Erik Baekkeskov

Erik Baekkeskov is an Associate Professor in Public Policy at the School of Social and Political Sciences, Faculty of Arts, University of Melbourne. He holds a PhD in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley (2009), a Master's degree from the same institution, and a Bachelor's degree with Honours from Harvard University. His career history spans several prestigious institutions: following his PhD, he served as a Postdoctoral Scholar at UC Berkeley's School of Public Health (2009-2011), then as Assistant Professor at Roskilde University, Denmark (2011-2015), and briefly at the University of Copenhagen's Department of Public Health (2015). He joined the University of Melbourne in 2016 as a Lecturer in Public Policy, progressing to Senior Lecturer and now Associate Professor (equivalent to UK Reader).

Baekkeskov's academic interests center on public policy-making, with specializations in crisis management, the influence of experts on government decisions, knowledge utilization in policy processes, public sector reforms, public-private partnerships, and political responses to health crises. His research addresses pandemics like the 2009 H1N1 influenza, COVID-19, Ebola, and the global challenge of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Key publications include "Collaborative Crisis Management: A Plausibility Probe of Core Assumptions" (2020), "Same Threat, Different Responses: Experts Steering Politicians and Stakeholders in 2009 H1N1 Vaccination Policy-Making" (2016), "Why Pandemic Response is Unique: Powerful Experts and Hands-Off Political Leaders" (2014), "Information Dilemmas and Blame-Avoidance Strategies: From Secrecy to Lightning Rods in Chinese Health Crises" (2017), "Freezing Deliberation Through Public Expert Advice" (2017), "Policy Capacity: Evolving Theory and Missing Links" (2023), and "Antimicrobial Resistance as a Global Health Crisis" (2020). He co-edited the book "Steering Against Superbugs: The Global Governance of Antimicrobial Resistance" (2023). Baekkeskov has obtained grants including from the Australian Research Council (2018) and leads projects such as "Exploring the Policy Dynamics of Global Antimicrobial Resistance Initiatives." His scholarship has shaped understandings of policy dynamics in uncertain environments.

Professional Email: erik.baekkeskov@unimelb.edu.au