Research Group on European Security and Defence Studies

Description

The research is focused on the comparative analysis of democratisation and democratic quality processes in culturally, socially, economically and politically different countries and of the main threats to democratic stability in terms of both international security and the emergence of extremist groups within said democracies.

There is a collaboration with institutions such as the South African University of Stellenbosch's Centre for International and Comparative Politics and Military institutions of various countries.

Goals CT

Analyse factors determinative of the political stability in contemporary democracies.
Analyse the main internal and external threats for said political stability in terms of international security.
Analyse factor stabilising democratic legitimacy.
Analyse the differences between elite and citizenship in terms of satisfaction, democratic support and institutional trust.
Analyse the support for extremist parties.
Analyse the struggle against radicalism and extreme violence.
Analyse the anti-terrorist struggle from a gender perspective.

Research lines

Electoral behaviour
Quantitative analysis of factors determinative of elite and citizen votes in the national elections of their corresponding countries.
International security
Analysis and assessment of security policies, such as military and civil operations, geopolitics, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, economic sanctions.
Institutional trust
Analysis and evolution of the level of citizen and elite trust towards State institutions particularly in economic crisis situations.
European security and defence policies. External action
Analysis and assessment of the European security and defence policies, such as military and civil operations, geopolitics, the Global Strategy in security and defence of the European Union, regional strategies for the Mediterranean, Sahel missions, counter terrorist struggle of the EU in Sahel.

Management