International Associated Laboratory on Political Parties, Representatives and Sustainable Development

| PARDUR
 

PARDUR

ULaval-C.png               lo_unil06_bleu-1.png

PARDUR (Political Parties, Representatives and Sustainable Development) is an international Associated Laboratory founded in May 2023 under a 5-year agreement between the rectorates of Université Laval and Université de Lausanne. It represents the fruit of collaboration between the two universities to enable research teams to join forces.

The International Laboratory aims to become an international centre of excellence in the study on political parties, political representatives and sustainable development, thanks to the quality and relevance of its research, innovation, training and transfer activities. To this end, its mission is to develop knowledge and technologies, and to promote their transfer to academic community and broader public.

Context

Despite the growing importance of societal issues linked to sustainable development in many fields of political and social sciences, research on political parties and political representatives is rather limited, including in Switzerland and Quebec. For example, the main source of international studies on political party platforms (https://manifestoproject.wzb.eu) provides only a general overview of sustainable development as an object of research in electoral studies, political communication and public policy.

Aiming to promote political research in sustainable development, the International Laboratory targets two complementary areas: the first regards how political parties and representation meet the challenges of reconciling the objectives of economic growth, social equity and environmental protection; the second refers to political salience and diversity of environmental issues (e.g., debates around energy sources, measures against pollution, the implications of industrial reconversions, etc.). These challenges are playing an increasingly important role in reshaping public opinions, electoral campaigns, party systems, parliamentary debates, and governement decision-making.

The International Laboratory aims to establish a consistent and regular observation of these challenges for better understanding the evolution of our democracies. The project focuses primarily on the political systems of Switzerland and Quebec. The evolution of the LIA, in conjunction with subsequent funding and collaborations, will extend to political systems bordering North America and Europe. The study of the role of the media and public opinion in relation to sustainable development and environmental issues is also envisaged.

Follow us: