23rd ECPR PhD Summer School on "Political Parties and Democracy"

Organized by the Center for the Study of Democracy at Leuphana University Lüneburg, Germany, in cooperation with the European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR), this Summer School focuses on the role and the function of political parties in "old" and "new" European democracies, but also in other regions of the world. The Summer School is directed by Prof. Ferdinand Müller-Rommel and co-directed by Prof. Richard Luther. It will provide PhD researchers with access to a wide range of core analytical perspectives in democracy studies, political party research, and comparative politics. Moreover, courses will highlight current issues in political party research, such as the challenges of Europeanization and of electronic democracy. Classes will be taught by an international team of renowned scholars. The Summer School comprises an intensive program of lectures, seminars and presentations. Each day will consist of two main teaching elements, each of which is scheduled to last three hours. The first teaching element will commence with a presentation by a staff member of his/her current research project, or forthcoming publication, followed by a question-and-answer session. In the second teaching element, two or more PhD researchers will each present a paper on the design or empirical findings of their dissertation project. Therefore, each participant is required to prepare a paper related to the topic of their research in advance of the Summer School. The presentations will be followed by a period of intensive discussion between all participants. In addition to the academic program in Lüneburg, a one-day excursion to Hamburg and a four-day academic excursion to Berlin are an integral part of the program. The Summer School is open for PhD researchers in comparative politics, political parties or democracy. The maximum number of participants is 25. Language of instruction is English.”