Our research focus

Mission Statement

The Department of Political and Administrative Science at the University of Konstanz is one of the largest social science institutes in Germany. The department provides research and teaching at the highest level in the four focus areas (i) Democracy and Public Policy, (ii) International Studies, (iii) Management and Public Administration, and (iv) Data and Methods.

The department's degree programmes offer a comprehensive and interdisciplinary education that covers political science and public administration topics across the board and provides sound methodological skills. We ensure excellent student support, small seminar groups, compulsory internships, as well as exchange programmes and double master's programmes with leading universities worldwide. Our goal is to equip students with the skills, knowledge and networking access that will prepare them for successful careers in the public, private or non-profit sectors. Our graduates take on diverse leadership roles in politics, administration, business and academia - in Germany, Europe and around the world.

The department's research is oriented towards theory- and evidence-based social science methods. Cooperation with researchers from leading academic institutions worldwide and a publication culture that targets the best journals and publishers ensure the department's high international visibility. Our research subjects include political, administrative and organisational structures, processes, and policies, which are studied from national, international and comparative perspectives. Our interdisciplinary commitment manifests itself in the Cluster of Excellence "The Politics of Inequality: Perceptions, Participation and Policies", which has been funded since 2019 as part of the Excellence Strategy of the German federal and state governments.