Welcome!
My Name is Elena. I am a Post-doctoral Researcher in the Coordination Committees as Parliamentary Agenda Setters (CoCoPAS) at the Institute for Political Science of the University of Bamberg (Germany).
I use quantitative, qualitative, as well as mixed research methods to study comparative political institutions, representation, European Union, European legislative politics, parties, political careers, parliamentary behaviour and decision-making as well as gender.
Research Areas
- Representation & Political Inclusion: Who gets to be present in politics - and under what conditions?
- Institutional Structures: How do formal and informal institutional rules shape access and opportunity in politics?
- Political Processes: How do political processes work and how do they reproduce or challenge inequality in representation?
These themes and areas are interconnected and are studied through a range of approaches to understand and evaluate Democratic Legitimacy in European and comparative contexts.
***News***
March 2025: Interested in the challenges women face in EU politics? Please find our post on EUROPP here:
The complex struggle for gender equality in EU politics
Jessica Fortin-Rittberger and I explain that the EU is often viewed as a champion of gender equality. But unless commitments are translated into sustained action, future political changes could reverse the progress made so far.
March 2025: The Special Issue I edited on "Gendered EUropean careers? Representation and the challenges in women's political careers" will appear in EUP soon! Please find an overview of challenges faced by women in European Politics here.
February 11th, 2025: The EUObserver interviewed me on parents, particularly mothers, in the European Parliament. Ever asked yourself if the EU Parliament is still letting down female MEPs with children? Find the answer here.