Projects / Programmes
January 1, 2009
- December 31, 2014
| Code |
Science |
Field |
Subfield |
| 5.06.00 |
Social sciences |
Political science |
|
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| S170 |
Social sciences |
Political and administrative sciences |
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| 5.06 |
Social Sciences |
Political science |
globalisation, Europeanisation, Slovenia, political theories and concepts, policy analysis, European Union, world, democracy, political system, political elites, political parties, parliament, executive power, public administration, civil servants, public policies, civil society, political science, interests, public policy-making, common European policies, nation, state, citizen, civic education for democracy
Researchers (17)
Organisations (1)
Abstract
The research interest focuses on the processes of change in the world, especially in the European region, that are relevant to political science. The research group is especially interested in three aspects of the processes of globalisation and Europeanisation:
1. CONTENTS - ACCORDING TO THE SUBJECT OF RESEARCH (as described below).
2. UNITS OF ANALYSIS, such as: a) collective: various forms or levels of state, nation, organisations, interest groups, movements, associations, networks; and b) the individual /citizen.
3. SHIFTING CENTRES OF POWER AND CHANGING RELATIONS between various forms and levels of state and civil society.
Beside classical theoretical approaches - functionalism, pluralism, realism, structuralism, neo-institutionalism (reviews of approaches are available in works by authors such as Ben Rosemond, Simon Hix, Laura Cram) - more recent concepts of deliberative and cosmopolitan democracy (e.g. works by J. Elster, David Miller, Joshua Cohen, David Held, Norberto Bobbio, Richard Falk, Daniele Archibugi), policy networks as a form of governance (Tanja Boerzel), multi-level governance (Gary Marks, Andersen and Eliassen) as well as more recent theories on power in politics (such as Philip G. Cerny, Henri Goverde, Mark Haugaard, Howard Lentner) will be taken into account.
A) RESEARCH ON THE SLOVENIAN POLITICAL SYSTEM"S ADAPTATION TO THE CHALLENGES OF EU POLICY-TAKING AND PARTICIPATION IN EU POLICY-MAKING;
B) THEORETICAL RESEARCH INTO THE PROCESSES OF GLOBALISATION AND EUROPEANISATION;
C) POLITICAL SCIENCE (AS A SUBJECT OF RESEARCH) IN THE CONTEXT OF GLOBALISATION.
The primary goals include research into the following dimensions:
1. the RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PARTICIPATION in making supranational policies and political science knowledge (policy/knowledge-making) AND IMPORTING or supranational - especially common European policies or political science knowledge (policy/knowledge-taking);
2. the formation of NEW PERCEPTIONS AND PRACTICES OF THE CITIZEN (relationships between local, national, regional-EU and global political participation);
3. INDICATORS OF DELIBERATIVE DEMOCRACY in Slovenian governmental and non-governmental actors" practice in the circumstances of globalisation and Europeanisation; and
4. POLITICAL SCIENCE in Slovenia in the context of Europeanisation and globalisation.
The research is theoretical and empirical. It will be based on both qualitative and quantitative methodology. Comparative (international and longitudinal) research is a special concern. Besides this, the following research approaches will be applied: (neo)institutionalism, behaviourism and policy analysis. The planned research methods and techniques include: interviews, public opinion surveys and content analyses. It is anticipated that electronic archives of documents and databases for international comparative and longitudinal research will be some of the research outputs. An additional method involves continuous experimental learning (teaching of social science in primary and high schools).
