معرفی
Thomas Poguntke is Professor of Comparative Politics at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, holding the Chair since 2010. He serves as co-director of the Düsseldorf Party Research Institute (PRuF) and coordinates an international longitudinal study of political parties across more than 50 countries with Susan Scarrow (Houston) and Paul Webb (Sussex).
His primary research focuses on comparative party politics, with particular emphasis on intra-party democracy, party organization, digital campaigning, and the presidentialization of politics. Poguntke's work bridges theoretical analysis with empirical research on party systems across Europe and globally. His recent scholarship examines the impact of digital technologies on party organization and campaigning, as well as structural changes in party systems including the decline of traditional catch-all parties.
Poguntke's extensive publication record reveals consistent engagement with party organization theory, European party systems, and German politics. His research demonstrates how digital transformation is reshaping traditional party structures while examining persistent questions about party membership decline and organizational adaptation. The longitudinal nature of his work with the Political Party Database Project provides valuable comparative data on party evolution across democratic systems.
Poguntke has held significant editorial roles including membership on the board of Acta Politica and previous co-editorship of German Politics. His academic leadership extends to co-directing ECPR Summer Schools on Political Parties and European Politics at the European University Institute.
His research trajectory shows a progression from early work on Green parties to broader comparative analyses of party systems, with recent emphasis on digital politics and intra-party democracy. Current projects include DFG-funded research on opposition party behavior and continued development of the Political Party Database Project.