Information for
Quick links
Faculties
News
Conclusion on the ActEU Mid-Term Conference
On 12 December, the ActEU Mid-Term Conference took place in Brussels to present the first results of the project and promote collaboration between researchers and various stakeholders. Dr Alex Hartland presented his and Prof Dr Daniela Braun's work in two presentations: “Engagement triggers in response to controversial policies” and “Polarisation among EU political parties”. After the conference, participants had the opportunity to socialise over dinner in a more informal setting.
New publication by Dr Rosa Navarrete: "Social Media, Misinformation, and Attitudes Towards Democracy in Germany During the Covid-19 Pandemic"
Abstract: Social media platforms are a double-edged sword, serving as sources of both critical information and harmful misinformation. This duality has sparked debates about their potential role in threatening democracy, boosting radical parties, and amplifying authoritarian and populist attitudes. While much research has focused on how misinformation and social media usage can influence voting for radical and populist parties, research on how diffuse and specific support for democracy are affected by the level of misinformation is more scarce. This study examines how satisfaction with democracy, democratic legitimacy, and adherence to liberal democratic principles are shaped by social media usage and citizens’ susceptibility to misinformation. Employing novel data from an online survey conducted in Germany in June 2021, we show that political information sources and misinformation exposure have a greater impact on perceptions of democratic functioning than on support for democracy as a political ideal. Furthermore, for citizens prone to believing misinformation, media consumption habits have no significant impact highlighting a critical blind spot in addressing democracy’s resilience in the digital age.
Student assistants wanted!
The project Political Deception in the Digital Era directed by Dr Rosa Navarrete (Chair of Political Science with focus on European Integration and International Relation and the Interdisciplinary Institute for Societal Computing) and funded by the Saarland University and in the Observatory of Online Politics is looking for two student-assistants (preferably with a BA-degree) interested in and willing to support us in our project.
Are you passionate about online politics and interested in contributing to impactful research? With the German elections approaching in February, we are seeking two proactive and enthusiastic students to join our Observatory of Online Politics. This project will monitor and analyse the online activity of political actors throughout the electoral campaign and its aftermath.
As a student assistant, you will play a critical role in building the infrastructure needed to gather and manage online data from diverse sources, including Bluesky, Telegram, websites, and other relevant platforms. You will collaborate with a dynamic, interdisciplinary team of social scientists and computer scientists to produce research outputs that have real-world societal impact.
Summary of the talk "Gender and violence in focus: Sexualised warfare and women in terrorism"
As part of the event to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women (25.11.2024), Djamila Jabra, M.A. gave a lecture at the FrauenGenderBibliothek Saarbrücken on the targeted use of sexualised violence as a weapon and the role of women in terrorist organisations. The lecture explored the question of how security policy issues such as terrorism and conflicts can be viewed from a gender perspective and what new insights can be gained from this.
At the beginning of the lecture, sexualised violence was explained as a targeted military strategy in war situations. This strategy aims to demonstrate power, intimidate and destroy social structures and is historically as old a war strategy as wars themselves. Furthermore, this form of violence is used to control and suppress political opponents and as an act of retaliation against communities. Case studies from countries such as Iran, Sudan and Myanmar illustrate this reality. In the course of the presentation, the far-reaching psychological and social consequences of sexualised violence were also discussed. Those affected suffer from severe trauma, with stigmatisation making reintegration into their community even more difficult. Of particular concern is the frequent lack of judicial action, which largely guarantees impunity for the perpetrators. In 2023, more than 170 armed conflicts were registered worldwide, directly affecting millions of women and girls. Despite international efforts to combat sexualised violence, the implementation of protective measures remains limited. In this regard, it should be noted that less than 26% of peace agreements contain explicit provisions on gender-based violence, although studies show that the participation of women increases the likelihood of sustainable peace processes.
The presentation was followed by a discussion of key challenges. In particular, the lack of accountability, limited resources for survivors and the integration of feminist approaches into security policy measures were addressed. These approaches could help to document sexualised violence and promote peace processes. Furthermore, it is emphasised that gender-based violence should not only be seen as a humanitarian problem, but also as a security policy problem.
ActEU Mid-Term Conference
The political chair at the University of Saarland are pleased to share with you the draft programme for the ActEU Mid-Term Conference, which will take place on Thursday, 12 December 2024 in Brussels. The event will showcase the project’s initial findings and foster collaboration between academics and diverse stakeholders. Following the conference, we will host a dinner to further engage with all participants in a more informal setting. We hope you will be able to join us for this evening gathering, as it would be a great opportunity to continue the conversations and strengthen our collaborative ties.
