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Department of Comparative Politics

Stein Rokkan

Professor Stein Rokkan was a key figure in the Comittee Report of promoting the social sciences at Bergen. At that time he was chief researcher at Chr. Michelsen Institute in Bergen and in 1966 he was appointed professor in Sociology at the University of Bergen with special responsibility for developing the field of comparative politics. He was a brilliant, leading researcher as well as organizer and administrator in national and international organizations of political and social sciences.

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Stein Rokkan

Rokkan was a prominent and leading researcher, organizer and administrator in both national and international political- and social science. Both abroad and in Norway there has been a number of intiatives to honour the memory of Stein Rokkan for his great contributions in the development of the social sciences after World War II.

Rokkan was, amongst other things, president of International Political Science Association (1970-73), vice-president for International Sociological Association (1966-70), chairman of European Consortium for Political Research (1970-76) which he helped found. He was president of International Social Science Council associated with UNESCO (1973-77) and chairman of Nordisk Forbund for Statskundskab (1975-76) in which he initiated the organisational effort. He was also professional leader for the Norwegian Social Science Data services (1975-79) when established and the first years of its development.

For more information, see Arild Stubhaug’s biography, Stein Rokkan. Fra periferi til sentrum (Bergen: Vigmostad & Bjørke, 2019) and the short overview by Stein Kuhnle in the booklet Stein Rokkan - Statesman of the Social Sciences (Bergen/Paris: NSD and ISSC, 2009).

Prices and lectures

Within the European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR) the Stein Rokkan Lectures are held at an annual arrangement called «Joint Sessions of Workshops». The International Political Science Association has established a Stein Rokkan Memorial Fund which grants stipends for students to attend IPSA World Congress.

The International  Science Council (ISC), the University of Bergen and the ECPR collaborate on awarding an annual Stein Rokkan Prize for Comparative Social Science Research (5000 Euro). Department of Comparative Politics has at any time a member of the jury which is led by a member of the ECPR Executive Committee.  

The Department of Comparative Politics has, since 1981, arranged an annual Stein Rokkan Memorial Lecture as a tribute to his memory.

Stein Rokkan Memorial Lectures

2023 - Daniele Caramani
Global Cleavages: Political Conflict across World Regions in Historical Perspective

2022 - Sheri Berman
The Decline of the Left, The Rise of Populism, and the Fate of Democracy. 

2021 - Lars Mjøset
Model and Method in Rokkan’s 1976 papers on Western Europe. Applicable to other world regions?

2020 - Canceled due to the pandemic

2019 - Hanspeter Kriesi
The political consequences of the Great Recession in Europe

2018 - Kathleen Thelen
The American Political Economy in Comparative Perspective

2017 - Maurizio Ferrera
Disproved or vindicated? Stein Rokkan and European Integration.

2016 - Liesbet Hooghe and Gary Marks
Rokkan on Regional Governance: The Effect of Community

2015 - Lee Epstein
The Study of Judicial Behavior

2014 - Herbert Kitschelt
Citizen-Politician Linkage Strategies: Clientelism and Programmatic Cleavages

2013 - Donatella della Porta
The Reemergence of a Class Cleavage? Social Movements in Times of Austerity

2012 - Margaret Levi
In the Interest of Others: Leaders, Governance, and Political Activism in Membership Organizations

2011 - Robert Putnam
Does Religion Foster or Undermine Democracy in America?

2010 - Bo Rothstein
Quality of Government: What it is? What you get? How to get it?

2009 - Adam Przeworski
2008 - Mark N. Franklin
2007 - Frances Fox Piven
2005 - Johan P. Olsen
2004 - Pippa Norris
2003 - Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson
2002 - Theda Skocpol
2001 - Øyvind Østerud
2000 - Stefano Bartolini
1999 - William Miller
1998 - Peter H. Merkl
1997 - Derek Urwin
1996 - Hans-Dieter Klingemann
1995 - Peter Mair
1994 - Jens Alber
1993 - Charles Tilly
1992 - Seymour Martin Lipset
1991 - Hans Daalder
1990 - Johan Galtung
1989 - Max Kaase
1988 - Juan J. Linz
1987 - Henry Valen
1986 - Reinhard Bendix
1985 - Shmuel N. Eisenstadt
1984 - Robert A. Dahl
1983 - Peter Flora
1982 - William J. MacKenzie
1981 - Erik Allardt