
Research areas
Our researchers are active within many different research areas. Scroll down to your area of interest to see the researchers active within that area and links to related research projects.
Bureaucracy
Associate professor
rasmus.broms@pol.gu.se
Professor
nicholas.charron@pol.gu.se
Associate professor
agnes.cornell@pol.gu.se
Professor
carl.dahlstrom@pol.gu.se
Professor
soren.holmberg@pol.gu.se
Professor
victor.lapuente@pol.gu.se
Associate professor
birgitta.niklasson@pol.gu.se
Associate professor
marina.nistotskaya@gu.se
Associate professor
marina.povitkina@gu.se
Professor
bo.rothstein@pol.gu.se
Associate professor
anders.sundell@pol.gu.se
Associate professor
aksel.sundstrom@pol.gu.se
Professor
ann.towns@gu.se
Ongoing projects
CAPA-city - Collective Action, Political Accountability and Administrative Capacities in European Cities
Climate change and the prospects for economic growth: How extreme weather events affect regime stability
GenDip: Gender Norms, Resistance and the Diplomat at Work
Ready to serve? Structural reform, institutional quality, and welfare services in Swedish municipalities
The Power of Ideas: New Perspectives on State Capacity and Public Goods Provision
Understanding spillovers on corruption from protected area establishments
When is Civil Society Civil? Institutional determinants of claim-making and implications for societal development
Completed projects
Anticorruption Policies Revisited: Global Trends and European Responses to the Challenge of Corruption (ANTICORRP)
Corruption in natural resource management: Advancing knowledge about bribes and the failure of environmental regulations
Go broad or go home: A theoretical and empirical expansion of the institutional resource curse
Fisheries in sub-Saharan Africa: A comparative study of property rights institutions and sustainable development
No democracy without bureaucracy ? The role of administrative institutions in democratic consolidation
Out of Control or Over Controlled? Incentives, Audits and New Public Management
Politics of administrative design
Taxation and government quality
The Performance of Democracy (PERDEM)

Comparative methods
Associate professor
mattias.agerberg@gu.se
Postdoctor
stephen.dawson@gu.se
Professor
soren.holmberg@pol.gu.se
Associate professor
marina.nistotskaya@gu.se
Associate professor
marina.povitkina@gu.se
Associate professor
aksel.sundstrom@pol.gu.se
Associate professor
georgios.xezonakis@gu.se
Ongoing projects
A complete dataset of roll-call votes in the Swedish parliament, 1925-2022
Climate change and the prospects for economic growth: How extreme weather events affect regime stability
How to research corruption? Corruption and Anti-Corruption in Empirical Research: Critical Reflections on Concepts, Data and Methods
Institutional Quality, State Intervention, and Democratic Accountability in Europe
The Power of Ideas: New Perspectives on State Capacity and Public Goods Provision
Why are some democracies less corrupt than others? Understanding the link between women representation and corruption
Quality of government and solutions to collective action problems
Waging War to Save the Peace Parks: A Study of Militarization of Wildlife Management
Completed projects
Anticorruption Policies Revisited: Global Trends and European Responses to the Challenge of Corruption (ANTICORRP)
Fisheries in sub-Saharan Africa: A comparative study of property rights institutions and sustainable development
Go broad or go home: A theoretical and empirical expansion of the institutional resource curse
No democracy without bureaucracy ? The role of administrative institutions in democratic consolidation
Taxation and government quality

