Kirthana Ganeson

Kirthana Ganeson is a postdoctoral researcher at the World Trade Institute, currently working on the GENEVA CONSENSUS project, which examines the ideological evolution of UNCTAD and other trade-related international organizations in Geneva, primarily the World Trade Organization (WTO).

She is a Singaporean national and holds a Bachelor's Degree with Honours in Political Science (with a minor in Philosophy) from the National University of Singapore, and a Master's degree in International Political Economy from the Rajaratnam School of International Studies. Her B.A. thesis, titled 'Hidden Protectionism in the ASEAN Economic Community,' used quantitative and statistical analysis on large datasets to demonstrate an increase in protectionist measures via non-tariff barriers to circumvent the high standards of the agreement that established near zero tariff levels within the region.

During her doctoral studies, her research explored the intersection of trade and democracy within preferential trade agreements (PTAs). She played a key role in developing the TRADEM dataset, which systematically maps democracy-related provisions across 742 PTAs. Her doctoral dissertation, under supervision of Prof. Dr. Manfred Elsig and second supervisor Prof. Dr. Jan Orbie from University of Ghent,  provided a comprehensive analysis of the European Union's efforts to promote democracy through trade policy. The study examined EU trade policymaking processes and the institutions involved, including the expanded role of the European Parliament and the EU Commission's policy documents and stakeholder position papers. She then analyzed the factors determining the inclusion of democracy-related provisions across all EU trade agreements, followed by a case study examining the implementation of these provisions in the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) as an illustrative hard case.

Kirthana has worked as a research assistant across the fields of economics, sociology, and political science, including building original databases coding Technical Barriers to Trade, Investment, and Competition in PTAs and Bilateral Investment Treaties. She has also gained experience in both the public and private sectors, including internships at the U.S. ASEAN Business Council and the Ministry of Finance in Singapore.

Her research interests include norm diffusion in international trade, regionalism and the political economy of Global South perspectives in trade governance, development-oriented approaches to international economic relations, and economic inequality.