Baldur Þórhallsson
Baldur Þórhallsson is an Icelandic academic. He is currently Professor of Political Science and Jean Monnet Chair in European Studies at the Faculty of Political Science at the University of Iceland. He was a deputy member of Alþingi in 2011 and 2012, representing the Social Democratic Alliance. In March 2024, he announced his candidacy for the President of Iceland as an independent.
Early life
Baldur was born in Selfoss on 25 January 1968. His parents were Þórhallur Ægir Þorgilsson and Þorbjörg Hansdóttir. He grew up on the farm Ægissíða on the banks of river Ytri-Rangá. Baldur finished primary school in the town of Hella.Education
Baldur holds a PhD and MA in Political Science from the University of Essex in England.In 2002, he established a Centre for Small State Studies at the University of Iceland in association with colleagues around the globe and re-established the Icelandic Institute of International Affairs. He was Chair of the Board of the institute and is currently a member of the Board.
Research
Baldur's research areas are primarily small state studies, European integration, Icelandic politics and Iceland's foreign policy. He is most prominent for his research on small states and Iceland's European integration. He edited and contributed several chapters to the first Icelandic textbook on European integration. He has authored or edited three books:- Arnórsson, Auðunn, Baldur Thorhallsson, Pia Hansson and Tómas Joensen, 2015. Saga Evrópusamruns: Evrópusambandið og þátttaka Íslands. Reykjavík: Háskólaútgáfan.
- Baldur Thorhallsson. Iceland and European Integration On the Edge. London: Routledge, 2004.
- Baldur Thorhallsson. The Role of Small States in the European Union. Aldershot: Ashgate, 2000.
Baldur has taught on small states at several universities and was the ‘Class of 1955’ Visiting Professor of International Studies at Williams College in 2013 and Leverhulme Visiting Professor at the Queen Mary University of London in 2017.