Democracy
Associate professor
mattias.agerberg@gu.se
Associate professor
amy.alexander@gu.se
Associate professor
frida.borang@pol.gu.se
Associate professor
rasmus.broms@pol.gu.se
Associate professor
andreas.bagenholm@pol.gu.se
Professor
nicholas.charron@pol.gu.se
Associate professor
agnes.cornell@pol.gu.se
Postdoctor
stephen.dawson@gu.se
Professor
soren.holmberg@gu.se
Professor
victor.lapuente@pol.gu.se
Associate professor
marina.nistotskaya@gu.se
Associate professor
anna.persson@pol.gu.se
Doctoral student
frederik.pfeiffer@pol.gu.se
Associate professor
marina.povitkina@gu.se
Professor
bo.rothstein@pol.gu.se
Associate professor
anders.sundell@pol.gu.se
Associate professor
aksel.sundstrom@pol.gu.se
Professor
lena.wangnerud@pol.gu.se
Associate professor
georgios.xezonakis@gu.se
Ongoing projects
A complete dataset of roll-call votes in the Swedish parliament, 1925-2022
Creating legitimacy in migration and asylum processes: The gender perspective
Climate change and the prospects for economic growth: How extreme weather events affect regime stability
Institutional Quality, State Intervention, and Democratic Accountability in Europe
Opening the black box of political will: Local public authorities and anti-corruption efforts in Ukraine
The Power of Ideas: New Perspectives on State Capacity and Public Goods Provision
When is Civil Society Civil? Institutional determinants of claim-making and implications for societal development
Why are some democracies less corrupt than others? Understanding the link between women representation and corruption
Completed projects
Anticorruption Policies Revisited: Global Trends and European Responses to the Challenge of Corruption (ANTICORRP)
Credible Enforcement before Credible Commitment: Explaining the Implications of Institutional Sequencing
Do local elections foster local democracy? – Party Strategies in the first Elections at the County Level in Kenya
Fisheries in sub-Saharan Africa: A comparative study of property rights institutions and sustainable development
Go broad or go home: A theoretical and empirical expansion of the institutional resource curse
No democracy without bureaucracy ? The role of administrative institutions in democratic consolidation
Perception and evaluation of Regional and Cohesion Policies by Europeans and Identification with the values of Europe (PERCEIVE)
Taxation and government quality
The Performance of Democracy (PERDEM)

Development, foreign aid and redistribution
Professor
monika.bauhr@pol.gu.se
Associate professor
frida.borang@pol.gu.se
Associate professor
rasmus.broms@pol.gu.se
Professor
nicholas.charron@pol.gu.se
Associate professor
agnes.cornell@pol.gu.se
Professor
victor.lapuente@pol.gu.se
Associate professor
marina.nistotskaya@gu.se
Associate professor
anna.persson@pol.gu.se
Associate professor
marina.povitkina@gu.se
Associate professor
anders.sundell@pol.gu.se
Associate professor
aksel.sundstrom@pol.gu.se
Pågående projekt
Climate change and the prospects for economic growth: How extreme weather events affect regime stability
Evaluation of SIDA’s efforts to reduce corruption in partner countries
Islands of success – how to make development projects work in challenging contexts
Opening the black box of political will: Local public authorities and anti-corruption efforts in Ukraine
Stalled integration? How experience with anti-immigrant expressions and ethnic neighbourhoods affect immigrants’ political integration
The Power of Ideas: New Perspectives on State Capacity and Public Goods Provision
Understanding spillovers on corruption from protected area establishments
Waging War to Save the Peace Parks: A Study of Militarization of Wildlife Management
Why are some democracies less corrupt than others? Understanding the link between women representation and corruption
Completed projects
Anticorruption Policies Revisited: Global Trends and European Responses to the Challenge of Corruption (ANTICORRP)
Corruption in natural resource management: Advancing knowledge about bribes and the failure of environmental regulations
Credible Enforcement before Credible Commitment: Explaining the Implications of Institutional Sequencing
Do local elections foster local democracy? – Party Strategies in the first Elections at the County Level in Kenya
Fisheries in sub-Saharan Africa: A comparative study of property rights institutions and sustainable development
No democracy without bureaucracy ? The role of administrative institutions in democratic consolidation
Perception and evaluation of Regional and Cohesion Policies by Europeans and Identification with the values of Europe (PERCEIVE)
The Performance of Democracy (PERDEM)

