Institute of Political Science
Director of the Institute of Political Science
Agnieszka Turska-Kawa, PhD, DLitt, Associate Professor
Deputy Director of the Institute of Political Science
Dana Petranova, PhD, DLitt
The Institute of Political Science was established on 1 October 1975, emerging as a separate unit from the Institute of Philosophy, Sociology and Political Science, just like the Institute of Philosophy and the Institute of Sociology. In 1978, it was renamed as the Institute of Political Science and Journalism, and it kept operating under this name until 2019. Then, on 1 October, the unit returned to its roots, restoring its original name.
As part of its scientific research, the Institute works primarily with researchers from two European regions: the Mediterranean Basin (including Spain, Italy, France and Turkey) and Central and Eastern Europe (Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania). The work consists of numerous scientific internships and study visits, resulting in scientific publications and research projects. We have also started working with researchers from Norway, the USA and Taiwan.
Currently, the Institute pursues basic research in two directions, and the results are actively applied in the environment of the University of Silesia, as well as internationally. The first area involves anti-corruption activities. The following research projects have been carried out at the Institute in relation to it: Counteracting corruption in local self-government entities (2015), Corruption in administration (2016), and Political corruption (2017). An Integrated Anti-Corruption Protection System has been developed on the basis of the research conducted (including studies published in high-scoring journals), and it is being implemented in nationwide and international local government, business and educational entities. The second area of research involves the prevention of depopulation, which is a major problem in the Upper Silesia and Dąbrowa Basin region, but also a matter of concern for Polish cities and other European countries. The research includes analyses of depopulation sources, designing expert opinions to stop unfavourable trends, undertaking international cooperation aimed at exchanging experiences, and implementing projects to strengthen young people’s attachment to the region (e.g. the University of the Best).
Members of staff of the Institute of Political Science have been actively involved in the initiatives of the European Consortium for Political Research and of the American Political Science Association. They have presented the results of their research at nationwide and international conferences, for instances in Washington, Boston, Cambridge, Florence, Hamburg, Turin, Ostrava and Athens.