Dr. Hannes Meissner

Senior Researcher und Lektor

Hannes Meissner, Senior Researcher, Kompetenzzentrum Schwarzmeerraum

Tel.: +43 1 720 12 86 973

Mobil: +43 676 7829134

Fax:      +43 1 720 12 86 19

E-Mail: hannes.meissner@fh-vie.ac.at

Hannes Meissner ist Politikwissenschaftler und beschäftigt sich mit politischer Risikoanalyse und politischem Risikomanagement von multinationalen Unternehmen (MNEs) mit Schwerpunkt Osteuropa, Russland, Südkaukasus und Zentralasien. Seine Forschung gilt dabei State Capture, informellen Netzwerken und deren Folgen für MNEs, wie z.B. Klientelismus, systemische Korruption, defizitäre Eigentumsrechte und schwache Rechtsstaatlichkeit.

Er ist Senior Researcher und Lektor am Kompetenzzentrum für Schwarzmeerraumstudien der Fachhochschule des BFI Wien. Dort ist er akademischer Koordinator des Jean-Monnet-Netzwerkprojekts „EUCON“, das sich mit den Beziehungen zwischen der EU und der EEU/Russland befasst (www.eucon-project.eu). Außerdem ist Hannes Meissner als Experte und Lehrbeauftragter für den postsowjetischen Raum an der Universität Wien, Forschungsgruppe Osteuropa. Im V-Dem Projekt der Universität Göteborg ist er Länderexperte für Österreich und Turkmenistan.

Hannes Meissner hat einen Doktortitel (PhD) von der Universität Hamburg, den er 2012 mit „magna cum laude“ erhielt. Für seine Dissertation zum Thema „Der Ressourcenfluch in Aserbaidschan und Turkmenistan und die Perspektiven von Transparenz- und Effizienzinitiativen“ führte er umfangreiche Feldforschung in Aserbaidschan (2009/2010) und Turkmenistan (2010) durch. Während dieser Zeit war er auch PhD Fellow am German Institute of Global and Area Studies (GIGA) in Hamburg und im Forschungsprogramm „Korruption und informelle Netzwerke“ an der Forschungsstelle Osteuropa der Universität Bremen . Hannes Meissner war Promotionsstipendiat der Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) und erhielt ein Vollstipendium des deutschen Bundesministeriums für Bildung und Forschung.

Publikationen

Monographien und Sammelbände 

Meissner, Hannes / Leitner, Johannes (eds.) (2023): The EU and the EEU – Risks and Chances for Multinational Enterprises, Wirtschaft und Management, No. 33.

Meissner, Hannes / Leitner, Johannes (eds) (2020): Reconsidering Political Risk from the Perspective of Applied Sciences: In the Search for practice-oriented Political Risk Models, Wirtschaft und Management, No. 29.

Meissner, Hannes / Leitner, Johannes (eds.) (2017): State Capture, Political Risks and International Business. Cases from Black Sea Region Countries, Routledge.

Meissner, Hannes (2013): Der „Ressourcenfluch” in Aserbaidschan und Turkmenistan und die Perspektiven von Effizienz- und Transparenzinitiativen (The Resource Curse in Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan and the Perspectives of Efficiency- and Transparency Initiatives), in: Tetzlaff, Rainer / Jakobeit, Cord (eds.) (2013): Demokratie und Entwicklung Vol. 66, LIT Verlag.

Wissenschaftliche Beiträge, Buchkapitel und Conference Papers

From Conflict to War in Ukraine. The New Realities of Political Risk Management in the post-Soviet space. Meissner, Hannes / Leitner, Johannes (eds.) (2023): The EU and the EEU – Risks and Chances for Multinational Enterprises, Wirtschaft und Management, No. 33.

Meissner, Hannes (2018): Azerbaijan: Postsocialism between Fragile Stability and Crisis, in: Jaitner, Felix / Olteanu, Tina / Spöri, Tobias (eds.): Crises in the Post‐Soviet Space. From the dissolution of the Soviet Union to the conflict in Ukraine, Routledge.

Meissner, Hannes (2017): Corruption, favourtism and institutional ambiguity as political risks. Insights from the concept of neopatrimonialism, in: Meissner, Hannes / Leitner, Johannes (eds.) (2017): State Capture, Political Risks and International Business. Cases from Black Sea Region Countries, Routledge, 11-25.

Meissner, Hannes; Leitner, Johannes (2016): FDI in Azerbaijan: A Structural Analysis of the Business Environment. In: Caucasus Analytical Digest March 2016, No.82 Foreign Direct Investment.

Meissner, Hannes (2015): Anti-Corruption Measures in the Energy Sector: EITI in Azerbaijan, Caucasus Analytical Digest No. 78 5 October 2015.

Meissner, Hannes (et al.) (2015): The Debate about Political Risk: How Corruption, Favoritism and Institutional Ambiguity Shape Business Strategies in Ukraine. In: Contributions to Economics. Springer.

