Research

Members of the Chair for Comparative Politics (Lehrstuhl für Vergleichende Politikwissenschaft) specialize in the actor-centred analysis of institutions and representation focusing on

• legislative studies;
• the study of coalition politics;
• political representation in liberal democracies;
• decision-making within key corporate actors such as political parties.

While much of the emphasis of our work is on advanced liberal democracies, members of the Unit also have a strong interest in the study of representation and electoral politics in emerging and consolidating democracies. Information about individual projects and publications can be accessed via the links below.

!!!    New Research Project on Parliamentary Voting Behaviour in the German Bundestag    !!!

Together with Stefanie Bailer (ETH Zurich) and Ulrich Sieberer (University of Konstanz), Thomas Saalfeld was awarded a research grant by the Fritz Thyssen Foundation to compile a data set covering the voting behaviour along with key biographical and contextual data for all Members of the German Bundestag between 1949 and 2013. The data will form the basis for a number of analyses explaining individual parliamentary voting behaviour in the Bundestag. More information here.

Current Projects and Research Areas