Center for the Study of Democracy

Organisational unit: Institute

Organisation profile

The interdisciplinary Centre for the Study of Democracy was founded on 2 June 2004 on the recommendation of the Scientific Commission of Lower Saxony under the chairmanship of Professor Dr. Hans Dieter Klingemann. Founding Director and Head of the CSD from 2004 to 2018 was Professor Dr. Ferdinand Müller-Rommel. 

The Center for the Study of Democracy (CSD) brings together the research activities of the members of the Institute for Political Science (IPW) under one roof. The Center is primarily concerned with the analysis of democratic orders and processes. The research activities can be divided into three core areas:

  • The institutional, ideational and material foundations of democratic orders;
  • The drivers of political change in these orders;
  • And the impact of democratic policymaking on society, economy and the environment.

The Centre is also actively involved in promoting young scientists and fosters the international and regional networking of research institutions devoted to the study of democracy.

 

Main research areas

The activities of the CSD include:

  • Implementing research projects on the three core topics: foundations, transformation, and impact of democracy
  • Organization of international conferences and workshops on current issues of democracy research
  • Collection and coordination of international data sets, especially the World Values Survey, the Comparative Political Data Set, and the database on Central and Eastern European Political Systems and Governments
  • Promotion of research in the form of doctoral and post-doctoral scholarships at the Center
  • Hosting regular guest lectures by internationally renowned scientists and early career researchers
  • Active scientific promotion of young talent in the form of regular doctoral seminars on theories and methods of democracy research as well as in the form of summer schools for doctorate students and inter-university graduate networks
  • Establishing contacts between science and practice

Teaching

  • PHD-Summerschool
  • Politikberatung
  1. International experience and recommendations

    Koß, M. (Oral presentation)

    09.12.2022

    Activity: Talk or presentationConference PresentationsResearch

  2. International Human Rights in the Middle East and North Africa: Authoritarian Regimes Between Commitment and Compliance

    van Hüllen, V. (Speaker)

    06.04.2018

    Activity: Talk or presentationPresentations (poster etc.)Research

  3. International Political Science Association (External organisation)

    Müller-Rommel, F. (Member)

    01.09.20182020

    Activity: MembershipAcademic councils, panels and committeesResearch

  4. International Political Science Association - IPSA 2003

    Reiser, M. (Speaker)

    29.06.200304.07.2003

    Activity: Participating in or organising an academic or articstic eventConferencesResearch

  5. International Workshop: Contestation of hydraulic fracking in Europe and the USA: policies, publics and democracy - 2013

    Saretzki, T. (Organiser)

    10.10.201312.10.2013

    Activity: Participating in or organising an academic or articstic eventConferencesResearch

  6. International Workshop "Expanding the TA landscape in Europe" - PACITA 2012

    Saretzki, T. (Speaker)

    15.11.2012

    Activity: Participating in or organising an academic or articstic eventConferencesResearch

  7. Interpreting challenges to democracy as stress: Conceptual implications and analytical perspectives

    Saretzki, T. (Speaker)

    06.07.2017

    Activity: Talk or presentationConference PresentationsResearch

  8. Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research Summer Program in Quantitative Methods - 2019

    Kruse, S. (Participant)

    22.07.201918.08.2019

    Activity: Participating in or organising an academic or articstic eventExternal workshops, courses, seminarsResearch

  9. IPSA Research Committee on Political Sociology (External organisation)

    Müller-Rommel, F. (Executive member)

    11.2014

    Activity: MembershipAcademic councils, panels and committeesResearch

  10. „Is it all about profit? Corruption in European Comparative Perspective”

    Kubbe, I. (Lecturer)

    10.11.2013

    Activity: Talk or presentationGuest lecturesResearch