The Early Career Network (ECN) is a self-organized, inclusive community within the International Association for the Study of the Commons (IASC). Born in 2018 from a collaborative effort between a few early career scholars, and with the support from the IASC Council, the network has grown to include over 120 members. It brings together early-career IASC members (namely researchers and practitioners working towards a degree at Master or Ph.D. level or having finished their highest degree within the past 10 years) involved in the study of institutions, collective action, governance, and the commons. The ECN supports collaboration, exchange, and professional development while helping members navigate the challenges of this career stage. It is a space where long-lasting academic and personal connections can flourish, and where critical, interdisciplinary, and novel perspectives are welcome.
The EU/UK Hub is a working group of the ECN aimed at strengthening connections and fostering a sense of community among early-career scholars based in the European Union and the United Kingdom, and between early career scholars and the broader IASC Europe & CIS chapter. Created in 2025, the EU/UK Hub serves as a platform for building relationships, sharing ideas, and collaborate. Through this working group, we plan to support informal networking, joint events, and self-organized initiatives, from writing groups and feedback sessions to diverse thematic discussions, while creating room to address common challenges, raise collective concerns, and amplify diverse, critical, and interdisciplinary exchange across the region. Four types of actions have been identified as drivers of the future activities of the EU/UK Hub:
ACTION 1: Improve ECN visibility, reach and membership in the EU and UK, and mapping the research themes covered by IASC ECN members in this region;
ACTION 2: Support coordination activities during IASC Biannual Conferences, giving visibility to EU/UK ECN hub members (e.g. panels/sessions dedicated to EU/UK region based work);
ACTION 3: Encourage members to organize and participate in ECN’s online and in-person mentorship sessions, seminars, online writing sessions, and thematic reading clubs finalized to the organization of online and in-person workshops and colloquiums on themes having a EU regional focus or specificity (e.g. pastoral commons in EU countries, interplay between commons management and the overarching EU legal framework, etc.);
ACTION 4: Identify and promote career opportunities (e.g., postdocs, visiting fellowships) in the EU and UK, and foster interdisciplinary collaborations to apply for EU/UK funding.
Whether you’re looking to connect with peers, co-develop projects, or find a supportive academic space, we invite you to join us. Stay tuned for upcoming events, or get in touch to get involved.
Contact:
EU/UK Hub coordinator: Dr Flavia Guerrieri, postdoctoral researcher at University Clermont-Auvergne and INRAE, INRAE UMR Territories, Clermont Ferrand (France) – flavia.guerrieri@inrae.fr
ECN representative: Shuping Wang, PhD student, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University, USA – swang253@syr.edu
ECN membership officer: Raksha Balakrishna, PhD Candidate, Center for Behavior, Institutions and the Environment, Arizona State University USA – rbalak10@asu.edu
