The subfield

The subfield of political behavior, institutions and organizations and concerns political structures, actors, and processes within countries/states and (other) political systems. These are analyzed by describing, explaining, and predicting their variation over time and across systems – whether they are national, regional, local, or international/supranational. The subfield group’s focus is on politics in democratic regimes and systems.

The field covers a wide range of political phenomena and topics. The group’s members study questions related to the design and functioning of political institutions (the legislative, executive, and judicial branches), citizens and voters, political elites, public opinion, political cleavages and grievances, political parties, interest groups, political communication, as well as the interaction between local, national, and European (EU) politics.

Teaching

The group’s members teach across all political science discipline programmes in the department — at bachelor’s, master’s, and PhD levels. They also contribute to the Honours Bachelor’s Program in Social Sciences, the cross-disciplinary bachelor’s programme in Development studies and sustainability and in Philosophy, politics and economy (FPØ). In all the political science programs, students can pursue specializations in the group’s subject areas. The members of the group are particularly relevant as supervisors for master's theses and PhD theses with topics concerning political behaviour, institutions and organizations.

Research

The group Political behaviour, institutions and organizations encompasses multiple research areas within political science and has strong links to political sociology, political psychology, political economy, political history, media and communication studies and public law. The members' research activities, however, are primarily carried out in affiliated research centres, research groups, and project teams.

Research groups

Collaboration

Researchers from other relevant research institutions in the Oslo area, such as ARENA Center for European Studies at the UiO, Institute for Social Research and Department of Media and Communication (UiO) also contribute to the teaching – and especially in the supervision of the bachelor's and master's thesis – in political behaviour, organizations and institutions. Students are also offered scholarships and writing stays at some of these institutions.