The strategic goal of the CSS Institute for Political Science (IPS) is to remain the leading domestic research centre for political science and to become internationally known and recognised for its high level of excellence; a place where outstanding researchers work and want to work; where researchers continuously develop their knowledge and collaborate with each other to produce lasting results; which adequately represents the diversity of political science and can promote its achievements outside the academic world. To this end, we have set ourselves three medium-term strategic objectives:
(1) to develop IPS into a regional model institution,
(2) to maintain its leading role in domestic political science and, to achieve this,
(3) to focus on talent management, training, and recruitment.
1) IPS as a model institution in Central and Eastern Europe
By a model institution, we mean a research community that is competitive with the best researchers and research centres in the region in its own areas of research and in the individual research topics of our fellows. Competitiveness includes publication in leading international journals and publishers (a significant increase in the number of D1-Q1 journal articles), as well as successfully obtaining national and international grants (at least one ERC and consortium leader of one HORIZON grant) and assuming leading roles in international academic organisations (e.g. editing journals, organising conferences). When foreign colleagues look for a partner in Central and Eastern Europe, a regional model institution is the first thing they think of. A regional model institution has the potential to attract and retain Hungary's top political science scholars and can be an attractive destination for longer or shorter visits by renowned foreign researchers. This objective can only be achieved through joint national, Central European or even wider cooperation in which the IPS can act as an information and organisational centre, and thus expand its activities in a sustainable way.
Becoming a regional model institution also requires the strategic identification of research topics. In this respect, the existing capacities, achievements, skills and interests of the available research staff must be taken into account, as well as the expected direction of scientific development and the external environment. In the light of the external and internal assets and opportunities, the following thematic areas are particularly important:
- political behaviour – social values - elections - campaigns – communication – emotions in politics;
- governance – public policy - political economy;
- leadership – democracy – realism;
- political methodology: in particular the areas related to Big Data and the experimental method.
2) A catalyst for domestic political science
The regional leadership role to be achieved must in no way result in the IPS's functions in Hungarian political science being diminished. As the country's largest political science research centre, the Institute should continue to play a catalytic role in the development of the discipline. Such functions of national value include the operation of the country's only double-blind peer-reviewed journal specialising in political science, the Political Science Review, support for the Hungarian Political Science Association, and the HAS IX. Section – Committee on Political Science, and the work of the Institute's staff in reviewing grant proposals and articles. We also host several large group projects that are carried out in cooperation between staff from several institutions (e.g. the work of the Active Youth Research Group), while the Hungarian-language volumes we publish provide Hungarian readers with reliable information on important political events and politically relevant social changes (see the Trends in Hungarian Politics book series, regularly published Election Volumes).
The Institute operates a joint research project with several Hungarian universities, while over the years, students from Veszprém to Debrecen, from ELTE to the University of Szeged have gained work experience with us. The IPS maintains several large databases (e.g. Comparative Agendas Project), which are constantly growing. The Institute is also at the forefront of promoting the latest advances in political research methodology in Hungary, be it experimental methods, data visualisation or text mining.
3) Talent management and training, integration, and recruitment
A key prerequisite for reaching regional excellence in political science is an internationally recognised research community. It is therefore particularly important to recruit the most talented scholars, who are also familiar in the international academic world. Competitive salaries, research infrastructure and a good working environment are obvious prerequisites for this. Furthermore, it is important that IPS staff are committed to their professional development and that the management of the institution provides all the support and incentives to this end. Junior colleagues should be given the opportunity for self-training and participation in academic trainings. Summer and winter university visits should be guaranteed as far as possible and the internal training programme of the IPS should be tailored to the needs of the ongoing research projects.
We actively encourage talented researchers to return home after their studies abroad, or to make the institute more open to non-Hungarian-speaking scholars. Every year, we invite at least one visiting researcher. We are also placing greater emphasis on providing opportunities for women, parents with young children or young researchers from disadvantaged backgrounds to join the Institute. We aim to level the Institute's gender balance and eliminate gender inequalities.
Budapest, 15 May 2019
Directorate of IPS