OADI 2130 - City Diplomacy

***UPDATED for 2025/26***

People, ideas, money, goods, and services circulate in a global network whose hotspots are represented by cities. Across today's highly globalized world, cities are the undisputed cradles of innovation, research, creativity, wealth, and entrepreneurship while being on the frontline of substantial economic, social, cultural, and environmental challenges.

Over the last few decades, a growing number of diverse municipalities worldwide have consequently risen as key actors in international relations. From economic, cultural, and scientific cooperation to sustainable development and humanitarian assistance, cities - and their transnational networks - have been deploying informal and flexible yet effective tools of diplomacy.

Through a mainly practical perspective based on analyzing a selection of case studies, the course will provide students with an in-depth understanding of city diplomacy's core features, management, concrete impact, and evolution. Moreover, the course's participatory approach will allow students to develop the skills to define, update, and implement a city's international strategy.

Learning Outcomes

• Acquiring a more comprehensive understanding of international relations;
• Reconnecting macro dynamics (globalization, migration, climate change, pandemics, etc.) with micro transformations at the urban level;
• Analysing the local and international impact of city diplomacy;
• Acquiring a working understanding of municipal politics and law.

Professional Skills:

Students will acquire the skills needed to join a local government’s International Relations department/office, which include: designing/updating and managing the international relations strategy of cities and local governments; designing and managing multilateral city initiatives; advising elected officials and senior officers on international relations and city diplomacy; public information.

None.

Detailed feedback on each podcast episode will be provided to its authors upon upload and debate with the class.

Feedback on the final paper and participation will be provided through Sciences Po’s assessment platform.

• 1 podcast episode (50% of the final grade) – 15/20 minutes, realized in small groups;
• participation (10% of the final grade) – based on participation in class debates;
• 1 final paper (40% of the final grade) – 5,000 to 6,000 characters (with spaces), excluding bibliography.

• In Class Presence : 2 hours a week/ 24 hours a semester
• Online learning activities: 10 hours a semester
• Reading and Preparation for Class: 1 hours a week / 24 hours a semester
• Research and Preparation for Group Work: 20 hours a semester
• Research and Writing for Individual Assessments: 72 hours a semester