Additionally, a workshop with an interactive session (the programme will be available in the coming days) with our Civil Society Network will take place the day after, on Friday 13 December 2024 (9:00-13:30) . Please let us know if you are interested in participating, as your insights and expertise would be a valuable addition to the discussions.
New publication: “Quality not quantity: Lobbying institutions and the influence of asylum rights groups.”
Dr Alex Hartland has published an article in the British Journal of Politics and International Relations in which he examines the influence of asylum lobbyists on legislation in Germany and the UK.
With participation in electoral politics limited, asylum seekers rely on lobbying to influence policy, but the factors which facilitate or constrain this process remain unclear. He interviewed asylum rights lobbyists in Germany and the United Kingdom to study the effects of lobbying institutions, using process tracing to identify influence mechanisms. Contrary to previous research, he finds that successful lobbying stems from the quality not the quantity of institutions. He shows how Germany’s corporatist institutions provide stable lobbying structures, building trustful working relationships. This enables collaborative policymaking and increases opportunities for influence. Informal, inconsistent structures in the United Kingdom’s pluralist system impair trust, reducing collaborative policymaking and influence. UK institutions are more policy responsive, however, enabling groups to capitalise on favourable public opinion, whereas the German system remains stable. The results demonstrate the effects of institutional arrangements and identify mechanisms which can improve policy outcomes for asylum seekers and other disadvantaged groups.
“Securing Europe’s Future” Polish Pre-Presidency Conference, Warsaw, 21-22 November 2024
On 1 January 2025, Poland will take over the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union for the second time. Following a politically charged and controversial Hungarian Presidency, the Polish Presidency will face a number of challenges in the first half of the year. In order to tackle these successfully, a solid basis for decision-making is required. This highlights the importance of bridging the gap between policy makers, academics and citizens in Europe.
The Trans European Policy Studies Association (TEPSA) and the Institute for European Studies at Jagiellonian University have therefore organised the conference “Securing Europe's Future” in Poland. The aim of the conference is to discuss which goals, priorities and policy areas in the EU require the most attention. TEPSA will also make recommendations to the future Council Presidency at the conference, which will serve as preparation for the Polish Council Presidency.
At the conference, Prof Dr Daniela Braun will present the EU-funded Horizon project “Activating Citizens Trust in Times of Crises and Polarisation (ActEU)” on 21 November in the panel “EU Democracy Renewal: Addressing the Pressures on Representative Democracy in Europe”, moderated by Petr Kratochvíl of the Institute of International Relations.
4th Saarbrücken Europe Conference at the UdS
Europe dreams? Between political ambition and social reality
The 4th Saarbrücken Europe Conference will open on 28 November with a panel discussion on the topic of “Visions of Europe. Franco-German perspectives” at Saarbrücken Town Hall. The next day, the programme of events will take place at Saarland University. This primarily includes panels on political and social topics. At 11:45, Prof. Dr Daniela Braun will give a lecture on the effects of consolidated Euroscepticism on European politics.
Talk: "Gender and violence in focus: Sexualised warfare and women in terrorism"
Date: 25.11.2024
Time: 18:00-20:00
Place: FrauenGenderBibliothek Saar
On the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, Djamila Jabra, M.A. will speak about a special form of gender-specific violence: the use of sexualised violence as a weapon in conflicts. What changes when security policy issues such as terrorism, weapons and violent conflicts are viewed from a gender perspective? What is the significance of integrating feminist approaches into security policy and what new insights can be gained from this? The focus is on the role of women in terrorist organisations and the question of how gender-specific violence is used as a strategic instrument of power.
Panel: "Nationalism and Climate Change"
Climate change is an existential threat to mankind. Yet the structuring of politics in a system of sovereign states is a huge obstacle to the collective action on a planetary scale needed to deal with this crisis. This panel explores the ways in which nationalism intersects with efforts to address climate change, both at the level of domestic politics and international relations; and in both negative and positive respects.
Dr Rosa Navarrete took part in a panel moderated by Prof Dr Peter Rutland (Wesleyan University) at the Association for the Study of Nationalities, alongside Prof Dr Daniele Conversi (Universidad del País Vasco) and Prof Dr Marianna Poberezhskaya (Nottingham Trent University).
The chair at the Digital Democracy Workshop in Zürich
As part of the interdisciplinary cooperation I2SC initiated at the UdS by Prof Dr Daniela Braund and Prof Dr Ingmar Weber, research assistants Dr Alex Hartland and Dr Giuseppe Carteny from the Chair of Political Science and Dr Jianlong Zhu from the Chair of Societal Computing have developed a joint research project on the topic of “Chatbots at the Ballot Box: How do AI Chatbots Influence Political Attitudes and Behaviour?”, which Dr Rosa Navarrete presented at the Digital Democracy Workshop in Zurich. The talk focussed on how the rapid development of AI is increasingly influencing online information and people's interactions with it. This technology is also becoming a more important source of information for voters, with potential implications for political attitudes and behaviour. As little research has been conducted into these effects, the study draws on findings from election counselling tools and misinformation research. The results are intended to highlight the opportunities and risks of AI for democratic institutions.
