Message from the Chair of the IAB
"The Institute for Political Studies of the Portuguese Catholic University is planning to launch a new MA Program in Governance, Leadership and Democracy.
This program will not only be a home for teaching and research on democracy, but also provide a forum for the exchange of ideas and experiences among scholars and practitioners of democracy from around the world. This strikes me as a very attractive project, and I am honored to have been asked to chair an International Advisory Board that will provide it with oversight and guidance.
It is clear that the Advisory Board will be an advisory rather than a governing body, and that our recommendations will be conveyed to the scientific (i.e., academic) committee that directs the Institute. I believe that the Board can make an important contribution, both in bringing an international perspective and international standards to bear on the new MA program and in helping to maintain links between the program and related institutions outside of Portugal.”
Marc Plattner
Co-editor, Journal of Democracy
Vice-President for Research and Studies, National Endowment for Democracy, Washington DC
Message from the Program Director
“This new MA program not only aims at combining a strong teaching dimension with high-quality research. It also intends to provide permanent forum for scholars and practitioners working in the field of democracy. This third dimension is perhaps the most innovative and the one that can best help define the whole project. We will provide students with basic knowledge of the field through a standard course-based two-semester program.
We will add to that a very flexible program of seminars, lectures, workshops and debates involving scholars and practitioners from all over the world. We hope that from this interaction there will emerge new research projects that will attract some of our best students - who will come from overseas as well as from Portugal and the Portuguese-speaking countries.
To ensure that the program is international in scope and of the highest quality, we rely on an International Advisory Board composed of distinguished scholars and leading figures in the promotion of democracy. We trust that the IAB will guarantee an ongoing conversation with the existing institutions committed to democracy. We also expect the Board to provide guidance and oversight for the new MA.”
Professor João Carlos Espada
Director of the Institute for Political Studies (IEP)
