We wish all new students a successful start to the semester (Photo: Department team at the Campus Run on October 16, 2024).
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 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.
The silent majority on the streets? Who actually goes to demonstrations against right-wing extremism.
Since the beginning of 2024, protests against right-wing extremism have been very popular across Germany. But is it really a "silent majority" that is standing up for democracy? Marco Bitschnau and Sebastian Koos found that the participants mostly feel they belong to the upper middle class, are politically left of centre and have above-average educational qualifications. Many have no experience of protesting and are concerned about the rise of the AfD, but are more nuanced when it comes to dealing with the party and its supporters. You can find the policy paper here. You can find detailed newspaper articles on the study in German from the NZZ here, from the Südkurier here and from Focus here.