Research Areas

Director: Ursula Daxecker
 

Institutions and violence
Institutions constrain behavior. It is widely believed that democratic institutions and open economic structures reduce incentives for violent conflict. But many forms of political violence have remained surprisingly persistent in democracies, whether it is violent rent-seeking by criminal actors, violence against ethnic minorities, or violent party competition. This theme explores when, why, and how violent orders co-exist with democracy. Research encourages explorations of the relationship between political and economic institutions and political violence, the nature of this violence, and its consequences for political outcomes at various levels.

Selected publications
Democratic politics in transformation
Democracy is the result of a struggle in which mass parties mobilized citizens through grassroot organizations. But what happens to democracy now that major shifts in economic structure, social composition, and media environments have fractured links between parties and voters? New actors, including ethnonationalist parties, social movements, and political influencers have filled this void, but often undermine democracy in the process. This theme explores how citizens, parties, and new actors interact in contemporary politics in the Global North and South, how new political entrepreneurs mobilize voters into politics, and how these shifts affect the state of democracy. While parties remain key actors in the articulation of voter identities, the democratic bargains of the past may no longer be feasible.

Selected publications
The political economy of electoral integrity
Competitive elections are at the heart of democracy. The foundational role of elections, however, is at risk when autocrats subvert elections, expensive campaigns corrupt the electoral process, and actors on social media platforms disrupt elections. These concerns are even more pressing in the Global South; places where democracy is less institutionalized and organizationally rooted. Research in this theme explores contemporary threats to electoral integrity emerging from the growing role of money in politics, subversive actors, and changing information environments. It asks whether concerns about misinformation are valid or are perhaps overstated, examines the impact of expensive campaigning on electoral integrity, and explores when and how voters’ confidence in elections can be restored. 

Selected publications
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