Transversal Research Priorities

Due to its size, the Institute's research is wide ranging and covers a large thematic spectrum of the discipline. In the coming years, the focus will be on 4 transversal research priorities in particular:

Overview of current research projects at the IPZ

Our research on democracy and democratization refers both to the development, (in)stability or erosion of democracy across the world, as well as to the determinants, functioning, and consequences of democratic institutions, processes and policies. Our research on democracy encompasses studies focusing on the aggregate level, as well as on the level of political behavior of citizens in democratic regimes.

Digitalization refers to the increasing use and spread of digital technologies in all areas of society. We study how digitalization impacts political actors, processes, decisions, power relations, and political-economic outcomes, as well as the ways in which politics shape digitalization.

We study determinants, processes and outcomes of international cooperation and conflict, of international and supranational political (dis)integration, as well as the political determinants and consequences of economic international cooperation. Our research on international cooperation also encompasses studying the implications of international cooperation and conflict for domestic politics.

Inequality refers to the unequal distribution of resources, rights, risks and opportunities between individuals, groups, or countries. We study the political determinants of inequalities, as well as the implications of inequality for political actors, processes, decisions, and outcomes at the aggregate and the individual levels.