Prof Dr Jale Tosun: "Climate policy portfolios that accelerate emission productions"
Date: 07.11.2024
Time: 16:30-18:00
Place: Bld. B3 1, Lecture hall II
As part of the political science lecture series Politics in Europe with an interdisciplinary focus, Prof Jale Tosun, Professor of Political Science at the Institute of Political Science at Heidelberg University, will give her lecture "Climate policy portfolios that accelerate emission productions". She will address the question of what effect the growing body of national climate policies actually has on climate change. In particular, she will focus on what kind of climate policy portfolios are best suited to accelerate emission reductions in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement. To this end, she will use examples to present the findings and results of her work.
Interested parties are cordially invited to attend. Please register in advance at vinciane.pilz(at)uni-saarland.de.
Article about European Studies: Politics - Law - Society in the web magazine Campus
The campus magazine has published an article on the Bachelor's degree programme "European Studies: Politics - Law - Society". Students on the new degree programme and Prof Dr Daniela Braun, who co-initiated the course, were interviewed.
First issue of the UNTWIST newsletter published
The UNTWIST project has published the first issue of its newsletter. The topics of this issue:
- Who are we? We introduce you to our 9 national teams and the 7 institutions involved in an advisory capacity, as well as our objectives related to the UNTWIST project.
- What are we currently working on? We will present the first results and findings on what and how much attention the different gender-specific needs and requirements receive from society, political parties and academia. We also analyse the way in which radical right-wing populist parties address gender-specific issues that may be overlooked by other moderate actors.
- What's new? We will introduce you to our international UNTWIST survey, with which we will conduct innovative measurements of gender-specific needs and demands from an intersectional perspective that simultaneously takes into account the voting behaviour of citizens.
Digital Democracy Days 2024 at Saarland University
Digitalisation is having a profound impact on democracy, both positive and negative. Phenomena such as Donald Trump's election success and social movements show how digital technologies are changing political processes. A key question is which aspects of democracy are affected and how negative effects can be tackled. The I2SC (Interdisciplinary Institute for Societal Computing), a research institute founded by Prof Dr Daniela Braun and Prof Dr Ingmar Weber, therefore organised a two-day conference entitled “Digital Democracy Days”, bringing together 20-30 experts from various disciplines to discuss opportunities and risks. It was emphasised that further research is needed to secure democratic processes in the digital age and that collaboration between different fields is crucial.
ActEU-Workshop: Aufruf zur Einreichung von Bewerbungen
In February 2025, the ActEU Doctoral School will take place, where participants will spend four days exploring the topics of the ActEU research project, helping to advance our understanding and solutions. The ActEU (Activating European Citizens' Trust in Times of Crises and Polarisation) project, funded under the EU's Horizon Europe programme, aims to conceptualise and empirically measure political trust and legitimacy beyond conventional methods to explore how policy makers and civil society can respond effectively to these challenges to support democratic governance.
Talk at the EISA Pan-European Conference on International Relations (PEC)
The EISA Pan-European Conference on International Relations (PEC) took place in Lille from 27 August to 31 August. Djamila Jabra, M.A. gave a presentation entitled "From Warnings to Wars - A Comprehensive Review of IPCC Reports on Climate and Conflicts". In her presentation, she analysed how the connection between climate change and violent conflicts is presented in the six IPCC reports from 1990 to 2023. Using a qualitative content analysis according to Mayring, she analysed the terms conflict, violence, war, armed, threat and risk in order to identify the visibility of climate-related conflicts. Theoretically, she drew on the expanded security concept of international relations, which goes beyond state approaches to identify potential causes of future conflicts and their prevention.
Saarbrücker Zeitung reports on I2SC
A year ago, the "I2SC" - Interdisciplinary Institute for Societal Computing - was founded at Saarland University as a new research institute that brings together computer science and political science. The idea behind it: “The computing of society meets computing for society, so to speak,” says Ingmar Weber, Humboldt Professor of AI, who heads the "I2SC" together with political scientist Prof Dr Daniela Braun at the young department of Societal European Studies. The coupling of computer science and political science is "still relatively new in Germany" (Braun) and harbours challenges. However, despite their different research interests, the synergy effects of their collaboration outweigh the challenges.
