Funding for EP candidate research

Press release, 9 August 2012

European Parliament Committee funds UT research on independent electoral candidates

A group of University of Tartu (UT) political scientists and lawyers around CEURUS director and researcher Piret Ehin has been awarded a research contract (55.000 Euro) by the Committee of Constitutional Affairs of the European Parliament in order to perform a study on “Independent candidates in national and European elections“ due by February 2013.

The study will contain the following major elements:

1. Defining independence
2. Electoral strength of independent candidates in EU-27
3. Electoral system effects on the presence and performance of independents
   – Type of election (national, European, regional)
   – Age of the electoral system
   – Ballot access requirements
   – Seat allocation procedures
   – Campaign financing and advertising rules
4. Electoral rules on independent candidates in EU-27
   – Empirical overview of relevant electoral rules in EU-27
   – Testing for electoral system effects in EU-27
5. Other factors that affect the presence and performance of independent candidates
   – Robustness of the voter-party linkage
   – Political supply and gaps in representation
   – Information and communication technologies in electoral campaigns
6. Voter profiles: individual-level correlates of voting for independent candidates
7. Independent candidates in office

For more information, please conteact the research team leader Dr. Piret Ehin