On 6 February dr. Sebastian Krapohl (deparment of Political Science, University of Amsterdam) will present his latest book Regional integration in the global south which develops a new integration theory and offers fresh insights into the advances of and obstacles to integration unions such as ASEAN, MERCOSUR and SADC. You find all information here: https://www.accesseurope.org/component/jevents/eventdetail/243/8/regional-integration-in-the-global-south?Itemid=142

On the occasion of World Human Rights Day on 10 December, the Max van der Stoel Human Rights Awards 2016 were awarded at Tilburg University. Michelle Parlevliet’s, assistant professor in the department of Political Science, University of Amsterdam, dissertation was awarded first prize. According to the jury, Parlevliet’s seminal work on the relationship between human rights and conflict resolution succeeds in embedding a lot of practical experience in an innovative study with a very sound methodology, resulting in a very worthwhile and unusual study on how human rights, justice, conflict and peace are linked closely together.

Dr Arjan Schakel has been assigned by the Directorate-General Regional and Urban Policy of the European Commission (EC) to update the Regional Authority Index for 43 democracies to 2016. The EC intends to use the revised scores for its seventh report on economic, social and territorial cohesion in the European Union. The regional authority index measures the authority exercised by regional governments and traces decentralisation. The regional authority index measures the authority exercised by regional governments and traces decentralisation and centralisation in 81 countries on an annual basis since 1950. The measurement has a long pedigree and was launched in a special issue of Regional and Federal studies in 2008 and was further developed in books published in 2010 (Routledge) and 2016 (Oxford University Press).

Emilie van Haute (Université Libre de Bruxelles) is in januari 2017 Ingrid van Biezen (Universiteit Leiden) op als redacteur. Zij vormt nu samen met Rens Vliegenthart (Universiteit van Amsterdam) de redactie. Boekredacteur Fraser Duncan (Glasgow Caledonian University) is opgevolgd door Femke Bakker en Nienke Bos (beiden verbonden aan Universiteit Leiden).

Het Instituut Politieke Wetenschap van Den Haag lanceert in september 2017 een nieuwe volledige Engelstalige Bsc-specialisatie International Relations and Organisations in Den Haag. Daarnaast start het in Den Haag ook twee specialisaties International Organisations en Nederlandse politiek binnen zijn Msc-opleiding. In Leiden biedt het nog vier andere specialisaties aan: A. International Politics, B. Nationalism, Ethnic Conflict and Development, C. Political Legitimacy and Justice en D. Parties, Parliaments, and Democracy. Meer informatie is te vinden via: https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/sociale-wetenschappen/politieke-wetenschap/onderwijs

The International Political Science Association views with grave concern the fact that a number of Turkish scholars including political scientists have recently lost their jobs on account of having signed a “Peace Petition” several months ago. As indicated in the IPSA Statement on Academic Freedoms, free exchange of ideas is vitally necessary for scientific endeavor and debate. IPSA believes that expression of opinion by academics, however unpopular this may be, is an integral part of their job and that they should not be sanctioned for simply expressing opinions. We urge the Turkish government and university authorities to reconsider their decisions and to reinstate the scholars to their jobs and provide a safe environment for them in which they may freely pursue their scholarly activities.

Unanimously adopted by the IPSA Executive Committee

Anna van der Vleuten is met ingang van 1 oktober 2016 benoemd tot hoogleraar Contesting Europeanization aan de Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen van de Radboud Universiteit.

Van der Vleuten doet onderzoek naar Europese integratie in vergelijkend perspectief. Recent onderzoek betrof de legitimiteit van regionale integratie, de politieke rol van supranationale gerechtshoven en de ambigue rol van de EU als ‘norm entrepreneur’ op het gebied van gendergelijkheid in de internationale arena. Lees meer

Op 1 en 2 juni 2017 herbergt Universiteit Leiden het jaarlijkse Politicologenetmaal. Tientallen (praktijk)politicologen uit Vlaanderen en Nederland komen dan bijeen in workshops om onderwerpen als verkiezingen, politieke rechtvaardigheid, burgeroorlog en lokale democratie onder de loep te nemen. Hoofdspreker is Donatella della Porta, kenner van sociale bewegingen en terroristische organisaties, verbonden aan het Europese Universitair Instituut in Florence. De organisatie is in handen van het Instituut Politieke Wetenschap van de Universiteit Leiden, in samenwerking met de Nederlandse Kring voor de Wetenschap der Politiek (NKWP) en de Vereniging voor Politieke Wetenschappen (VPW).

Binnenkort gaat de uitnodiging rondt om voorstellen voor workshops in te dienen. Later volgt een uitnodiging om deel te nemen aan de workshops. Voor master-studenten is er toegang tegen gereduceerd tarief. Ook hebben zij de gelegenheid om hun scripties op een posterpresentatie te presenteren.

Het zestiende Politicologenetmaal vindt plaats in de Faculteit Sociale Wetenschappen (Wassenaarseweg 52) en het Scheltema Complex (Marktsteeg 1) in Leiden.

Meer informatie is te verkrijgen bij Hans Vollaard, politicologenetmaal2017@fsw.leidenuniv.nl

Tijdens het jaarlijkse Politicologenetmaal is de Jaarprijs Politicologie voor de beste dissertatie uitgereikt. De winnaars dit jaar zijn ex aequo

• Ruth Dassonneville for her dissertation on electoral volatility;
• Paul van Hooft for his research on the impact of victory and defeat in war.

From the report of the jury NKWP/VPW Jaarprijs Politicologie:

“Not one but two dissertations were considered serious candidates for the “Jaarprijs”. These dissertations deal with very different topics and have very different forms – a “traditional” monography versus a collection of articles. Both dissertations, however, clearly stand out from the group; both in terms of the contributions they make to their respective sub-disciplines and the contribution they make to field of political science at large.

The first dissertation deals with electoral volatility and analyses its implications for representative democracy. (….)The dissertation is based on no less than 11 empirical chapters; the majority published in key journals within the discipline. This exceptional richness caused one jury member to comment that the candidate “did not write one but three dissertations”.

The second dissertation deals with war and peace and investigates the impact of the Second World War on the “grand strategies” of contemporary Britain, France, Germany and the United States. Exploring the concepts of “memory” and “myth-making”, the dissertation injects trauma and sentiment into the international relations literature and, while doing so, yields invaluable insights into the ways in which countries’ attempts to “not make the same mistake twice” causes them, in fact, to explore viable alternative – if not better – international strategies. These insights are not only of great value to the political science discipline but they will equally be of interest to political commentators and the general public.

The exceptionally high quality of these dissertations and the important – yet incomparable – contributions they make to the discipline created an impasse within the jury. One that can best be described by the Dutch saying: “Kiezen is verliezen”. Choosing one over the other would result to nothing else but a loss. (…)

We also want to congratulate the University of Leuven and the University of Amsterdam and, in particular, the supervisors of both dissertations, Professor Marc Hooghe and Professor Brian Burgoon, respectively.”

Op het afgelopen politicologenetmaal in Brussel is de Daniel Heinsiusprijs 2016 uitgereikt aan Amélie Godefroidt met haar scriptie ‘Analysing the structure and impact of citizenship in an African context’.