Profile
Gaélane Wolff Profile

Gaélane Wolff

Visiting Faculty, International Relations & Political Science
Spoken languages
French, English, Spanish
Areas of expertise
  • Global Political Ecology
  • International Relations
  • Disaster Management
  • Gender
  • Resilience
  • Security
  • Humanitarian and development aid
  • Global Environmental Politics

I am an associate researcher at the University of Geneva in the Department of Political Science and International Relations (SPERI). I am working in different fields like humanitarian aid, disaster governance, post-disaster management and environmental policies, especially in conflict-affected and vulnerable settings. With a PhD in political science specializing in political ecology and resilience, my academic career has enabled me to develop solid expertise in critical environmental studies. My work lies at the intersection of the social sciences and ecology, integrating innovative theoretical and methodological approaches to explore socio-environmental dynamics. In particular, I have carried out research into the localization of humanitarian aid, resilience in the face of environmental crises and gender dynamics, using methods such as multi-site ethnography, qualitative policy analysis and participatory surveys. My thesis focused on non-state actors in the management of natural disasters, analyzing how private foundations and companies justify their post-disaster interventions, while also examining the impact of market instruments, such as micro-insurance or micro-credit, developed in the name of resilience. My current research examines the interactions between social and environmental resilience in urban contexts at risk, with a particular focus on urban commons and gender equity. I am particularly interested in interview-based, participatory methods, discourse analysis and mixed methods. For my research I conducted close to 100 interviews with IO officials, NGOs, community members, politicians, civilian experts and aid beneficiaries from Africa, Asia and elsewhere. I have also a particular interest in researching the effects and challenges of climate change, crises, and disaster response and disaster risk reduction (DRR). Occasionally, I work with think tanks and civil society organizations on humanitarian aid, post-disaster development and resilience.

 

PUBLICATIONS:
 

  • Wolff, G. Promoting gender equality through localized development strategies: leveraging identification. Int J Humanitarian Action 9, 13 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s41018-024-00156-7
  • Wolff, G. (2023). Resilience as an Excuse to Develop New Markets in Disaster Management: Private Foundations and Humanitarian Aid in Haiti. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4554716 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4554716
  • Wernli D., Clausin M., Antulov-Fantulin N., Berezowski J., Biller-Andorno, N., Blanchet, K., Böttcher L., et al. 2021. Governance in the age of complexity: Building resilience to COVID-19 and future pandemics. Geneva Science-Policy Interface Policy Brief. Geneva, Switzerland.
  • Wernli D, Clausin M, Antulov-Fantulin N, et al Building a multisystemic understanding of societal resilience to the COVID-19 pandemic BMJ Global Health 2021;6:e006794.