Call for Expressions of Interest

Many scholars and organizations have collected valuable subnational data, yet much of it remains fragmented. We are launching a collaborative initiative to integrate these efforts and to build the first pan-European Local Quality of Government (LoQoG) Dataset.

We invite researchers, public authorities, and data-producing institutions to take part in a one-day online workshop aimed at pooling and harmonizing local-level data across European countries and identifying collaborative pathways for further development.

What We’re Looking For

We welcome expressions of interest from anyone working with local- or municipal-level datasets from any European country. Ideal datasets will:

• Cover topics like governance, service delivery, or social indicators;
• We are also open to measures of any other phenomena or contextual aspect of municipalities that you think is interesting;
• Be longitudinal or offer rich subnational variation;
• Include metadata on the unit of analysis, coverage, and documentation;
• Be fit for open-access dissemination (with appropriate rights);
• Be in any language — we will support translation as needed.

Why Participate?

• Shape a landmark resource: Contribute to a unique, high-impact dataset for research and policy.
• Earn recognition: Contributors will be credited as co-authors on the final public dataset.
• Connect across Europe: Collaborate with a network of scholars and institutions working on subnational data.

How to Apply

Please submit your expression of interest by filling out the registration form before 1 February 2026.

We will review submissions focusing on both geographic and thematic complementarity. Selected participants will be invited to the workshop.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us on: victor.saidi@gu.se

About the Quality of government Institute

The Quality of Government Institute (QoG) is an independent research institute affiliated with the Department of Political Science at the University of Gothenburg. The Institute gathers around 35 researchers conducting world-leading research on the causes and consequences of corruption and the quality of governance. The number of researchers makes it one of the largest research centers in the world working on corruption and related topics.

Visit the QoG Institute website