ECMI Researchers Present at PSA25 Conference in Birmingham

Last week, ECMI researchers Felix Schulte, Dogukan C. Karakus, and Elmira Muratova participated in the 75th Political Studies Association (PSA) Annual International Conference, held from 14–16 April 2025 in Birmingham, United Kingdom.

This year’s PSA conference marked a special milestone — the 75th anniversary of the PSA — with the theme “What Next?”. Against the backdrop of political change, global conflicts, and shifting international alliances, the conference addressed urgent questions about the future of governance and democracy. With a record number of panels from 42 specialist groups, PSA25 brought together political scientists from across the globe to exchange insights and debate today's most pressing political challenges.

The ECMI researchers contributed to several panels:

• Felix Schulte presented his research on Do Power-Sharing Reforms Mitigate Sub-National Autocratization in Post-Conflict Settings? Experimental Evidence from Gagauzia in the panel “Institutional Arrangements for Ethnically Diverse Societies”.
• Together with Dogukan Cansin Karakus, he co-authored and presented a paper titled Soldier Funerals and Anti-Minority Riots in Turkey during the “Turkish Politics: National Security and Social Polarization” panel.
• Elmira Muratova and Felix Schulte also presented a joint paper on The Power of Emotions: Self-Organized Protest Dynamics in Occupied Crimea as part of the “Political and Social Movements: Participation, Tensions, and Successes” panel.

All three researchers are members of the ECMI’s Conflict & Security Cluster, which focuses on conflict dynamics, power-sharing, and inter-minority relations using theory-driven empirical research.

The PSA25 conference, co-hosted by the University of Birmingham’s Department of Political Science and International Studies (POLSIS) and the Department of Public Administration & Policy (DPAP), offered a rich academic programme alongside keynote addresses by Prof. Rosie Campbell, Prof. Anand Menon, and Prof. Nicole Curato. Delegates also had the opportunity to engage in mentoring sessions, publishing roundtables, and networking events during the three days in Birmingham.

Participation in PSA25 enabled ECMI researchers to share their latest findings, strengthen scholarly connections, and contribute to ongoing discussions on conflict, security, and minority rights in a rapidly changing political environment.

Learn more about the PSA Annual Conference here.