This text has been translated from Norwegian with the assistance of GPT UiO.
Carl Henrik Knutsen is an outstanding researcher known for his work in political science, focusing on political and economic development, regime changes, and democracy.
In the jury's statement for the University of Oslo’s Research Award 2025, it states that Knutsen is a leading figure in democracy research and is at the forefront internationally in his field. He has built an international network and created a world-leading research environment at the Department of Political Science (ISV), University of Oslo.
– I was very, very happy when I heard that I would receive this prize, he says.
– It is a tremendous recognition of both the work I have put in and, not least, for the broader academic community I collaborate with, which facilitates all the excellent research. So I am both pleased and proud.
World-renowned research environment
Carl Henrik Knutsen leads several large research projects, including an ERC Consolidator project on politics in dictatorships and the prestigious V-Dem project (Varieties of Democracy) – which has created the world’s most comprehensive democracy dataset.
His research results have garnered significant public attention and influence, as well as being involved in media and political discussions.
– The environment surrounding democracy and dictatorship research at ISV has grown immensely over time. I have many excellent collaborators who have worked together in various configurations, Knutsen states.
– We have also had a great number of talented students whom I have been fortunate enough to supervise. This includes the winner of the Prize for Early Career Researchers this year. Sirianne Dahlum was one of the first PhD candidates I supervised, and since then we have collaborated extensively. Currently, we are co-leading the Analysis of the State of Norwegian Democracy (TiNDe).
The secret ingredient
In the jury's statement, it is noted that Carl Henrik Knutsen's publications are comprehensive and frequently published in leading journals, with a high citation rate. He actively participates in the dissemination of research in both media and academic forums.
Furthermore, the jury highlights that Knutsen is a central figure in the development of political science studies on authoritarian regimes and has contributed to building a research environment that is considered one of the best in the world.
– ISV is regarded as one of the very best places for democracy research in Europe. We have excellent collaborators in Scandinavia, Europe, the USA, and elsewhere. Our work is visible in the form of citations, important articles, and significant contributions, but possibly even more so in the work on various datasets, like V-Dem, says the prize winner.
Knutsen believes the secret behind the success of internationally recognised research lies, among other things, in having fun at work.
– I think that is important. A good social environment attracts more people. That so many work hard is likely also a function of having fun together.
Academic freedom
The winner of the Research Award 2025 believes that freedom is a crucial component of a research career. Carl Henrik Knutsen emphasises that he has had the freedom to choose the research he has most wanted to pursue.
– I’ve had the opportunity to work on many of the big questions that are incredibly difficult to answer precisely. It is very challenging to conduct rigorous experiments on the level of a country's democracy, Knutsen explains.
He shares that the constant challenge has been to strive for even better questions, improved data, and more thorough and creative research designs.
– This leads to better and more precise answers, even though one may not necessarily be able to draw definitive conclusions from them, says Knutsen.
– Being allowed to pursue the big questions and to choose freely has been immensely important for me.