Meissner, Hannes (2014): Ressourcenreichtum und Systemtransformation in Aserbaidschan und Turkmenistan (Resource Abundance and Regime Transformation in Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan), in: Wirtschaft und Management, 18, Internationale Rahmenbedingungen unternehmerischen Handelns, 35-54.

Meißner, Hannes (2013): Ressourcenumverteilung, informelle Netzwerke und Korruption – Zu den Chancen und Risiken für westliche Investoren in Aserbaidschan (Resource Redistribution, Informal Networks and Korruption – About Chances and Risks for Western Enterprises in Azerbaijan), in: Wirtschaft und Management, 18, 2013, No. 40, 25-40.

Meißner, Hannes (2013): Nachhaltige Entwicklung durch Öl- und Gasreichtum? Aserbaidschan, Russland und der Ballast der Sowjetunion (Sustaiable Development due to Oil and Gas Abundance? Azerbaijan, Russia and Soviet Legacy) in: Regionale Integration – Alternative Entwicklungspfade? Perspektiven industriepolitischer Optionen in räumlichen Strukturen, Kurswechsel No. 3/2013, 8-17.

Meissner, Hannes (2013): Functioning, Effects and Perspectives of Transparency Initiatives – The Example of the EITI in Azerbaijan, The Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative eiti.org, https://eiti.org/files/documents/Paper- Meissner-Transparency-Initiatives.pdf.

Meissner, Hannes (2012): The Role of the Oil Elite in Policy-Making in Azerbaijan, in: Heinrich, Andreas / Pleines, Heiko (eds.) (2012): Challenges of the Caspian Resource Boom: Domestic Elites and Policy-making, Palgrave Macmillan, 131-142.

Meissner, Hannes (2011): Informal Politics in Azerbaijan: Corruption and Rent-Seeking Patterns, in: Caucasus Analytical Digest No. 24, 6-9.

Jakobeit, Cord / Meissner, Hannes (2010): Stichwort: Frieden und Ressourcen (Keyword: Peace and Resources, in: Gießmann, Hans-Joachim / Rinke, Bernhard (eds.) (2010): Handbuch Friedensforschung, VS Verlag, 518-528.

Meissner, Hannes (2010): The Resource Curse and Rentier States in the Caspian Region: A Need for Context Analysis, GIGA Research Programme Violence and Security, Working Paper No. 133.

(Konferenz-)Vorträge (Auswahl)

Between Competition and Conflict, Convergence and Cooperation: EU-EEU Relations as Risks and Chances for Enterprises, ECPR General Conference, 30 August – 3 September 2021, Online Conference.

EU’s External Actions triggering Political Risks? The case of Ukraine, ECSA Conference, Toronto, 8-10 May 2018. State Capture and Political Risks, 2018 ASEES/MAG Summer Convention, Lviv, 27-29 June 2018.

Transgressing the Red-Line: Ethical Criticism and Political Risk in Eastern Europe, The 2017 ASEES Annual Convention, Chicago, 9-12 November 2017.

Panel Contribution to “Law and Investment on One Belt One Road and China’s Outward Investment Strategy: Implications and Issues for Belt and Road Countries”, The 9th World Chinese Economic Summit 2017, Island Shangri-La Hotel, Hong Kong, 13-14 November 2017.

Central Asia: General Characteristics, Business Opportunities and Risks, Speech at the UN ESCAP Sustainable Business Network (ESBN) Task Force Meeting, Astana, 27 June 2017.

Corruption in Ukraine: Soviet legacy, failed reforms and political risks, 75th Annual MPSA Conference, Palmer House Hilton Chicago, 6-9 April 2017.

Explaining the Presence through the Past: Political Risks in Ukraine and the Role of the EaP, BASEES Annual Conference 2017, Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, 31 March – 2 April 2017.

The Oppositive of Good is Good Intentions, ENP and Political Risks in the Post-Soviet space, BASEES Annual Conference 2017, Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, 2-4 April 2016.

Doing Business in a Neopatrimonial State: Factors of Systemic Uncertainty and Coping Strategies of International Businesses – Evidence from Ukraine under Janukovytch, BASEES Annual Conference 28-30 March 2015, Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge.

External Governance and Local Responses: The Case of the EITI in Azerbaijan, Presentation at the Workshop on Regional Integration and External Governance in the Post-Soviet Region, Research Centre for East European Studies at the University of Bremen, 12 July 2014.

Functioning, Effects and Perspectives of Transparency Initiatives – The Example of the EITI in Azerbaijan, Presentation at “The Third Global Conference on Transparency Research”, HEC Paris: 26 October 2013.

Resource Driven Growth in Azerbaijan and Russia – Chances and Risks in Times of Economic Crisis, Presentation at “The 9th International Conference of ASECU: Systemic Economic Crisis: Current Issues and Future Perspectives”, Skopje: 31 May 2013.

