Collaborating for electoral democracy
The main aims of the EU-funded 'Training network in electoral democracy' (ELECDEM)(opens in new window) project were to study the effects of globalisation, communication and institutions on the quality of global democracy. The network brought together 11 expert teams from 9 European countries. This initiative extended the PIREDEU project, which aimed at assessing an infrastructure for researching citizenship, political participation and electoral democracy in the EU. Specialised workshops and training events were set up and delivered by world-leading experts in the field. The main objectives were met and consisted of multi-level techniques, content and text analysis, cross-national surveys and experiments. Important findings resulted from the project work. For example, comparisons across generations of voters showed that in western European democracies political ideology, social class, religion and dwelling are less of an influence on younger voters. ELECDEM published final reports as well as nine journal articles, one book review and three book chapters. The work is influential for researchers, participating institutions, industry partners and the broader academic community.