Pillar 4: Governance, Institutional Change and Political Behaviour

Many of the processes studied in Pillars 1-3 are influenced by developments beyond the reach of the nation state. The major focus of Pillar 4 is on the pressure that economic and political transnationalisation generates on political institutions and societies still organised around traditional territorial principles. Typical questions asked by researchers in Pillar 4 include the following: How can elected democratic politicians be held accountable for developments they have little control over? How do citizens respond to the perceived loss of democratic control in a globalising world? To what extent do political parties embrace ‘new citizens’ of immigrant-origin as voters and members? How can national governments be successful in recapturing the capacity to meet the demands of citizens through international institutions? What are the conditions for successful policy coordination in trans- and supranational governance structures?

Doctoral researchers in Pillar 4 approach questions of democracy and governance from a variety of perspectives. They study them:

• at the level of individual citizens, organisations (such as churches, political parties and interest groups) and nation-states, as well as at the sub-, trans- and international level;
• as complex interactions of these tiers;
• empirically as well as from the point of view of analytical and normative political theory.

More information on Pillar 4:

• faculty members and doctoral researchers
• research projects
• publications
• partners