Politics & International Studies » Posts

PAIS work-in-progress seminars 2026

Tue, 13 Jan 2026 19:17:00 GMT

In 2025-26, the Centre is supporting a series of work-in-progress seminars featuring the work of a range of Politics and International Studies researchers at ��TV. Highly diverse in focus and goals, all of these researchers are touching upon features and challenges of democracy today. All ��TV researchers, including PhD students, are welcome to attend these sessions – contact Michael Saward on m.j.saward@warwick.ac.uk if you wish to attend one or more sessions in order to receive the materials (e.g., a draft journal article) we will discuss.’ The list of seminars is available here

Book Launch Event- Horizontal Development: Shifting Power and Privilege in Aid

Fri, 09 Jan 2026 14:13:00 GMT

On 11 December 2025, The ��TV Interdisciplinary Research Centre for International Development (WICID), in collaboration with the Centre for Studies in Democratisation (CSD), hosted a book launch event for Horizontal Development: Shifting Power and Privilege in Aid. The event featured a panel discussion with the book’s authors—Dr Shonali Banerjee (��TV), Professor Anne-Meike Fechter (Sussex), and Dr Thabani Mutambasere (Edinburgh)—who explored how power and privilege operate within international aid and development. The discussion highlighted alternative, grassroots-led approaches to development and reflected on contemporary debates around decolonising aid.

Democracy, System, Design: A Workshop

Tue, 25 Nov 2025 10:47:00 GMT

On 11-13 June 2025, a workshop titled "Democracy, System, Design" organised by Anke Gruendel (Humboldt University) and Michael Saward (��TV) was held and the University of ��TV.This genuinely interdisciplinary workshop brought together leading democratic theorists, design scholars and practitioners from the UK, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium and the Basque Country to explore these debates and the pressing issues they address.The event was a major success, establishing a new cross-national and cross-disciplinary dialogue

To read more about the event click here.

"Democracy and Climate Change - A roundtable discussion"

Tue, 25 Nov 2025 10:30:00 GMT

On 1 May 2025, the Centre for Democratisation and the PAIS Environmental Politics research cluster held a PAIS Departmental Seminar titled "Democracy and Climate Change - A roundtable discussion". This Discussion was chaired by Mitya Pearson and featured Simon Caney, Marit Hammond and Keith Hyams.

You can find the audio recording of this discussion here.

Three Years On: Global Ukrainians and Their Transnational Engagement with Ukraine.

Tue, 25 Nov 2025 10:18:00 GMT

On 25 February, 2025, The Centre for Studies in Democratisation held an online event lead by Maria Koinova (Professor at ��TV’s Politics and International Studies Department) and Taras Romashchenko (Visiting Professor at Bielefeld University and Associate Professor at Bohdan Khmelnytsky National University of Cherkasy). This event titled, "Three Years On: Global Ukrainians and Their Transnational Engagement with Ukraine", examined political, economic, and social contributions to Ukraine’s recovery, democratic activism, reverse remittances, prospects for return, and emerging developments amid a shifting global landscape and the recent establishment of the Ukrainian Ministry of Unity.

"American democracy: saved or doomed?"

Mon, 24 Nov 2025 10:58:00 GMT

On 27 December 2024, the Centre for studies in Democratisation held a roundtable discussion titled "American Democracy: Saved or Doomed?"- A roundtable on the 2024 US elections outcome. This discussion was chaired by Michael Saward and featured Trevor McCrisken, Joe Haigh and Jessica Underwood from PAIS.

The audio recording and some responses to this event are available here.

Rethinking Democracy Today: Ideas, Cases, Perspectives Balsillie-��TV Democracy Research Seminar

Sun, 23 Nov 2025 17:44:00 GMT

On 6-7 July, 2023, "Rethinking Democracy Today" was held as a two part, half day online seminar, bringing together researchers from the University of ��TV and the Balsillie School of International Affairs. The event included a range of perspectives on the meanings, status and challenges of democracy today. This seminar also enabled the two institutions to clarify the potential for further events on this theme along with potential work for further events on this theme.

You can find out more about the contents of the seminar and the key takeaways here.

CSD re-launch event

Tue, 21 Feb 2023 09:24:00 GMT

On 7 December, 2022, the Centre hosted a special roundtable discussion on ‘Populism: challenges and responses’, featuring Ozlem Atikcan (��TV), Soraya Hamdaoui (��TV), and Simon Tormey (University of Bristol). The event was chaired by Michael Saward (��TV). This was a re-launch event for the PAIS Centre for Studies of Democratization.

Three doctoral candidates at the Department of Politics and International Studies at ��TV wrote short comments after the event, which you can read here.