Nils Bormann

Nils Bormann is a Professor of International Political Studies at the University of Witten/Herdecke, affiliated with the Faculty of Business and Society and the Department of Philosophy, Politics and Economics. He leads research on political instability in multi-ethnic societies and democratic resilience, focusing on elite coalitions and civil war prevention through mixed-method approaches.

Education includes a Bachelor in Integrated Social Studies from Jacobs University Bremen, and a Master/PhD in Political Science from ETH Zurich. Professional stations include postdoctoral work at the University of Essex, University of Exeter, University of Pennsylvania, University of Pittsburgh, and Universität Konstanz.

Research Interests: Bormann investigates causes of instability in divided societies, democratization threats, ethnic conflict drivers, and economic inequalities. His ERC-funded project Democracy, Anger, and Elite Responses (DANGER) analyzes political violence in interwar Europe to assess contemporary democratic risks. Additional work examines Ethiopia's civil war and independence movements.

Publications focus on electoral systems, ethnic power relations, conflict diffusion, and globalization impacts. Recent trends include historical data archiving (e.g., AIEEDA) and quantitative modeling of electoral cleavages in Africa and Europe.

Team & Advising: Leads a research group including PhD and postdoctoral scholars. Current projects involve geo-localized conflict analysis and coalition stability. No awards are documented.

Teaching: Courses cover International Relations, Comparative Politics, War/Peace studies, and Foreign Policy, emphasizing interdisciplinary critical analysis.