Appointed as Professor, Prof. Poppy: Not Just Academic Achievements

Yogyakarta, February 23rd 2023─Prof. Dr. Poppy Sulistyaning Winanti was officially inaugurated as a Professor of International Relations on Thursday (23/02) at the Senate Hall, Universitas Gadjah Mada. This inauguration marked Poppy as the first female professor in the field of international relations at UGM. During her time as an academic, Poppy consistently pursued international political economy studies, including the politics of international cooperation, regional economic integration, and issues surrounding the reform of the World Trade Organization (WTO). In her inauguration speech, Poppy conveyed an idea entitled “Reconsidering ‘Embedded Liberalism’ for WTO Reform: Plurilateralism in International Trade Multilateralism”.

Poppy said that there is a conflict of interests between a country at the domestic level with its commitments at the international level. This is what often causes trade disputes to arise, especially when within the WTO itself there are bottlenecks in the dispute resolution process. Therefore, Poppy offers “embedded liberalism” as a principle in managing international trade.

“The principle of ‘embedded liberalism’ allows countries to commit to international trade while guaranteeing flexibility for countries in mitigating contemporary political economic challenges,” said Poppy.

Furthermore, Poppy considers that the principle of plurilateralism integrated into the multilateralism system will be able to become the basis for designing and managing the global trade regime.

The inauguration which was also broadcast virtually was attended by the Board of Trustees (MWA), the rectorate, the family, and Poppy’s colleagues from within and outside the country. For Poppy, becoming a professor is a journey that involves many parties. “Achieving a professorship is a long process. This position is not only academic achievement but also a reflection of a struggle that could not have been realized without the help and sacrifice of many parties,” said Poppy at the end of her speech.

Poppy herself graduated from International Relations at UGM in 1997. She continued her master’s degree at the Korea Development Institute (2002) and the London School of Economics and Political Science (2005). Poppy then earned her doctorate in politics in 2011 at the University of Glasgow.