This text has been translated from Norwegian with the assistance of GPT UiO.
Sirianne Dahlum's research focuses on the resilience of robust democracies and the reasons for democratic backsliding. She has highlighted how citizens engage with political systems and challenge leaders through protests, revealing that citizens may be more open to authoritarian forms of governance than previously thought, and how support for democracy can weaken.
In the jury's statement for the University of Oslo’s Award for Young Researchers 2025, it is noted that Sirianne Dahlum is a distinguished researcher in the field of democracy studies. She became a professor at a young age and is presently involved in and leading several significant research projects.
– It is incredibly exciting to win this award! A career in academia is filled with rejections, hard work, negative peer reviews, and lengthy revision processes in journals. Therefore, it is especially gratifying to receive this recognition, says the award winner.
– This year I am on a research visit at the University of Oxford, but I look forward to returning home to accept the prize this autumn.
What we know and what we do not know
Sirianne Dahlum has contributed to extensive data surveys on mass protests and democracy, including the first global mapping of mass protests from 1789 to the present day.
She leads analyses of the state of Norwegian democracy and has been central in bringing the issue of democratic backsliding to the forefront at the University of Oslo. The jury's statement highlights that Dahlum is a respected communicator who participates actively in debates and media appearances worldwide.
Dahlum personally believes that the roles of researcher and communicator can reinforce each other.
– Regularly conveying information to the public helps foster new research ideas. Journalists and those working closely on policy-making often ask different kinds of questions than researchers do, she says.
– It's valuable to be compelled to think through and communicate what we know and what we do not know.
Being a researcher is the dream job
The winner of the Award for Young Researchers considers being a researcher to be a dream job. Alongside the freedom and the ability to independently pursue new ideas and interests, she highlights the opportunity to collaborate with brilliant researchers from around the globe and influence both students and public debate as the best aspects of her profession.
– As a fresh student, I don’t think it ever occurred to me to consider a career in research, but today I cannot imagine any other job. One of the most enjoyable aspects has been the opportunity to initiate new, ambitious research projects, says Dahlum.
Looking ahead, she plans to continue expanding understanding of why authoritarian forces are on the rise globally, and what makes them appealing to populations in so many countries.
– For instance, why are an increasing number of young people, including in Norway, willing to vote for undemocratic political leaders? We do not have sufficiently good answers to that.
Democracies are groping in the dark
Two years ago, Sirianne Dahlum had a daughter. The award winner reveals that she had expected her daughter to grow up in a democratic and relatively peaceful world.
Now, she is no longer so certain.
– However, we do not know enough about what is happening to understand where it will end. The most challenging aspect is often understanding the processes that are unfolding right here and now, says Dahlum.
The winner of the Award for Young Researchers wishes to use insights from her own and others’ research to strengthen and defend Norwegian democracy.
– Dictators and semi-dictators worldwide are now exerting considerable efforts to promote authoritarian ideology and undermine trust in democracy as a governing system, she states.
– Yet democracies are groping a bit in the dark. We lack a clear and effective pro-democratic agenda, and we do not have enough knowledge about what is effective.