The Role of Business in Fostering Transparency and Sustainability in Emerging Markets – Lessons from the EITI i Azerbaijan, Presentation at the GEBA 2012 Conference: Globalization and Higher Education in Economics and BA, Iasi: 19 October 2012.

Oil Elites and Policy Making in Azerbaijan, Presentation at the project workshop of the Research Centre for East European Studies at the University of Bremen: The Political Economy of the Caspian Oil Boom. Elite Interaction and Policy-making, Bremen: 14 December 2010.

Medienberichte (Auswahl)

Gusenbauer kassierte Geld von Azerbaidschan (Austrian ex-chancellor Gusenbauer gained money from Azerbaijan), expert interview with the main TV journal ZIB2 of the Austrian public TV channel Österreichischer Rundfunk und Fernsehen (ORF) on the question of why post-Soviet states engage Western European ex-politicians as consultants, 3 September 2021.

Im Schatten von Russland – Zentralasien zwischen Armut und Erwachen (In in the shadow of Russia – Central Asia between poverty and awakening), expert comments in the documentary of the German public TV channel, Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF), winter/spring 2022.

Im Schatten von Russland – Die Baltischen Staaten als Brückenkopf Europas (In the shadow of Russia – The Baltic States as bridgehead of Europe), expert comments in the documentary of the German public TV channel, Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF), winter/spring 2022.

Die Krise in Kasachstan: Frustrierte Bevölkerung und politische Machtkämpfe als politische Risiken (The crisis in Kazakhstan: Frustrated population and political power struggles as political risks), blog post in the Austrian newspaper Der Standard, 6. February 2022.

A1 in Belarus: Im Sog politischer Risikodynamiken (A1 in Belarus: in the wake of politics), blog post in the Austrian newspaper Der Standard, 9. January 2022.

Repression wie in Nord-Korea: Turkmenistans Diktator ist der Alleskönner (Repression like in North Korea. Turkmenistan’s dictator is the „all-rounder“), Podcast with the German private TV channel NTV, 25 April 2021.

(K)ein neues Eldorado für multinationale Unternehmen: Usbekistan zwischen Reformen und fortbestehenden politischen Risiken ((No) new Eldorado for multinational companies: Uzbekistan between reforms and persisting political risks), blog post in the Austrian newspaper Der Standard, 3. April 2019

Der gefährliche Trend zu autoritärer Herrschaft: Politische Risiken für Unternehmen in Orbáns Ungarn (The dangerous trend towards authoritarian rule: Political risks for businesses in Orbán’s Hungary), blog post in the Austrian newspaper Der Standard, 8. April 2020.

Ukraine als sicherer Landeplatz für Internationale Unternehmen? (Ukraine as a safe landing site for international enterprises?) blog post in the Austrian newspaper Der Standard, 19. July 2017.

Die Galaktischen von Simmering (The galactics of Simmering), Interview with the Austrian weekly newspaper Der Falter on the investments of an Azerbaijani oligarch into a local soccer club in Vienna-Simmering, 27 April 2016.

Umsturz vs. Kontinuität im postsowjetischen Raum – Einsichten aus Aserbaidschan (Regime change vs. continuity in the post-Soviet space – Insights from Azerbaijan), blog post in the Austrian newspaper Der Standard, 10 May 2016.

Wo Fröhlichkeit staatlich verodnet ist (Where happiness is codified by the state), Interview with the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung, 15 April 2016.

Die Elite ist sehr nervös geworden (The ruling elite has become nervous), Interview with the Austrian business newspaper Wirtschaftsblatt on Azerbaijan, 2. November 2015.

Ganz weit weg – Turkmenistan (Very far away –Turkmenistan). Interview with the German weekly newspaper Die ZEIT on field research experiences in Turkmenistan, March 2014.

Korruption ist strukturell verankert (Corruption has structural roots), Interview with the Austrian business newspaper

Wirtschaftsblatt on Turkmenistan, 6. November 2013.

Aserbaidschan ist kein Land für westliche KMU (Azerbaijan is no country for Western SMEs), Interview with the Austrian business newspaper Wirtschaftsblatt, 1 March 2013.

Langsamer Abschied vom Kult um „Vater der Turkmenen“ (Slow farewell to the cult of the „Father of the Turkmen), Interview with the Austrian newspaper Die Presse, 6 August 2013.

Das Geschäft mit Rohstoffquellen läuft wie geschmiert (Business with oil and gas resources is going like clockwork), Interview with the Austrian business newspaper Wirtschaftsblatt on Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan, 24 June 2013.

100.000 USD Bakschisch für Audienz beim Präsidenten (100.000 USD bakshish for an audience with the president), Interview with the Austrian business newspaper Wirtschaftsblatt on Turkmenistan, 18 April 2013.

Иностранные компании в Туркмении вынуждены учитывать национальную специфику („Foreign companies have to consider local conditions“), Interview with Deutsche Welle on Turkmenistan, in: http://www.dw- world.de/dw/article/0,,5413958,00.html, 30 March 2010.