The Research Centre for Political Behaviour and Agency (PORE) focuses on the systematic, interdisciplinary study of political behaviour and agency in democratic societies, understood broadly as how citizens, groups, and publics engage with politics, public institutions, governance processes, and policy-making. Political behaviour is examined across electoral and non-electoral arenas and at multiple levels of governance, from local and regional democracy to national and supranational political systems. A distinctive feature of PORE is its integration of political science, administrative sciences, and business and consumer research perspectives. PORE’s research activities are organised around three closely connected research priority areas, each of which draws on and highlights the specific expertise of the centre’s core members.
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Political Participation, Representation, and Democratic Inequalities
This research area examines who participates in politics and decision-making, how participation is structured, and how political representation is formed across different levels of governance. Core themes include voting behaviour, candidate recruitment, political engagement beyond elections, and inequalities related to age, education, gender, socio-economic position, and region. Particular attention is paid to local and regional democracy, democratic innovations and reforms, participatory arrangements, and citizens’ experiences of inclusion, voice, and agency. The area also examines multilevel democracy across municipal, regional, national, and European levels.
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Political Attitudes, Trust, and Democratic Legitimacy
This area focuses on the attitudinal foundations of democracy, including political trust, institutional legitimacy, democratic support, and political values. Research examines how attitudes are shaped by life-course experiences, institutions, crises, and policy change, and how they are transmitted across generations and social groups. Particular attention is paid to democratic resilience, inequalities in trust and political efficacy, and long-term trends in democratic support. Drawing on survey data, election studies, experiments, and comparative research, this work provides key insights into the quality and stability of democratic systems.
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Participatory Foundations of Governance, Policy, and Societal Change
This area connects political agency research with public policy, governance, and societal change. It examines behavioural responses to policy instruments, public participation in policymaking, and citizens’ roles in governance beyond formal political participation. A distinctive feature is the integration of consumer and sustainability research into the study of political behaviour. Research explores how citizens act as voters, consumers, and participants in sustainability transitions, and how values, norms, and everyday practices shape engagement with issues such as environmental policy, the circular economy, and responsible consumption. By linking political behaviour to governance and sustainability, this area strengthens the policy relevance of political behaviour research.
