Research
The Department of Political Science conducts theoretical and empirical research within numerous sub-fields of the discipline. The department's academic staff organize themselves into research groups within multiple fields, including public policy and administration, comparative institutions and regimes, political data science and political theory.
Our ambition is to conduct and publish independent, groundbreaking research of excellent quality. A strong international focus and emphasis on international publishing ensure a high academic standard. At the Department of Political Science (ISV), you will find researchers at the forefront of their fields. Our staff actively participates in international arenas and collaborates with other scholars in leading academic environments worldwide. A vital contribution to the breadth of our research profile comes from the talented Ph.D. candidates pursuing their research education with us.
Our research expertise is applied in collaboration with both public authorities and private sector entities across various fields nationally and internationally. We also disseminate established and new knowledge to the public through teaching, talks, media, and social media, in multiple languages. If you are not a student but, for instance, a journalist seeking information on a specific topic, you can initially contact the faculty's communications department.
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Doctoral education: PhD
The Faculty of Social Sciences is research-intensive and highly ranked internationally. Our PhD program provides a research education focusing on academic excellence.
C-REX Center for Research on Extremism
A cross-disciplinary center for the study of right-wing extremism, hate crime and political violence.
Research news
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– Oil is rarely the cause of war
It is a misconception to talk about “oil wars” and about great powers going to war to secure energy. Oil is rarely the cause of war – but often one of the most important instruments once a conflict has started, according to an energy researcher.
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All warning lights are flashing red – but democracy researcher believes the US can turn things around
The US is turning 250 years as a democracy, but is no longer classified as a liberal democracy. – All warning lights are flashing red, says democracy researcher Tore Wig. Still, he is more optimistic now than he was half a year ago.
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The monarchy's days not yet numbered
– In principle I think that the head of state in a democracy ought to be elected by the people. At the same time, the kind of monarchy that we have in Norway has functioned quite well, in practice, says political scientist and democracy researcher Carl Henrik Knutsen
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Norwegian politics: Our system is not well suited to tackle long term challenges
– There is reason to ask whether our political system with the increasingly fragmented political landscape is set up to solve difficult challenges such as climate change, shifting demographics and the need for economic prioritization, says Kristoffer Kolltveit.
Publications
Researchers at the Department of Political Science publish a variety of books, book chapters, articles in scientific journals and other texts. See an overview of our latest publications.