Helping to break down barriers
2020 marked 50 years since the creation of the ECPR. The objectives of the organisation and its founders were ambitious yet straightforward: ‘to break down the barriers [...] and create a truly international community of scholars within Europe…’
Fifty years on, despite all the success, progress and achievements of the ECPR, that goal remains valid today. Many barriers may have come down or been broken in the past 50 years, but there remains important work still to do. In particular, there are still a number of political scientists today who find it difficult – for a range of different reasons – to participate in ECPR activities and events, and the full impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is still to be felt in many countries.
With this in mind, the Executive Committee created a 50th Anniversary Fund, with a seed donation of £10,000, to support political scientists facing difficulties joining our activities and events whatever the reason (economic, political, social or other). Members of the ECPR community are invited to contribute to help it grow and increase the range of its disbursement.
Help scholars facing hardship – donate to the 50th Anniversary Fund online below via PayPal Donate.
The fund was first used for the 2020 Virtual General Conference, allowing eleven scholars from across the world participate in the event who otherwise would not have been able to.
Scholars facing hardship can apply for funding through the 50th Anniversary Fund or via any of our other streams of event participation funding.
Slider images
ECPR Founders
Top row L-R: Jean Blondel, Stein Rokkan, Peter de Janosi (of the Ford Foundation, which provided the grant to establish the ECPR) and Richard Rose
Bottom row L-R: Serge Hurtig, Hans Daalder, Norman Chester, Rudolf Wildenmann and Jorgen Westerstahl
ECPR now
Top row L-R: Simona Piattoni (first female Chair of the Executive Committee), Winter School 2018 participants, Summer School 2017 participants, student helper at the 2017 Oslo General Conference
Bottom row L-R: 2018 Hamburg General Conference Plenary Lecture, 2016 Winter School Instructor, current ECPR Chair Kris Deschouwer at the 2015 Montreal General Conference, participants at the 2018 Nicosia Joint Sessions and Elinor Ostrom delivering the Stein Rokkan Lecture at the 2011 St Gallen Joint Sessions.
