The research program of the Faculty of Political Science is directed toward development of research projects within Faculty's principal academic disciplines which include political theory/history of political ideas, Croatian politics/European Union politics, comparative politics, international relations and national security, public policy/public governance, communication science, the media, media policies. Within these segments special attention is devoted to: research of the development and implementation of national public policies within the context of Europeanization and research of their effects; research into the representativeness and responsiveness of the political system, parties and the media in national politics; analysis of the processes of integration and disintegration in South-East Europe throughout history and in the context of EU integration, including the aspect relating to security and establishment of peace; and research of the media system and its role in the political system and public communication in contemporary Croatian society. This research program is planned to be carried out through participation in national and international research projects and networks.

Research strategy of the Faculty of Political Science focuses on the following four strategic objectives:

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE No. 1: Determine the research profile of the Faculty of Political Science that will be recognisable within the Republic of Croatia and at the international level. This objective is being pursued through the mapping of research capacities and potential done in 2013, the data of which are currently being processed. The results of the mapping will reveal the research interests of Faculty staff, provide an overview of existing research capacities and skills, and demonstrate the potential for cooperation at several levels (at the level of departments, at the Faculty level, at the University level, at the national level and at the international level).

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE No. 2: Ensure an efficient organisational infrastructure, research activity and planning and management of research activities. In 2013, the Faculty launched a process that is to lead to the establishment of the Faculty Office for Research and International Projects. The principal function of this Office is to provide professional assistance and information, thus ensuring better-quality conditions for research work, long-term development of creative and innovative research projects, and the provision of administrative support to research projects and other forms of the Faculty's research activities. The Office is tasked with continually informing academic staff about research possibilities, providing them with support, advice and information required for successfully applying for, participating in, and effectively managing international research activities. 

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE No. 3: Increase research funding, in particular for interdisciplinary, intersectorial and international research. In 2013, the Faculty set up a system for the provision of funding and assistance to research and professional development and mobility of scholars. Within this system academic staff receives an annual funding for participation in international conferences and various professional development activities, such as summer schools, methodological seminars and workshops. This same system also supports research productivity by ensuring access to publication funding and by covering research and publication costs. Availability of such resources had a marked effect on raising the possibility of young scholars to participate in international conferences, summer schools, and other forms of professional development. Alongside the established system, which will be further developed, the Faculty will continue to secure resources for the purchase of literature, access to various types of data and computer software necessary for data analysis. Also, the setting up of the Office for Research and International Projects is expected to result in an increase in the number of applications and the rate of participation in international projects, and thus also in an increase in financial resources for research activities.

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE No. 4: Provide support and available services to scholars creating knowledge and applying this newly created knowledge to social and economic processes. In the forthcoming period, the Faculty plans to organise methodological and other workshops (transfer of knowledge, cooperation with stakeholders from the civil, economic and public sectors, etc.) for scholars, Ph.D. students, as well as other members of the University (in particular from the field of social sciences and the humanities). These workshops will enable the acquisition of new and the improvement of existing skills and will strengthen the transfer of knowledge. Moreover, the Faculty will undertake activities directed at increasing cooperation and the level of information exchange relating to research activities within its own academic staff and between the Faculty’s academic staff and academic staff of other research and higher education institutions. This in particular concerns the organisation of a Faculty seminar where the Faculty's teaching staff and guests from other institutions would present their research. The Office for Research and International projects will ensure that the planning and development of research projects includes the dimension of applicability of results and their responsiveness to the actual needs of the society, economy, and the public sector.

Contact:

Miroslav Petrović,
Research Office (Head)
mpetrovic@fpzg.hr
+385-1-4642041