Central and East European Politics

About

The Standing Group aims to strengthen relations between all scholars interested in Central and East European politics. The Standing Group organizes Sections Panels and Workshops at the ECPR events which help to develop specific lines of research on post-communist societies and encourage the formation of specialist research groups and projects. These have generated, and continue to generate, a range of publications.

Aims & Objectives

The Standing Group's main aim is to strengthen relations between all scholars interested in CEE politics. The Standing Group has organised Research Sessions (Pilsen 2002, Vilnius 2003), which have helped develop specific lines of research and encouraged the formation of specialist research groups and projects. These have generated, and continue to generate, a range of publications. In short, the Group's aims are:

• To help the information flow between members about ongoing research projects and academic activities in the field of CEE politics;
• To promote the integration of scholars from Central and Eastern Europe into the activities of the ECPR;
• To initiate new research agendas in line with the interests of the members of the Standing Group;
• To contribute to the ECPR through workshop initiatives and other academic activities.

Activities

The Standing Group has built up a mailing list which is used to communicate with members about matters of common concern and to organise various ECPR-related activities. Meetings have been held at the Joint Sessions and General Conferences since the Group was established. The Group also organised a specialist Section at the first two ECPR General Conferences. CEE interests were fully represented in Sections and Panels concerned with European integration, EU developments and broad thematic areas of political science research like parties, parliament, electoral behaviour, democratic theory and practices, etc.

The Standing Group has been instrumental in helping organise a PhD Summer School on Governance and Democracy in Central and Eastern Europe. The first School was held at the Center for the Study of Democracy at the University of Lüneberg in August 2005 under the direction of Professor Ferdinand Müller-Rommel, and was deemed a great success. A second School, equally successful, was held in August 2006.