Marius' research agenda focuses on the domestic determinants of foreign policy, especially cultural and identity-related factors. In his doctoral thesis, he looks at the linkages between identity contestation and foreign policy consensus. Besides his thesis, Marius uses cutting-edge methods, such as elite survey experiments, to test key theoretical claims from IR theory.

Prior to joining the EUI in 2019, he studied at the George Washington University, Central European University, and the University of Bucharest. He was awarded several scholarships and fellowships, including a Fulbright Scholarship and a Global Leaders Fellowship, among others.

Research Interests

• Identity and foreign policy
• International relations theory
• Foreign policy consensus
• National identity
• Survey experiments

Current Research projects at SCRIPTS

During his stay at SCRIPTS, Marius will work on the German case of his doctoral thesis on identity contestation and foreign policy consensus. This work seeks to investigate two distinct yet related socio-political processes that affect foreign policy in Germany. First, he seeks to identify, through competitive theory testing, the sources of the German foreign policy consensus; trace the mechanisms through which this consensus influences the decision-making process, and what are the concrete implications for German foreign policy. Second, he seeks to prove that this consensus emerges when (a) favorable international conditions and (b) a dominant conception of national identity co-exist at the same time. Subsequently, he seeks to trace the mechanisms through which "constitutional patriotism" emerged as the dominant conception of Germanness and remained so for the last four decades, despite several episodes of intense contestation.