On Friday, October 7, renowned political science scholar and prolific author Prof. Dr. Herbert P. Kitschelt addressed a packed room at the Vienna School of International Studies as he presented his most recent research on clientelism and political effort. The lecture, entitled “Democracy and Political Accountability,” was co-sponsored by the Vienna School of International Studies, the Institute for Advanced Studies in Vienna, and Webster University Vienna.

Prof. Dr. Kitschelt, whose research has primarily focused on the role of political parties and party systems in democratic politics, is the George V. Allen Professor of International Relations at Duke University. Among other things, Prof. Dr. Kitschelt’s research has been recognized as redefining the way people traditionally thought of political competition in Europe. He was one of the first scholars to examine the rise of Green parties and new radical right parties in Western Europe, as well as investigating the emerging party systems in post-communist Eastern Europe.

The lecture, introduced by Prof. Dr. Markus Kornprobst (Professor or International Relations, Vienna School of International Studies), was followed by a question-answer session moderated by Prof.-Dr. Johannes Pollak (Senior Researcher, Webster University Vienna; Department Head, Political Science, IHS).