Environment
Professor
monika.bauhr@pol.gu.se
Doctoral student
dragana.davidovic@gu.se
Associate professor
niklas.harring@pol.gu.se
Professor
soren.holmberg@pol.gu.se
Doctoral student
frederik.pfeiffer@pol.gu.se
Associate professor
marina.povitkina@gu.se
Associate professor
aksel.sundstrom@pol.gu.se
Ongoing projects
Climate change and the prospects for economic growth: How extreme weather events affect regime stability
Household Emergency Preparedness: What Drives People to (Not) Prepare for Future Societal and Environmental Crises?
Islands of success – how to make development projects work in challenging contexts
Stalled integration? How experience with anti-immigrant expressions and ethnic neighbourhoods affect immigrants’ political integration
The importance of physical and socio-political factors for wind power deployment
Understanding spillovers on corruption from protected area establishments
Quality of government and solutions to collective action problems
Waging War to Save the Peace Parks: A Study of Militarization of Wildlife Management
Completed projects
Corruption in natural resource management: Advancing knowledge about bribes and the failure of environmental regulations
Fisheries in sub-Saharan Africa: A comparative study of property rights institutions and sustainable development

Gender
Associate professor
mattias.agerberg@gu.se
Associate professor
amy.alexander@gu.se
Associate professor
birgitta.niklasson@pol.gu.se
Associate professor
marina.nistotskaya@gu.se
Associate professor
aksel.sundstrom@pol.gu.se
Professor
ann.towns@gu.se
Professor
lena.wangnerud@pol.gu.se
Ongoing projects
Creating legitimacy in migration and asylum processes: The gender perspective
GenDip: Gender Norms, Resistance and the Diplomat at Work
Institutional Quality, State Intervention, and Democratic Accountability in Europe
Why are some democracies less corrupt than others? Understanding the link between women representation and corruption
Completed projects
Anticorruption Policies Revisited: Global Trends and European Responses to the Challenge of Corruption (ANTICORRP)
The Performance of Democracy (PERDEM)

History and corruption/quality of government
Associate professor
andreas.bagenholm@pol.gu.se
Associate professor
agnes.cornell@pol.gu.se
Associate professor
marina.nistotskaya@gu.se
Associate professor
anna.persson@pol.gu.se
Professor
bo.rothstein@pol.gu.se
Associate professor
anders.sundell@pol.gu.se
Associate professor
georgios.xezonakis@gu.se
Ongoing projects
Climate change and the prospects for economic growth: How extreme weather events affect regime stability
The Power of Ideas: New Perspectives on State Capacity and Public Goods Provision
Completed projects
Anticorruption Policies Revisited: Global Trends and European Responses to the Challenge of Corruption (ANTICORRP)
Credible Enforcement before Credible Commitment: Explaining the Implications of Institutional Sequencing
Do local elections foster local democracy? – Party Strategies in the first Elections at the County Level in Kenya
Fisheries in sub-Saharan Africa: A comparative study of property rights institutions and sustainable development
Go broad or go home: A theoretical and empirical expansion of the institutional resource curse
No democracy without bureaucracy ? The role of administrative institutions in democratic consolidation
Taxation and government quality

International institutions
Professor
monika.bauhr@pol.gu.se
Professor
nicholas.charron@pol.gu.se
Professor
soren.holmberg@pol.gu.se
Professor
ann.towns@gu.se
Ongoing projects
GenDip: Gender Norms, Resistance and the Diplomat at Work
Institutional Quality, State Intervention, and Democratic Accountability in Europe
Waging War to Save the Peace Parks: A Study of Militarization of Wildlife Management
Completed projects
Anticorruption Policies Revisited: Global Trends and European Responses to the Challenge of Corruption (ANTICORRP)
Perception and evaluation of Regional and Cohesion Policies by Europeans and Identification with the values of Europe (PERCEIVE)

Political parties and corruption
Associate professor
mattias.agerberg@gu.se
Associate professor
andreas.bagenholm@pol.gu.se
Professor
carl.dahlstrom@pol.gu.se
Postdoctor
stephen.dawson@gu.se
Associate professor
aksel.sundstrom@pol.gu.se
Associate professor
georgios.xezonakis@gu.se
Ongoing projects
CAPA-city - Collective Action, Political Accountability and Administrative Capacities in European Cities
Institutional Quality, State Intervention, and Democratic Accountability in Europe
Misconduct and Whistleblowing in Political Parties
When is Civil Society Civil? Institutional determinants of claim-making and implications for societal development
Why are some democracies less corrupt than others? Understanding the link between women representation and corruption
Completed projects
Anticorruption Policies Revisited: Global Trends and European Responses to the Challenge of Corruption (ANTICORRP)
Politics of administrative design
The Performance of Democracy (PERDEM)

