Christian W. Haerpfer

Prof. Dr. Christian W. Haerpfer is a prominent political scientist serving as President of the World Values Survey Association (WVSA) since 2013 and a university lecturer at the University of Vienna's Institute of Political Science since 2003. He holds the venia docendi qualification for political science and has been director of the Institute for Comparative Survey Research and founder/director of initiatives like the Eurasia Barometer and New Democracy Barometer. His research focuses on democratization in Eastern Europe/Eurasia, comparative electoral systems, and post-communist societal transformations.

Education: PhD in Political Science/Modern History (University of Vienna, 1980), MSc in Political Science (University of Strathclyde, 1981), and academic teaching qualification (2003). He has held visiting professorships at universities in Glasgow, Kharkiv, Kigali, Kyiv, Prague, and Jerusalem. His awards include residential fellowships at the Leverhulme Trust, Woodrow Wilson Center, and European University Institute.

Research emphasizes comparative survey methodologies, with a focus on understanding political support for democracy, electoral behavior, and sociopolitical change in post-communist regions. Recent publications explore democratization dynamics, health transitions post-communism, and social capital in Eurasia. His work bridges theoretical political science with applied survey research in transitional societies.

Awards: Multiple residential fellowships at prestigious institutions highlight his scholarly impact. His advisory roles include chairing IPSA's Research Committee on Comparative Survey Research since 2009.

Labs/Teams: Leads major cross-national survey projects (WVS, Eurasia Barometer) that analyze societal transformations across Eastern Europe and Eurasia through large-scale data collection and analysis.