Sussex European Institute

Representative Politics

Centre for Parties and Democracy in Europe Centre Parties Democracy Europe

Democracy in Europe is under challenge. Political parties and parliaments at both supranational and national levels are confronted by expressions of popular dissatisfaction with the processes and institutions of representative democracy. Election turnout is falling, experiments with direct democracy increasing and there is a widespread perception of 'democratic deficit' within the EU.

Parties are frequently alleged to be in 'decline' in the established democracies, while struggling to institutionalise themselves in the new ones. Yet it remains impossible to conceive of politics operating in the advanced industrial democratic world without these vital mechanisms of democratic linkage.

The Centre for Parties and Democracy in Europe at the University of Sussex exists to investigate and inform on these issues. Bringing together the UK's largest gathering of experts on comparative party politics, it aims to:

  • Foster high-quality academic research in the field.
  • Stage regular seminar series on the issues of European party and representative politics.
  • Publish research and briefing papers.
  • Offer postgraduate training in the study of European democracy and party politics, through an MA in European Politics and a growing number of research students working in the field.
  • Provide primary information and data, and a quality-controlled gateway to secondary sources.
  • Provide a source of expertise on European parties and democractic processes to the media.