Dear AIPA Members and Friends,
After the COVID pandemic and the ensuing hiatus in our ability to host overseas guests, we are delighted to inform you that we have successfully arranged a face-to-face visit by the distinguished political scientist, Professor Radoslaw Markowski, Director of the Centre for the Study of Democracy at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, in Warsaw.
Therefore, we cordially invite you, along with your partners and friends, to join us on Wednesday, 14th February, at 6:30 pm at ‘Armagh House’, 226 Kooyong Rd, Toorak, for the last of Professor Markowski’s lectures in Melbourne. (The first lecture will take place at the University of Melbourne on Tuesday 13 February, 1–2 pm.)
An entrance fee of $15 (cash) will be charged to recover some costs of the refreshments and venue hire.
The current political landscape in post-election Poland is undeniably intricate. With Parliament in a state of crisis, the newly formed government of Donald Tusk is encountering a plethora of challenges. Regardless of one’s political affiliations or voting inclinations, listening to an expert like Professor Markowski promises to enrich our understanding of the prevailing political dynamics.
Although last minute attendees are always welcome, we would be grateful if you would indicate the likelihood of your attendance by Tuesday, February 13th, 2024.
As we enter the new year, I am grateful for your unwavering support and dedication to our shared causes.
With warm regards,
Dr Alexandra Margaret Dunwill
AIPA President
Polish Elections of 2023: Causes and Consequences
(abstract)
Until 2015, Poland was widely regarded as a paragon of successful democratic transition and consolidation. This presentation will examine theories that elucidate Poland’s initial prosperous journey towards democracy, as well as potential oversights that may have hindered scholars from foreseeing its eventual pitfalls and decline. It will also provide data elucidating shifts in political and party allegiances from 2015 to 2023. Particular emphasis will be placed on the factors contributing to the triumph of liberal-democratic parties in the recent parliamentary elections. The presentation will conclude with an exploration of the challenges facing the newly formed coalition government, along with provisional forecasts for the upcoming local (April) and European (June) elections.
Radoslaw Markowski, is Professor of political science at the Center for the Study of Democracy, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Warsaw and Principal Investigator of the Polish National Election Study. Recurring Visiting Professor at CEU, Budapest, in the past visiting professor at Duke, Wisconsin-Madison, Rutgers universities. Specializes in comparative politics, democracy and democratization, party systems and electoral studies. He has published in peer reviewed journals, among other in Electoral Studies, Party Politics, Political Studies, West European Politics. Main books: Post-communist Party Systems (Cambridge,1999, co-author), Europeanising Party Politics? (Manchester, 2011, co-editor) and Democratic Audit of Poland (Peter Lang 2015, co-author). He is also an expert of the Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem), Bertelsmann SGI project and Dahrendorf Forum at the Hertie School of Governance; Member of the editorial advisory boards of a number of academic journals, among them: European Journal of Political Research, Political Studies, Populism, European Union Politics; Steering/Planning committee member or Principal Investigator of several world-wide and pan-European projects: Comparative Study of Electoral Studies (CSES), European Election Study (EES), European Social Survey (ESS), three projects within the Framework Program 6 and 7.
