintegration. Recent output includes a 2025 LISD policy paper, Strengthening Health System Response to Sexual Violence in Afghanistan.
Ethics of Policy Fellowship Program
2023 – Present
Founded and directed by Dr. Buckinx, this competitive fellowship selects cohorts of Princeton students to produce ethically grounded policy briefs on migration and the environment—covering topics such as DACA, deportation, climate refugees, and geoengineering. Working in small groups, fellows interrogate the normative assumptions embedded in real policy choices. The program concludes each year with a public workshop. The inaugural volume, Ethics in Policy: Student Policy Briefs on Immigration and the Environment, Volume 1, was published by LISD in December 2025.
LISD Africa Program
2024 – Present
Co-founded and led by Dr. Buckinx, this student-led initiative focuses on democracy, security, and migration within the African context. Comprised of graduate and undergraduate fellows, the program fosters inquiry, collaborative research, and policy engagement on critical issues facing the African continent. Through faculty mentorship, fellows design events, contribute to scholarly discussions, and connect with policymakers and practitioners.