Arqus Summer School on Democracy: Political and Social Polarisation

Political polarisation is not just an academic buzzword. It affects how democratic systems work in real life. Recent research, such as Patkós and Plesz (2025), shows that high levels of polarisation can weaken democratic accountability by eroding trust, narrowing political debate, and encouraging negative campaigning.

A growing body of literature further examines how polarisation shapes voter behaviour, party systems, and institutional checks and balances. Our summer school will explore these issues from a comparative European perspective, combining theory with empirical research. The summer school will consist of lectures delivered primarily by scholars affiliated with the Arqus Alliance universities, as well as presentations by accepted participants.

Participants will be required to submit a research paper of approximately 20,000 characters (including references) related to the summer school theme one week prior to the programme and to present their work during the summer school.

Eligibility:

• The summer school is open exclusively to PhD candidates and MA students from Arqus Alliance universities, with a maximum of three participants accepted per university.
• We welcome applications from a broad range of disciplines within the social sciences and humanities, including political science, sociology, history, law, philosophy, communication studies, and economics.

Dates and venue:

• The summer school will be held from 8 to 12 June 2026 in Wrocław.

• Application deadline: 26 February 2026 (around 25 top candidates will be shortlisted for short online interviews). Details of the application are available at the link below.

• Results announced: 15 participants will be selected and informed by 3 March 2026. Accepted participants are required to submit a research paper of approximately 20,000 characters (including references) related to the summer school topic by 1 June 2026.

Cost:

• Participation is fully funded by the University of Wrocław (including travel cost to and from Wroclaw) within the programme “Support for European Universities Alliances” financed by the National Agency for Academic Exchange. Financial details will be shared individually by email.