Political Networks

The Political Networks Section aims to provide a multidisciplinary space of convergence for scholars that, while holding diverse research interests share an analytic approach to network processes in political life, coupled with a strong attention to the integration of theory and empirical data. Political networks are conceived of in a broad sense - as defined around political actors, events that are relevant to the political biographies of individuals as well as around the use of digital communication technologies within political dynamics. Thus, ties can consist of exchanges of resources, information, and symbols, as well as of collaborations and communications that may occur both on- and offline. This section is endorsed by the Standing Group on Political Networks. Manuel Fischer is a research group leader at the Department of Environmental Social Sciences at Eawag and lecturer at the Institute of Political Science at University of Bern. He applies models of SNA to the study of institutional arrangements and interactions between actors involved in policymaking. Petr Ocelík is an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Social Studies of Masaryk University. He works on climate policy networks and energy policy in the Czech Republic.