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Our research is cross-national and empirical with a global focus: Europe (Western and Central-Eastern Europe) and North America, and more generally OECD countries, the MENA countries and the large democracies world-wide (Brazil, India, Japan, South Africa, Turkey). We also have research projects that include Latin America, Asia and Africa. A distinctive aspect of our research activity is the long-term perspective that includes developments since the early-19th century.
We analyze processes of state formation, nation-building and democratization. We conduct research on representation, electoral systems, electoral behaviour, political parties and ideologies, attitudes and national identities. Current projects have a focus on globalization, populist protest and technocracy. Among the doctoral dissertations that are written at the chair there are projects on cabinets, the representation of migrants, party identification, populism in politics and communication, voting rights for foreigners, state formation and ethnic conflict in Africa, and clientelism and direct democracy in Latin America. We also have consultancy collaborations with international organizations.
We regularly present our research in the main conferences, aim at publishing it in leading international journals and collaborate worldwide. We also organize workshops and summer schools.
We are responsible for a large number of courses and seminars, in particular with the basic and compulsory courses and accompanying tutorials in comparative politics at the bachelor level. At the bachelor and master level we are also in charge of the research seminars which lead to the writing of dissertations. In addition, we offer a number of more specialized seminars on electoral systems, party systems, political culture, state and nation, representation and ideology.
Our teaching activity is supported by one main textbook:
Caramani, Daniele (ed.)(2020). Comparative Politics, fifth edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
