Presidential politics and security threats: institutions, powers, and policy

Building on a decade of successful sections at the ECPR General Conferences, the 2025 section brings together panels and papers advancing theoretical and empirical understanding of presidential politics. Endorsed by the Standing Group on Presidential Politics, this section invites state-of-the-art comparative research, with a focus on institutional approaches to key issues concerning the role and impact of the presidency. Topics include presidential powers and behaviour (both formal and informal), popular support for presidents, executive-legislative and intra-executive relations in presidential and semi-presidential systems, presidential parties and coalition-building, and the president’s influence in policymaking. This year the section is particularly interested in panels and papers that explore these themes in the context of heightened geopolitical tensions, armed conflicts, and increasing threats to democratic norms. In both presidential and semi-presidential regimes, foreign policy, security, and defense policy fall typically within the jurisdiction of the presidency – whether these powers are exercised unilaterally or shared with other branches of government. These policy areas also intersect with critical issues of geopolitical positioning and strategic alliances, where presidential leadership plays a central role. Furthermore, they raise important questions about the legitimacy of presidential authority in the eyes of citizens, particularly in the face of internal and external threats. We invite submissions that address how deteriorating security contexts across different countries and regions affect the role and powers of presidents, as well as their relationships with domestic and international institutions, non-institutional actors, and the public. To what extent has the security environment reshaped presidential authority in various political systems? How do presidents navigate crises while balancing democratic norms, institutional constraints, and public expectations? We prioritize comparative approaches but are open to single case studies and conceptual papers if they utilize a comparative framework. The section aims at inclusivity with panels and papers from various methodological approaches, cases from different regions, countries, and types of presidencies, and scholarship from both early career and senior researchers. Indicative panel themes and potential chairs: 1. War at the doorstep: Presidential leadership in foreign and security policy Potential Chair: Selena Grimaldi, University of Padova 2. Rallying around the presidency? Citizens and presidents in times of crisis Potential Chair: Tapio Raunio, Tampere University 3. Presidents, autocratization, and regime change Potential Chair: Huang-Ting Yan,University of Essex 4. President, parliament, and political parties during crisis: Linkages and outcomes Potential Chair: Jenny Åberg, Dalarna University and Örebro University