Significance for science
The research programme is crucial for the development of political science in Slovenia in line with the main political science fields and research streams in today's most developed areas of political science. Quality political science research in Slovenia has included a combination of theory and rich empirical research based on a combination of qualitative and quantitative research. Academic research has been significantly shaped by applied research directly linking academic practice with real-world phenomena. Quality political science research in Slovenia also means enriching the findings of empirical research within specific social, economic, cultural and political environments, thus contributing to the development of political science theory. International comparative research has contributed to the development of political science theory published in internationally recognised academic journals. Slovenian political science has already become visible by achieving important levels of participation in international political science networking. This is evident from: • The acquisition of three international projects during the political science research programme (EU Preparatory Action in the field of sport 2011: Action for Good Governance in International Sports Organisations; N5-0014 INTEREURO—comparative research on interest group politics in Europe; N5-0023, the organizational development of national interests groups in a European comparative perspective ), • the acquisition of five EU projects (Developing Active Citizens of Europe through School, Jean Monnet Chair—European Policy Processes; Making the EU Attractive for Primary School Pupils: Development of Non-formal Learning Approaches; Active Citizens for Europe through School, I Feel Europe: Teaching Europe in Rural Areas) and • participation in international networks (COST ACTION IS0806 'The True European Voter', Manifesto Research on Political Representation; The Euromanifestos Project; The Comparative Study of Electoral Systems).
Significance for the country
The political science research programme is the only in Slovenia that grows knowledge and research in the field of analysis of public policies and in the monitoring of public policies and evaluation of sectoral and cross-sectoral public policies. This knowledge is useful for public institutions at subnational and supranational levels and in the context of management and retrieval of project financing and their effects, as the evaluation knowledge is a fundamental part of each national as well as international project. In this context, as in the case of increasingly frequent involvement of public authorities with the economy, the knowledge of the centre is also important for the private sector. Clients (in the form of advice, expertise or knowledge transfer) come from the public, private and third sector. In addition, the program examines the political institutions, their functioning, political culture, civil society's effect on political activities and their change since independence and since joining the EU, which represents the uniqueness of each country. In addition to national research results, researchers, due to involvement in an international network, operate with internationally comparable data that are valuable in the process of (re)designing institutions in Slovenia, where Slovenian society and its political subsystem adjust their social, political, cultural and institutional environment to the EU. In the context of the Europeanisation of Slovenian politics, there are also important questions about competent functioning of the Slovenian political elite, staff capacity of public administration, the involvement of political parties and civil society in a multi-level system of policy making and the implementation of public policies, where the enforcement of Slovenian interests and the interests of Slovenian players prove to be difficult. The organization of stakeholder meetings with relevant stakeholders has been well received among the participants. In the future, we expect an even greater expressed need for cooperation with the political science discipline. In practice, the results of the program can be put in practice mainly in research, consulting and educational services. Deliverables of programme group represent a useful transfer of political science knowledge into the practice of political institutions (designing methodologies for the evaluation of specific policies, the technical basis for the creation of a national program for the youth field: COBISS.SI ID 254265088, Model of transferring public policies with cyber elements of control over their implementation), the practice of non-state and state actors (manuals to support the operation of stakeholders: COBISS.SI ID 31844957, COBISS.SI ID 31521885) and in the learning processes of primary and secondary schools (teaching materials for teachers of European content in primary schools: COBISS.SI ID 270706944 , COBISS.SI ID 267273728, COBISS.SI ID 32030813, COBISS.SI ID 32420445, COBISS.SI ID 32738141, COBISS.SI ID 33061981, COBISS.SI ID 274523136 and 271270144 COBISS.SI ID and teaching materials for educators to develop critical Learning COBISS.SI ID 32603485). The members of the programme team undertook an advisory and expert role in the national and international comparative context. The operation of the program group has contributed to the recognition of Slovenia in the international public through publications abroad, presenting research findings in the context of cooperation with many foreign research organisations, participation at international scientific conferences and workshops abroad, organisation of international scientific conferences, meetings and workshops in Slovenia. Enforcement of Slovenian political science in the international political science community has been achieved primarily through increased publishing abroad of professional and scientific work in international projects and in regional and global political science associations.
Most important scientific results
Annual report
2009,
2010,
2011,
2012,
2013,
final report,
complete report on dLib.si
Most important socioeconomically and culturally relevant results
Annual report
2009,
2010,
2011,
2012,
2013,
final report,
complete report on dLib.si