Prof Dr Braun at panel discussion on Franco-German relations
Prof Daniela Braun was invited to take part in a panel discussion on the topic of “Franco-German relations in a changing Europe” on Saturday, 28 September. The event, organised as part of the alumni exchange of the members of the alumni Master GPRE e.V., took place from 13:00 to 15:30 in the Villa Europa, Kohleweg 7, 66123 Saarbrücken.
The panel of panellists consisted of:
- Dr Stefan Seidendorf, Deputy Director, Deutsch-Französisches Institut (dfi)
- Dieter Hackmann, Member of the Board for Special Tasks, Association of Franco-German Societies for Europe (VDFG) & Chairman Weimarer Dreieck e.V.
- Prof Daniela Braun, Professor of Political Science specialising in European Integration and International Relations, Saarland University
The discussion was moderated by Jerome Friedrichs and Maya von Thenen and co-organised by Nolwenn Etienne and Tim Georgi.
Here is a brief description of the topic of the discussion: Franco-German relations in a changing Europe
The recent elections to the EU Parliament have confirmed the unstoppable rise of right-wing parties as a pan-European trend on the one hand and triggered a political earthquake in France on the other. 20 years after the ‘eastward enlargement’, the EU is facing a series of new geopolitical questions and challenges, and its future seems more uncertain than ever. Even if Franco-German co-operation is still considered a key driving force in Europe, the EU is driven by a multitude of complex dynamics and the Franco-German friendship no longer seems to be Europe's guarantor. At a time of multiple crises, especially in light of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, we are once again reminded that European cohesion and solidarity must be actively practised. Together with experts from institutions and academia, we therefore want to explore the question: Quo vadis Franco-German relations? Quo vadis Europe?
The panel discussion was prepared by a workshop that took place on the same morning. The participants, consisting of around 25 alumni, including three DFH-sponsored degree programmes, were also sent two texts in advance for preparation. Participants were also invited to ask questions at any time.
The debate was very stimulating and there was a lot of positive feedback. It is to be hoped that many of the topics raised and possible solutions will be discussed further in various contexts.
The event concluded with a joint visit by all participants to the Historisches Museum Saar.
The Chair at the DVPW Congress in Göttingen
From 24 to 27 September, the congress of the German Political Science Association on “Politics in the Polycrisis” took place at the Georg August University in Göttingen. The chair took part in the congress and gave three presentations. Prof Dr Braun also took part in a panel and a podium discussion.
![[Translate to Englisch:] Logo ecpr](/fileadmin/upload/lehrstuhl/braun/Tagungen/ecpr_Logo.png){kind=logo}
UNTWIST at the European Conference on Politics and Gender
In July 2024, the UNTWIST teams participated in the European Conference on Politics and Gender in Cologne and presented a panel with research findings related to a better understanding of gender dynamics in voting for radical right-wing populist parties. Prof Dr Daniela Braun and Dr Giuseppe Carteny presented the following paper:
The salience of gender-related issues in European party manifestos
Welcome Day on 10. October
On 10 October, we will be welcoming new European Studies students to Saarland University from 10 a.m. in Building C3 1, Lecture Hall 1. At our Welcome Day, the new students will get to know the campus and the canteen and find out everything they need to know about the degree programme and their respective specialisations.
DVPW-Tagung 27.-28.03.2025: Bewerbungsfrist für BEITRÄGE und CLOSED PANELS bis 30. September 2024
Application procedure
After having received proposals for panels, we now open the second phase of the application procedure with a call for three categories of panels and papers. This application phase will end on September 30, 2024.
Paper submissions directed to one of the open panels (see below): Papers can be submitted to one of the panels proposed for the conference (see the list below). Paper submissions should include a title and an abstract of 250 words. Please send the paper proposals to the conference mail address tagung-dvpw-vergleich-2025(at)uni-saarland.de as well as to the respective panel chairs.
Papers unrelated to one of the panels: Paper proposals can also be directly sent to the conference organization team. We will then create panels that comprise thematically related papers. Please send the paper proposals to the conference mail address tagung-dvpw-vergleich-2025(at)uni-saarland.de.
Closed panel proposals: We also invite closed panel proposals. These should include a panel abstract, panel chairs as well as a maximum of 4 papers related to the scope of the panel with title and abstracts. Please send the panel proposals to the conference mail address tagung-dvpw-vergleich-2025(at)uni-saarland.de.
The team of organizers will inform submitters of papers and closed panels by October 11, 2024.
Please visit also the conference homepage for more information.
First results of Voto project published
The first results have now been published at the final discussion of the Voto project. Students from Saarland University presented these in the form of posters. For example, it emerged that even people on the left of the political spectrum can be in favour of border controls (poster) and that young people think of environmental issues as most important (poster). The influence of educational qualifications on the position (poster) (poster) and the influence of gender and age (poster) were also analysed.
Article in the Saarbrücker Zeitung