Right-wing populist parties and the future of democracy

Date: Friday September 28 Time: 08:30 – 09:30 Place: Bergen Resource Centre for International Development Svein-Erik Helle (CMI/UiB) in conversation with Jonas Linde (UiB) and Leiv Marsteintredet (UiB) Right-wing populist parties and candidates are at the forefront of two of the most important elections this autumn. In Sweden, the most fiercely debated question before the election was how well the Sweden […]

The growing age gap between rulers and ruled in Africa

Date: Tuesday 4 September Time: 08:30–09:30 Place: Bergen Resource Centre for International Development, Jekteviksbakken 31, Bergen Africa has the youngest population of any continent, but some of the oldest and longest serving Presidents. “When our leaders have become misleaders and mentors have become tormentors. When freedom of expression becomes the target of oppression, opposition becomes […]

Making professional decisions and judgements

Date: Thursday 23 August Time: 12:20–13:30 Place: Bergen Resource Centre for International Development, Jekteviksbakken 31, Bergen The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) is a global and a European standard. It is a legal document with global reach and thus a cosmopolitan imprint, as well as the most far-reaching document explicitly stating […]

Authoritarian Constitutionalism

Date: Wednesday 22 August Time: 11:15–12:15 Place: Bergen Resource Centre for International Development, Jekteviksbakken 31, Bergen Regimes moving towards more authoritarian forms of rule, often go to great length to formally amend their constitutions – which seems a paradox since they often seem not to care about adhering to them. Why do authoritarian rulers care about their […]

Judging democratic backlash

Date: Wednesday 22 August Time: 12:30–13:30 Place: Bergen Resource Centre for International Development, Jekteviksbakken 31, Bergen Many countries are currently experiencing a narrowing of democratic space. This frequently affects the court, both directly and indirectly. It often affects who are appointed (and not appointed) to the bench as well as the terms of their operation. Courts […]

Plunging into a new civil War? Political crisis in Burundi

Date: Monday 4th June 2018 Time: 13:30 – 14:30 Place: Bergen Resource Centre for International Development, Jekteviksbakken 31, Bergen In Burundi, a recent referendum approved extending President Nkurunziza’s and the ruling party CNDD-FDD’s – an insurgent group turned ruling party – hold on power until 2034. The President’s run for a third term in 2015 […]

Fight Rages Over Land Reform in South Africa: What will happen?

Date:Thursday 24th May 2018 Time: 08:30 – 09:30 Place: Bergen Resource Centre for International Development, Jekteviksbakken 31, Bergen Property rights are in danger in South Africa. The South African Parliament wants to fast track economic transformation and reverse the apartheid legacy by expropriation land without compensation. Can they do that? Is South Africa taking the […]

Good opposition, bad opposition? The role of the opposition in Kenya’s 2017 elections

Date: Friday 9th March 2018 Time: 08:30 – 09:30 Place: Bergen Resource Centre for International Development, Jekteviksbakken 31, Bergen Opposition parties and actors are often rightly lauded as heroes in processes of democratization. But is it always right and constructive to challenge an incumbent by any means possible? In this seminar, we will discuss this question […]

Shuffling the deck or steps towards democracy? Understanding political developments in Ethiopia

Date: Wednesday 7th March 2018 Time: 08:30 – 09:30 Place: Bergen Resource Centre for International Development, Jekteviksbakken 31, Bergen All parties and all regimes consist of factions. In authortiarian regimes, keeping the factions happy and avvoiding defections is critical for the survival of the regime. The ruling EPRDF regime in Ethiopia has faced both widespread factional […]

Coup or conversations? Understanding current events in Harare

Zimbabwe is currently at the center of world attention as the military are negotiating with Robert Mugabe about his exit after 37 years in power. Should current events be seen as a coup, or more as a factional struggle within the regime to clarify who will become the main man after Mugabe?