Application deadlines
The next student intake will be in the Winter Semester. The application deadlines are: BA: 15th of July and MA: 15th of May.
Congratulations to all our graduates of the department!
On 4th of May 2024, the Department of Politics and Public Administration celebrated its successful graduates and said goodbye to them in a wonderful graduation ceremony. Our head of department Prof. Dr. Anke Hoeffler looked back on the time of study and praised the graduates. Afterwards the certificates were awarded and the best theses were presented. Some imressions can be found here. We congratulate all our graduates and wish them all the best for the future.
LakeMUN2024:
A successful debut in Konstanz
On 17th - 19th of May, students from our department organized the first major Model United Nations (MUN) conference in the history of our city. Model United Nations (MUN) are simulations of the United Nations in which students take on the roles of diplomats. This year, almost 170 participants took part to discuss social nd political topics. The participants were able to relax and network during an evening together at the water sports centre. The successful conclusion of the MUN was celebrated with a Diplomatic Ball. You can find a detailed report here. If you are interested in planning the next Model United Nations (MUN) in Konstanz, please contact nazan.elhadidi@uni-konstanz.de.
Top result in the Shanghai Global Ranking 2023
1st place in Germany, 38th place worldwide
In the Global Ranking of Academic Subjects 2023, the University of Konstanz achieved the 1st place nationwide in the category "Political Sciences". With the 38th place, the department reaches the worldwide top 50. These results reinforce the department's claim to be a top location for political science and public administration in Germany. The department was able to even surpass its very good results from the previous year (2022: 42nd place globally; 2nd place nationally). In the category "Public Administration", the University of Konstanz achieved, as in the previous year, a place in the global ranking group 51-75. Among German universities, this corresponds to ranking group 2-3 and is also an improvement compared to the previous year (2022 ranking: group 3-4 nationally).
The latest department
newsletter No. 34 is released
The department newsletter No. 34 has been published!
You can download the newsletter here.
Politics and Public Administration - Our Mission - Our Research
The Department of Politics and Public Administration at the University of Konstanz is one of the largest social science departments in Germany. We are recognized for excellent research and teaching in four areas of expertise: (i) democracy and public policy, (ii) international studies (iii) management and public administration, as well as (iv) data and methods. We place our students in top positions in academia, and the public, private and non-profit sectors – in Germany, Europe and worldwide.
Kilian Hampel in the German media: Why young Germans vote for populists
In the study Jugend in Deutschland 2024 (Youth in Germany 2024), Kilian Hampel shows that young Germans have lost their trust in the entire political system. The study shows that young people are confronted with existential fears: Old-age poverty, war, climate crisis, inflation and other financial problems. Among other things, a fifth of those surveyed, i.e. more than 2,000 young people, stated that they were in debt.
The study also shows that young people want to be heard. Thereby parties lack a clear vision for the future that could perhaps turn the current situation around: "But it will be very difficult for the established parties to do this before the next election," says Kilian Hampel. In uncertain times, when the dispute between the governing parties has become a constant topic in the news, the AfD has offered a clear line.
Broad coverage in German of the latest results of the Youth in Germany 2024 study and the AfD's success among young voters can be found here:
hessenschau - Young voters: What role does social media play in the European elections?
rbb radio 3 - Young voters: Why is the AfD approval rating so high here too?
SWR Kultur - Shift to the right due to permanent crisis? Why young Germans are voting for populists
Badische Zeitung - Political scientist on young voters who vote for the AfD: "They feel helpless"