Comparative Politics Research Group

The Comparative Politics Research Group’s mission is to improve understanding of the complex interplay between society and politics, using comparative approaches in the international and European context. We conduct high-quality research within the fields of comparative politics, European politics, political behavior, political communication, democracy, citizenship, civil society, public opinion, and attitude formation. We work with state-of-the-art methods – both qualitative and quantitative – to study the structures, attitudes, behaviors, and lived experiences that shape political life, contributing to our understanding of them and their development. Our work has broad scientific and societal relevance in Denmark and beyond, as it sheds light on fundamental questions about the workings and well-functioning of democratic politics. 

The research field of political participation and citizenship is the foundation of the Comparative Politics Research Group. Historically, members of the group have been in charge of comprehensive, nation-wide studies of political participation/citizenship in Denmark conducted since 1979 and have contributed to disseminating the citizenship approach from its origins in the Scandinavian Power and Democracy studies to the European mainstream (e.g. European Social Survey) as well as the global mainstream (e.g. International Social Survey Program).

The research by members of ComPol spans important core disciplines of political science, such as comparative and European politics, political sociology, political psychology, political economy, political behavior, and political communication. ComPol provides crucial insights into Danish politics, e.g. via its involvement in the Danish National Election Study, but also via internationally highly recognized research. This includes both large-scale survey-based analyses and in-depth qualitative studies.

In the past years, members of ComPol have published, among others, in scientific journals such as:

• American Political Science Review
• British Journal of Political Science
• European Journal of Political Research
• Journal of European Public Policy
• Journal of Politics
• West European Politics