About our Department

Since the international publication culture in political science is increasingly developing towards the publication of articles in specialist journals, the Institute is also endeavouring to promote publication in specialist journals. Particular emphasis is placed on publications in specialist journals with anonymous review procedures (double-blind peer-review) and free access to the articles (open access). Like journal publications that have undergone a peer-review process, however, monographic publications with high-quality specialist publishers also fulfil the criteria of academic excellence.

In addition to the training of young academics, academic teaching also aims to provide a scientifically sound education for the non-scientific labour market. For this reason, the Institute pays attention to a balanced ratio of scientific and practice-relevant content in the courses of the political science curricula. In addition, the Institute strives to promote the use of new media and learning technologies and to continuously review and improve the quality of academic teaching through course evaluations.

The basis of academic excellence is working in accordance with the rules of good scientific practice and communicating these rules to students. The members of the Institute are guided in their academic research and teaching by the corresponding guidelines of the University of Innsbruck as well as the Guidelines of the Austrian Agency for Scientific Integrity.

The Institute has steadily internationalised its research and teaching content in recent years. At the same time, research and teaching on national and regional politics is an essential element in its profile. Thus, the analysis of the Austrian political system, federalism and politics at the level of sub-national regional authorities as well as regional, cross-border integration are among the Institute's core areas of research and teaching. The coexistence of empirical-analytical, theoretical, policy-oriented and normative science also contributes significantly to the Institute's profile. This pluralism makes a significant contribution to the competitiveness of the Institute's graduates on the non-academic labour market.

Since the introduction of the priority system, a number of staff members of the Institute have participated in the research priorities, platforms and centres of the University of Innsbruck. In this context, reference should be made to the research centres Social Theory and Federalism, the research platform Gender research and the research focus Economy, Politics and Society (EPoS). The Institute would like to further strengthen this integration into the priority area system in the coming years.

Especially at a time when the legitimacy of scientific expertise is being questioned and the fundamental principles of democracy and the rule of law are being challenged, the Institute must resolutely and sustainably pursue the transfer of scientific knowledge to the non-university sphere. This transfer can and should take place in various forms such as contributions in traditional and new media, participation in the further education of administrative, governmental and parliamentary employees, advising political decision-makers or measures in the field of political education.