Jēkabs Kārlis Rasnačs
University of Latvia
Jēkabs Kārlis Rasnačs is a PhD student in Social Sciences, specializing in Political Science with a focus on Comparative Politics at the University of Latvia. As a member of the 2025 mentorship program, he published “Corporate Social Responsibility and Economic Sanctions: The Case of Latvia’s Information and Communication Technology Sector.” This memo explores how corporate self-regulation practices concerning sanctions compliance among Latvian ICT companies are currently insufficient in the context of the war in Ukraine.
Mentorship Program 2025 Testimonial
Jēkabs kindly shared his perspective on the mentorship program and highlighted the benefit that his participation had on his academic and professional development.
Can you tell me a little bit about your experience in the mentorship program?
It was my first experience preparing a policy memo, as I had not previously engaged in such work. I chose a topic closely related to my PhD research on self-regulatory mechanisms; however, instead of focusing on companies in the financial sector, I examined those in the Information and Communication Technology sector. Overall, I found it fascinating that, even through a relatively concise piece of writing, I was able to generate new insights.
What was the process of working with your mentor like? How did your relationship aid in the drafting of your policy memo?
The process was successful, as it enabled me to strengthen academic collaboration with my university colleague, who assisted both in formulating the policy memo proposal and in providing recommendations for improving the final work.
How did this experience change the way that you think of academic work?
Academic work has always resonated with me, and this task has certainly increased my enthusiasm for pursuing my PhD dissertation. The process of writing a single paper has opened my eyes to a wide range of ideas that could serve as potential topics for future policy memos.
How important was the mentorship program to you and your development as a young scholar?
The assignment also provided additional experience in working with alternative methods, as at the University of Latvia the primary reference framework is that of the American Psychological Association.
What would you like future generations of young scholars enrolled in the mentorship program to know?
The policy memo, being a relatively concise yet engaging form of academic writing, provides an opportunity to generate new insights that may also prove valuable in the further development of a more extensive dissertation.
Read the Policy Memo
11 min read
Corporate Social Responsibility and Economic Sanctions: The Case of Latvia’s Information and Communication Technology Sector
This memo concludes that self-regulation practices concerning sanctions compliance among Latvian ICT companies are insufficient, especially in light of the war in Ukraine.