As previously announced, the Steering Committee of the SG is stepping down at the end of the year. After our call, we received expressions of interest from the following SG members:

  • Léonie de Jonge, University of Groningen
  • Daphne Halikiopoulou, University of Reading
  • Steven van Hauwaert, University of Surrey
  • Annika Werner, Australian National University

You can now cast your vote at this link. The election is running until 15 December 2021. Please, find here the instructions for voting which you may find useful.

Election statements:

Léonie de Jonge (University of Groningen)

I’m an Assistant Professor in European Politics and Society at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. In my research and teaching, I seek to understand the rise and normalisation of the far-right in the twenty-first century. I’m particularly interested in the reasons behind the success and failure of populist radical right parties in Europe and beyond.

My main interest in joining the Steering Committee of the Standing Group (SG) on Extremism and Democracy (E&D) is to continue building an inclusive and thriving academic community of scholars who study different aspects of ‘extremism and democracy’ around the world.

As an early-career researcher, I have benefited tremendously from the various activities organised within the framework of the SG. In 2018, I attended the SG’s very first summer school on ‘Concepts & Methods for Research on Far-Right Politics’, which provided an excellent opportunity for young scholars to meet and exchange ideas in a supportive setting. In 2020, I co-organised the SG’s endorsed section on ‘Populism, Radicalism and Extremism’ at the ECPR general conference, which explored the breakthrough of radical actors and ideas into the political ‘mainstream’. In 2021, I published my first book in the E&D book series at Routledge, in which I analyse the varied support for populist radical right parties in the Benelux region. More generally, meeting (new) E&D colleagues at ECPR events (e.g. the general conference) is always one of the highlights of my academic year.

As a member of the E&D Steering Committee, I aim to serve the needs an increasingly diverse, global academic community, notably by facilitating a welcoming environment for exchange and dialogue for junior and senior scholars from different backgrounds and disciplines who are interested in exploring issues pertaining to the ever more relevant study of extremism and democracy.

Daphne Halikiopoulou (University of Reading)

I am a Professor of Comparative Politics at the University of Reading. My research agenda lies at the intersection of nationalism studies, voting behaviour and comparative European party politics. My work examines far-right populism at the demand, supply, and policy levels, engaging with questions of central importance for democratic politics. I have an extensive record of published work on European far right parties and their voters, which includes two books and several articles in journals such as the European Journal of Political Research, West European Politics, Journal of Common Market Studies, European Political Science Review, Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies and Government and Opposition among others. I am joint Editor-in-Chief of the journal Nations and Nationalism and co-editor of the Springer book series in Electoral Politics.

I share the ECPR’s commitment in advancing our discipline and cultivating a diverse, vibrant and global network of scholars. My academic profile directly corresponds to, and complements, the research activities carried out by the Extremism & Democracy standing group. If elected I will work closely with the other members of the steering committee to expand the study of topics that fall under ‘extremism and democracy’ by developing exciting opportunities for synergies, new thinking, and networking activities. My prime aim is to foster scholarly collaboration and promote knowledge exchange internationally. I highlight three priorities:

  • to cultivate an environment that makes a positive impact on early career researchers
  • to promote gender equality and a series of diversity and inclusion initiatives aimed at supporting scholars in under-represented groups
  • to pursue research impact activities bringing together researchers and non-academic end users

I look forward to playing a leading role in formulating and implementing an agenda aimed at bringing together a diverse community of scholars working on the inter(relation) between extremism and democracy.

Steven van Hauwaert (University of Surrey)

The Extremism & Democracy Standing Group has a long tradition of scholarly excellence, combined with peer support, invaluable networking and a reputation of researching relevant questions. All of these aspects need to continue, be nurtured and further developed. Having been a member of the E&D Standing Group for numerous years, I have had the privilege of seeing the current and previous steering committees excel in this regard. I am putting forward my candidacy to fill in (some of) their shoes and further build on the great work that has been done already.

In the past years, the main focus of my research has been on the study of populism, populist attitudes and their relationship to democracy. Simultaneously, and admittedly to a lesser extent, I have also studied far right parties, crossed paths with sociology and social movement research and studied other forms of extremism, such as terrorism. As part of these various research streams, I have relied on both quantitative and qualitative methods. Having combined different analytical approaches, methodologies and aspects of extremism and democracy in my broader research agenda, I believe I am in a good position to support – and possibly lead – the E&D Standing Groups’ broader network of junior and senior members.

As a matter of principle and priority, my primary goal is to further instigate collaboration between members of the E&D Standing Group. Joint publication opportunities, peer-support and mentoring within the Standing Group, all primarily geared towards junior scholars and the consolidation of their research efforts. This is something I have already done in the past, by organising the E&D section at the ECPR’s general conference twice. But I want to develop this in a much broader context and establish a peer-support network, consolidate the summer school and organise frequent events as part of the E&D broader network.

Annika Werner (Australian National University)

I am highly motivated to join the E&D Steering Committee and continue Caterina’s, Andrea’s, and Stijn’s great work. I’ve been a member of E&D for many years and have organised and attended E&D General Conference panels and Joint Session workshops regularly. E&D’s outreach and particular care for junior scholars makes it a friendly and safe space that I highly value and think is unique. As Steering Committee member, I would be dedicated to make sure that E&D remains the fantastic space it is, support the community’s active participation in all ECPR activities and opportunities, and take particular care of E&D members located outside the Western European core. As a first step, I plan to initiate a survey of our members to gauge their needs as well as their interests in extending E&D activities, for instance in forms of an E&D conference or a specialised workshop series.