Profile of the ZVD
As an interdisciplinary research centre, the ZVD aims to further the scientific exchange between the legal, historical, social and political sciences within the field of constitutionalism and democracy research and promote international networking. The ZVD is a forum for fundamental theoretical and empirical research into the creation and development of democratic constitutional order as well as the ideas of constitutionalism and democracy. The core areas of research for the ZVD are the role of the constitution as a medium and point of reference for societal integration, the change of democratic constitutional orders subject to the conditions of global society as well as the future conditions of regional and transnational spaces.
Fundamental interdisciplinary and international research
- Security analysis and networking for city districts experiencing change (SiQua), funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (2018-2021)
- Mercator Forum Migration and Democracy (MIDEM)
funded by the Mercator Foundation (since 2017) - Research project “The good citizen - Horizons of expectation and attribution practices" (Fritz Thyssen Stiftung) (2014 - 2018)
- Research association "La Démocratie face aux enjeux environnementaux"
(ANR) (since 2011) - Collaborative Research Centre 804 “Transcendence and Common Sense”, leader of the subproject “Democratic Order between Transcendence and Common Sense”
(CRC 804 - Subproject H) (2009 - 2014) - DFG project “Constitutionalisation of transnational spaces: Emergent constitutional processes and semantics in political science analysis” (2009 -2013)
- Research association “Concurrences de légitimité, types de contestation et transformations du statut de l’Etat dans les sociétés européennes”
(ANR) (2006-2009) - Research association “Territoires, populations et citoyenneté en Europe”
(CNRS) (2007-2009) - Collaborations with institutions in Italy, France, Poland, Croatia and the USA
- Interdisciplinary and international working group “Pre-modern and
modern constitutionalism” - Promote scientific dialogue through meetings, colloquiums
and public events - Transfer of research findings
Development of young researchers
- Exchange programme with the New School for Social Research in New York
- International and interdisciplinary graduate training
at the Graduate College of Collaborative Research Centre 804 (2009-2014) - European Graduate College 625, TU Dresden, und Ecole pratique des Hautes Etudes Paris, "Institutionelle Ordnungen, Schrift und Symbole”
Project “Development of political institutions and variety of constitutional cultures in Europe” (DFG) (2000-2009) - Project collaboration
- Student exchanges with collaboration partners
- Qualification papers (Magister, Doctorate, Habilitation) for
topics covered by the ZVD.
Specialised teaching
- Master’s course “Politics and Constitution”
Policy consultancy and political education