Arqus Summer School on Democracy: Political and Social Polarisation
Call for Applications – Arqus Summer School on Democracy: Political and Social Polarisation
Political polarisation is not just an academic buzzword. It affects how democratic systems work in real life. Recent research shows that high levels of polarisation can weaken democratic accountability by eroding trust, narrowing political debate, and encouraging negative campaigning. Many further studies in the literature explore how polarisation shapes voter behaviour, party systems, and institutional checks and balances.
Our summer school will explore these issues from a comparative European perspective, combining theory with empirical research.
Wrocław, Poland
8–12 June 2026
Application deadline: 26 February 2026
Results announced: 3rd March 2026
Open exclusively to PhD candidates and MA students from Arqus Alliance universities (maximum two participants per university)
Around 25 top candidates will be shortlisted for short online interviews.
Accepted participants will submit a research paper of approximately 20,000 characters (including references) related to the summer school theme one week before the programme and present it during the summer school.
Participation is fully funded by the University of Wrocław (including travel cost to and from Wroclaw). Financial details will be shared individually by email.
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