Theory and concepts
Professor
monika.bauhr@pol.gu.se
Associate professor
rasmus.broms@pol.gu.se
Associate professor
marina.nistotskaya@gu.se
Associate professor
anna.persson@pol.gu.se
Professor
bo.rothstein@pol.gu.se
Professor
ann.towns@gu.se
Professor
lena.wangnerud@pol.gu.se
Ongoing projects
GenDip: Gender Norms, Resistance and the Diplomat at Work
How to research corruption? Corruption and Anti-Corruption in Empirical Research: Critical Reflections on Concepts, Data and Methods
Institutional Quality, State Intervention, and Democratic Accountability in Europe
Opening the black box of political will: Local public authorities and anti-corruption efforts in Ukraine
The Power of Ideas: New Perspectives on State Capacity and Public Goods Provision
Why are some democracies less corrupt than others? Understanding the link between women representation and corruption
Completed projects
Anticorruption Policies Revisited: Global Trends and European Responses to the Challenge of Corruption (ANTICORRP)
The Performance of Democracy (PERDEM)

Transparency and accountability
Associate professor
mattias.agerberg@gu.se
Professor
monika.bauhr@pol.gu.se
Associate professor
andreas.bagenholm@pol.gu.se
Professor
nicholas.charron@pol.gu.se
Postdoctor
stephen.dawson@gu.se
Associate professor
marcia.grimes@pol.gu.se
Associate professor
anna.persson@pol.gu.se
Professor
bo.rothstein@pol.gu.se
Doctoral student
nicholas.sorak@gu.se
Associate professor
georgios.xezonakis@gu.se
Ongoing projects
A complete dataset of roll-call votes in the Swedish parliament, 1925-2022
CAPA-city - Collective Action, Political Accountability and Administrative Capacities in European Cities
Institutional Quality, State Intervention, and Democratic Accountability in Europe
Islands of success – how to make development projects work in challenging contexts
Misconduct and Whistleblowing in Political Parties
Opening the black box of political will: Local public authorities and anti-corruption efforts in Ukraine
Stalled integration? How experience with anti-immigrant expressions and ethnic neighbourhoods affect immigrants’ political integration
The Power of Ideas: New Perspectives on State Capacity and Public Goods Provision
Waging War to Save the Peace Parks: A Study of Militarization of Wildlife Management
Why are some democracies less corrupt than others? Understanding the link between women representation and corruption
Completed projects
Anticorruption Policies Revisited: Global Trends and European Responses to the Challenge of Corruption (ANTICORRP)
Go broad or go home: A theoretical and empirical expansion of the institutional resource curse
No democracy without bureaucracy ? The role of administrative institutions in democratic consolidation
Perception and evaluation of Regional and Cohesion Policies by Europeans and Identification with the values of Europe (PERCEIVE)
The Performance of Democracy (PERDEM)
Taxation and government quality

Welfare
Associate professor
frida.borang@pol.gu.se
Professor
carl.dahlstrom@pol.gu.se
Professor
bo.rothstein@pol.gu.se
Ongoing projects
Creating legitimacy in migration and asylum processes: The gender perspective
Institutional Quality, State Intervention, and Democratic Accountability in Europe
The Power of Ideas: New Perspectives on State Capacity and Public Goods Provision
Why are some democracies less corrupt than others? Understanding the link between women representation and corruption
Ready to serve? Structural reform, institutional quality, and welfare services in Swedish municipalities
Completed projects
Anticorruption Policies Revisited: Global Trends and European Responses to the Challenge of Corruption (ANTICORRP)
Out of Control or Over Controlled? Incentives, Audits and New Public Management
Perception and evaluation of Regional and Cohesion Policies by Europeans and Identification with the values of Europe (PERCEIVE)
The Performance of Democracy (PERDEM)
