On April 21st, at LUISS Guido Carli, the CISE convened a panel of international scholars to attend a one-day brainstorming workshop on the feasibility of a research agenda dedicated to the increasing political instability across Western countries, and its relationship with economic change in recent decades. The program featured, among scholars from top international institutions (see below), the presence of Nobel laureate Michael Spence. Presenters: David Brady, Stanford University, Hoover Institution Alessandro Chiaramonte, University of Florence Roberto D’Alimonte, LUISS Lorenzo De Sio, LUISS Vincenzo Emanuele, LUISS John Ferejohn, New York University Hanspeter Kriesi, European University Institute Pedro Magalhães, University of Lisbon Leonardo Morlino, LUISS Aldo Paparo, Stanford University, Hoover Institution Douglas...

The recent presidential elections in Poland have seen the unexpected victory of Andrzej Duda, candidate of the conservative right. However, Mikołaj Cześnik from SWPS Warsaw (University of Social Sciences and Humanities) reveals how Duda and its PiS (Law and Justice) party, expected to win the parliamentary elections in the next fall, will likely keep Poland's pro-EU stances mostly unchanged, and perhaps even promote economic measures aimed at more equality. Watch the full interview.  

Dr. Alistair Clark, Newcastle University E: Alistair.clark@ncl.ac.uk T: @ClarkAlistairJ In my earlier blog for CISE on the UK’s 2015 general election, I noted how uncertain the polls were, with none of the two main British parties – Conservative or Labour - able to make a decisive break prior to polling day. I ended by suggesting that there was likely to be an investigation into the polling industry after election day. One of those predictions came true. Unfortunately for the reputation of political science predictions, it was that there will be an inquiry into the performance of the polling industry. Expectations were of a hung...

Dr. Alistair Clark Newcastle University Alistair.clark@ncl.ac.uk The UK goes to the polls on the 7th May 2015 in what is widely expected to be the tightest and most uncertain general election contest since the 1970s. Like many other countries, the UK is facing a highly sceptical and volatile electorate, a populist right-wing insurgency, pressure from secessionists and the breakdown of what many comparative scholars have long held to be a defining characteristic of British politics, the two-party system.  There are a number of things that are likely to be major issues in the election. Six of the most important are as follows. No...

  Introduction Lorenzo De Sio, Vincenzo Emanuele and Nicola Maggini Part 1 – Before the elections Towards the European elections: An introductory framework Vincenzo Emanuele and Nicola Maggini Life of EP: History of the empowerment of the European Parliament Rocco Polin The evolution of turnout in European elections from 1979 to 2009 Nicola Maggini Proportional representation with variable-geometry: Here is how to vote in the 28 member states Vincenzo Emanuele Europarties’ choices—Who are the candidates for the presidency of the European Commission and how have they been selected? Bruno Marino Expansion and electoral success: The winning strategy of the EPP Vincenzo Emanuele United but loser? The PES between party cohesion and electoral decline Michail Schwartz The Alliance...