Home>Louise Beaumais
Louise Beaumais
Associate Research Fellow
Center for International Studies (CERI)
Duration: from 02 April 2025 to 01 April 2028
louise.beaumais@sciencespo.frResearch Interest(s): Foreign policy, militaries and diplomats, quantitative data, perception, security, Arctic
Discipline(s): Political Science
Subdiscipline(s): International Relations
Research Group(s): International order, foreign policy, diplomacy
Geographical Area(s): Arctic / Antarctica
Country(ies): France, United Kingdom
Language(s): French, English, Spanish
Biography
In my research, I aim to assess what numbers do in foreign policy. At the intersection of Sociology of quantification and Foreign Policy Analysis, I argue that foreign policy provides novel questions for both. I use the British and French Arctic policies as case studies to show that organizations use numbers to produce an impression of credibility, coherence, and foster imaginaries (that I call "datafiction").
I also work, as part of the Datawar research project, on humanitarian workers' use of numbers as well as conflict early warning systems in France, Germany and the UK.
Current Research
Foreign policy, militaries and diplomats, quantitative data, armed conflict databases, perception, strategic thinking, security, Arctic
Thesis topic
On the use of quantitative data in foreign policy: from datafication to datafiction, supervised by Frédéric Ramel (Sciences Po - CERI) and Thomas Lindemann (Polytechnique/LinX)
Teaching
Sciences Po
• Espace Mondial (licence), since 2020.
Assistantship
• 2021, 2023 : Renseigner sur les démocraties, renseigner en démocratie. Taught by M. Hayez et M. De Maillard.
• 2022, 2023 : Violences extrêmes et génocides. Taught by Dr. Jacques Sémelin.
• 2022 : Fabriquer les futurs. De la prospective à la fiction spéculative. Taught by Dr. Virginie Tournay.
publications
BOOK
Beaumais, L., Lambert, I., Lindemann, T., Makki, S. Ramel, F., & Sangar, E. (2025). Quantifying international conflicts: data on war or data for war. London: Palgrave Macmillan.
BOOK CHAPTERS
Beaumais, L. (2025). Navigating the Landscape of Early Warning Systems: From Managerial Optimism to Bureaucratic Realities. In: L. Beaumais, I. Lambert, T. Lindemann, S. Makki, F. Ramel & E. Sangar. (Éds). Quantifying international conflicts: data on war or data for war. London: Palgrave Macmillan.
Beaumais, L. (2025). Percevoir la « menace » chinoise en Arctique sous le prisme quantitatif: imaginaires et biais de confirmation. In: S. Dini, E. Jourdain, & T. Lindemann. (Éds). Anticiper les conflits. Paris : Classiques Garnier.
Beaumais, L. & Lambert, I. (2025). Different jobs, similar problems: exploring the mutual effects of the (mis)use of quantitative data on armed conflict by humanitarian workers and journalists. In: L. Beaumais, I. Lambert, T. Lindemann, S. Makki, F. Ramel & E. Sangar. (Éds). Quantifying international conflicts: data on war or data for war. London: Palgrave Macmillan.
ARTICLES
Beaumais, L. (2023). Do Humanitarian Workers Really Trust Numbers? An Assessment of the Use of Quantitative Data in the Humanitarian Field. Journal of Humanitarian Affairs, 5(1), 24-36.
Beaumais, L. (2023). Les systèmes d’alerte précoce ou l’illusion de l’objectivation. Cités, (3), 83-96.
Beaumais, L., & Ramel, F. (2023). Diplomats, Soldiers, and Armed Conflict Databases: Another French Exception? Global Studies Quarterly, 3(2), ksad027.
OTHERS
Beaumais, L. (2024). Le décompte des morts à Gaza : des chiffres qui parlent d’eux-mêmes ? Les dossiers du CERI, « Après le 7 octobre 2023 ».
Datawar (2022). Bons chiffres, fausses prédictions ? Pourquoi la guerre en Ukraine a pris l’Europe par surprise. La vie des idées.
Anderson, G., Beaumais, L., Carnapete, L., Lambert, I., Makki, S., Ramel, F., & Sangar, E. (2023). Considering Practices of Conflict Data Production, Analysis, Dissemination, and Practitioner Reception: Findings, best practices and recommendations. CERI/Sciences Po.
