Hi! I’m Giovanni Hollenweger!

I am a PhD candidate in the Department of Political Science at University College London. I am also the co-organizer of the Conflict & Change research cluster at UCL. My research is at the intersection of International Security and Comparative Politics; I study how civilians are mobilized for and influence organizations such as rebel groups and political parties.

My PhD research project describes how civilian agency varies among different rebel governance systems, and how civilian-rebel collaboration impact bargaining between rebels and the state. By using originally collected data on civilian agency in rebel governance, I show that more collaborative forms of rebel governance are associated with a higher likelihood that negotiations will take place. Through interview and archival data collected in the Philippines, I also show that government officials’ perception of rebel organizations is shaped by the inclusion of civilian input in rebel decision-making. Prospects for durable peace are therefore influenced by the government’s information on civilian involvement.

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