Benjamin Gerhard Engst

Benjamin Gerhard Engst is an Associate Professor of Political Science within Public Policy and Administration at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Department of Sociology and Political Science. His research focuses on comparative politics, particularly the interaction between politics, law, and society in a cross-European context, with additional interests in US politics and societal dynamics.

Engst earned his PhD in Political Science from the University of Mannheim's Center for Doctoral Studies in Social and Behavioral Sciences, where he also completed his BA and MA in Political Science. His graduate studies included a year at Johns Hopkins University and a guest scholarship at Emory University during his doctoral research.

His research spans comparative political behavior, political institutions, and public policy, emphasizing judicial-political bargaining, constitutional courts, and democracy under pressure. Methodologically, he employs quantitative analysis, computational text mining, survey experiments, and game theory to examine how courts influence legislative processes and policy outcomes in Europe and the United States.

Publication analysis reveals a dominant focus on German constitutional court dynamics, with key contributions in top journals like the Journal of Politics and Journal of Law and Courts. While primarily a political scientist, his 2021 otology co-publications demonstrate interdisciplinary reach, though his core work centers on judicial behavior and European policy agendas.

He received the Dissertation Award of the German Political Science Association (DVPW) and leads major initiatives:

• The Constitutional Court Database tracking court-legislature interactions
• The German section of the Comparative Agendas Project analyzing policy priorities

As Chair of the ECPR Standing Group on Law & Courts Steering Committee, he shapes international research collaboration. His career includes postdoctoral roles at Konstanz (2021-2024) and Mannheim (2018-2021), plus research positions at Göttingen and Hannover, reflecting deep European academic integration.