Erik Vollmann

Erik Vollmann is a Research Associate at the Institute of Political Science at the Technical University of Dresden since April 2022, specializing in legitimacy processes and governance structures across democratic and authoritarian contexts. Previously, he worked as a Research Associate at FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg from August 2017 to March 2022 on a DFG-funded project on decentralization in the Arab world and served as a Research Fellow at Université Hassan I in Settat, Morocco from December 2018.

His educational background includes:

• Master of Arts in Political Science from FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg (completed 2017)
• Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from TU Chemnitz (completed 2015)
• Additional studies in Psychology at FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg

Vollmann's research focuses on legitimacy and legitimation processes, political culture, and identity construction across political systems. He has extensively studied democracy and authoritarian research, particularly regime persistence, change, and backsliding. His work on political communication, local governance, and decentralization in the MENA region examines how formal institutions interact with informal networks. He also analyzes migration policy and discourse, public policy, subnational public finance, and austerity measures, with methodological expertise in qualitative and quantitative discourse research conducted in challenging political environments.

His publication record demonstrates a strong focus on decentralization in authoritarian contexts, particularly in Morocco and Jordan. He has explored how local governance reforms can serve as legitimation strategies for authoritarian regimes, examining the interplay between formal institutions and informal elite networks. His work consistently bridges theoretical frameworks with empirical field research, offering nuanced insights into governance dynamics in restrictive political environments.

Vollmann actively contributes to the academic community through memberships in the German Working Group on the Middle East (DAVO), the German Political Science Association (DVPW), and the International Political Science Association (IPSA). He serves as ERASMUS Coordinator and holds module responsibility for Political Systems at TU Dresden. Additionally, he chairs Alumni Politics Erlangen and represents the Institute of Political Science, demonstrating his commitment to academic community building.

As an educator, Vollmann teaches courses on Political Systems, Empirical Democracy and Autocracy Research, Discursive Legitimation and Political Communication, and European Political Economy. His teaching reflects his research expertise, connecting theoretical concepts with contemporary political challenges while emphasizing methodological rigor in political science research.