About

Petra Guasti is an Associate Professor of Democratic Theory at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Charles University in Prague and a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Sociology, Czech Academy of Sciences. Between 2016 and 2021 served as a senior researcher, an Interim Professor, and an adjunct lecturer at the Goethe University Frankfurt. In April 2021, she completed (cumulative) habilitation Democracy Disrupted at the Goethe University Frankfurt. In March 2019, she completed an eight-month Visiting Democracy Fellowship at Harvard University’s Ash Centre for Democratic Governance and Innovation at the John F. Kennedy School of Government. Her research focuses on the reconfiguration of the political landscape and revolves around three themes – representation, democratisation, and populism. Petra's research has appeared in Democratic Theory, Democratization, Communist and Post-Communist Studies, European Political Science, East European Politics and Societies and Cultures, Politics and Governance, East European Politics, and elsewhere. She serves as an expert for Bertelsmann Transformation Index, Sustainable Governance Indicators for over a decade, together with Dr Zdenka Mansfeldova and V-Dem since 2018. In 2020 she was appointed to the expert board of the Nation in Transit (Freedom House). Between 2022 and 2025, Petra is a co-PI of SYRI (National Institute for Research on the Socio-Economic Impact of Diseases and Systemic Risks), supported by the CZ National Recovery Plan EXCELES Programme. In SYRI, Petra also leads a PA5 team of 20 researchers working on polarisation, populism & democratic resilience. Petra is a part of Horizon AUTHLIB - Neo-Authoritarianisms in Europe and the Liberal Democratic Response - she leads the Charles University team and the work package on minipublics. Since 2009 Petra is a Convenor of the ECPR Standing Group for Central and Eastern European Politics (from 2011, together with Prof. Terry Cox).

Research Interests

Europe (Central and Eastern), Civil Society, Comparative Politics, Democracy, Democratisation, European Union, Gender, Governance, Integration, International Relations, Organised Crime, Populism

Current/Upcoming Events

Petra has not yet registered for any ECPR events.

Standing Groups and Research Networks

• Political Representation
• Central and East European Politics
• Democratic Innovations
• Extremism and Democracy
• The Sciences of the Democracies
• Law and Courts