Election campaign in Gothenburg in 2014. — Photo: Johan Wingborg

Research areas and projects

At the Department of Political Science we conduct research in various fields of political science, such as political theory and philosophy, international politics, political parties and political behavior, gender and politics, democracy and other forms of government, constitutional studies, local politics, sustainable development, public administration and governance.

Political science is often defined as "the scientific study of politics". But what is "politics"

Sometimes politics is defined as the legitimate struggle over the distribution of value in society – for example, the struggle over how society's financial resources should be distributed. Sometimes politics is defined narrowly, in terms of state and municipal decision-making. Sometimes politics is defined broadly, where even the personal – or even the private – is political. The subject is broad, and at the Department of Political Science, we conduct research in several fields of political science. For example: political theory and philosophy, international politics, political parties, and political behaviour, gender and politics, democracy and other forms of governance, constitutional studies, local politics, sustainable development, public administration, and governance issues.