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. 2010
  2. European Communication Research and Education Association (External organisation)

    Buß, B. (Member)

    2010 → …

    Activity: MembershipLearned societies and special interest organisationsResearch

  3. The European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR) (External organisation)

    Buß, B. (Member)

    2010 → …

    Activity: MembershipLearned societies and special interest organisationsResearch

  4. 2009
  5. Independent local lists and local parties - Challengers from Bottom Up? - 2009

    Reiser, M. (Speaker)

    27.11.200928.11.2009

    Activity: Participating in or organising an academic or articstic eventConferencesResearch

  6. 21st IPSA World Congress of Political Science - IPSA 2009

    Reiser, M. (Speaker)

    12.07.200916.07.2009

    Activity: Participating in or organising an academic or articstic eventConferencesResearch

  7. Latin American Faculty for Social Sciences (FLACSO)

    Lenz, T. (Visiting researcher)

    06.200907.2009

    Activity: Visiting an external institutionVisiting an external academic institutionResearch

  8. Political Studies Association Annual Conference - 2009

    Reiser, M. (Speaker)

    07.04.200909.04.2009

    Activity: Participating in or organising an academic or articstic eventConferencesResearch

  9. 2008
  10. Higher School of Economics St. Petersburg

    Kubbe, I. (Visiting researcher)

    05.200806.2008

    Activity: Visiting an external institutionVisiting an external academic institutionResearch

  11. 2007
  12. ECPR Joint Sessions, Workshop No. 6: ‚Comparative Perspectives on Local Party Politics’ 2007

    Reiser, M. (Speaker)

    07.05.200712.05.2007

    Activity: Participating in or organising an academic or articstic eventConferencesResearch

  13. Internationale Tagung des SFB 580 "Independent Local Lists – A comparative perspective" - 2007

    Reiser, M. (Speaker)

    13.04.200714.04.2007

    Activity: Participating in or organising an academic or articstic eventConferencesResearch

  14. Workshop ‚Independent Local Lists – A comparative perspective’ - 2007

    Reiser, M. (Speaker)

    13.04.200714.04.2007

    Activity: Participating in or organising an academic or articstic eventConferencesResearch