We are happy to celebrate the successful PhD defense of Iselin Stensdal on January 7, 2025. Her thesis, Institutional Dynamics and Power in the Local State: Shanghai’s Climate-Policy Processes, provides fascinating insights into climate governance and institutional dynamics in China, with a focus on Shanghai. 

'Her PhD underscores her high level of research expertise and opens the door for her to lead future research projects at FNI', says FNI Research Director Regine Andersen.

The second opponent (speaking) to the left and Iselin Stensdal (smiling) to the right during the PhD defense.


The defense took place at the University of Oslo (UiO), where Stensdal impressed both the committee and attendees with her thorough research and responses.

Regine Andersen described the defense as enlightening and highlighted Stensdal’s innovative use of power concepts to analyze Chinese politics: 'The concepts of ‘power over,’ ‘power to,’ and ‘power with’ that Iselin applied are not only relevant for China but can also serve as a theoretical framework in other contexts.' 

The evaluation committee included Professor emeritus Jørgen Delman from the University of Copenhagen and Professor Genia Kostka from Freie Universität Berlin. Both opponents praised the thesis for its strong theoretical contributions and nuanced understanding of local governance in China.

During the defense, Stensdal addressed complex questions about institutional theory and power dynamics, particularly the interaction between Shanghai's local authorities and the central government. She explained her conceptual framework well, emphasizing the role of institutional dynamics such as state signaling, regional competition, and experimentation.


We proudly congratulate Dr. Stensdal on the achievement! 🎉