Rannsóknahópar við Stjórnmálafræðideild

Information only in English

Keywords
Arctic, security, governance, international relations, cooperation

Short description
Arctic studies - as a form of area studies in political science/international relations – places the historical, political, economic, social and legal dimensions of the Arctic region at the centre of its work. It is also interested in the relationship and links between the Arctic and the world beyond. The group seeks to investigate various topics within Arctic studies, including, but not limited to: 

• Iceland in Arctic context; 
• relations between and among the Arctic states; 
• relations between the Arctic states and other state and non-state actors (eg the East Asian states, EU, NATO etc); 
• special or semi-autonomous regions in the Arctic (eg Greenland, Svalbard Islands); 
• the roles and impacts of Arctic-relevant regional fora (eg Arctic Council, Arctic Circle, Barents Euro-Arctic Council, West Nordic Council, Nordic Council, etc) 
• the political, social and economic consequences of a rapidly changing Arctic environment; 
• the interests, roles, impacts and political approaches of Arctic indigenous peoples and organisations (eg Inuit Circumpolar Council, Permanent Participants of the Arctic Council, Circumpolar Inuit Declaration on Sovereignty in the Arctic, etc). 

Contact information: Please send any inquiries to arcticstudies@hi.is   

Research team: 
Page Wilson (plw@hi.is) 
Guðbjörg Ríkey Th. Hauksdóttir (PhD student) (grh9@hi.is) 
Baldur Thorhallsson (baldurt@hi.is) 
Valur Ingimundarson (vi@hi.is) 
Lara Johannsdottir (laraj@hi.is) 
Kristin Ingvarsdottir (kristini@hi.is) 
David Cook (dac@hi.is)

Information only in English

Short Description:
The overall aim of the research group is to address the key questions emerging from the integration and disintegration of Europe from the vantage point of political theory. These include theoretical questions about the nature and driving forces of European integration, but also about the impact of the process on European nation states and societies. The research group also sets out to analyze questions about how European integration shapes and transforms classical and contemporary concepts in political theory, including (but by no means limited to) the state, citizenship, community, democracy, the public sphere, etc. Given the recent trajectory of the EU throughout its “decade of crisis”, special emphasis will be placed on the question about the extent to which the rising tide of Euroskepticism and populism (and indeed the case of Brexit) indicate the beginning of a process of European disintegration. The research to be conducted in this group is rooted in international relations and political theory, but also draws inspiration from political sociology and political communication. Emphasis is placed both on processes occurring in the institutions of the political system and in the public sphere, taking into account the transformative impact of technological developments (e.g. the rise of digital and social media) and the recent rise of post-truth politics.

Composition:
The group only has two members at this point, but it is the declared aim of the research group to expand by attracting new PhD students, but also actively fostering the next generation of EU researchers by recruiting undergraduate and graduate students to write their theses under the supervision of the research groups’ members. In the medium term, the goal is also to submit an application for a Jean Monnet Chair in the topic area of the research group.

Members:
Maximilian Conrad (mc@hi.is) 
Vittorio Orlando (vio14@hi.is) 

Contact:
Maximilian Conrad, mc@hi.is, +354 525 5451

Information only in English

Keywords: 
technology; social responsibility; digital rights

Short Description
‘Innovation is not a goal; it is a means for societal progress’ – Moshe Vardi, 2019. In the Information Age, various, individual technological developments have made positive contributions to our lives. However, the role and impact of technology – as an industry, as an academic pursuit, as a whole - on politics, economies and societies are under-researched and far less understood. The purpose of this research group is to address this gap. In particular, the group seeks to investigate the political dimensions of technology, including, but not limited to:

• -surveillance capitalism and civil liberties; 
• digital (including social) media as a political tool; 
• tech education, training, processes and culture - in industry and academia - and social responsibility; 
• algorithmic biases and their effects; 
• AI and ethics; 
• political influences/world-view of prominent individual tech leaders; 
• local, regional and/or international efforts to regulate the tech sector, subject it to public scrutiny, and/or otherwise hold it accountable in democratic context; 
• the narratives and framings used by different actors within the tech sector (eg how ‘problems’ are defined, ‘solutions’ designed, etc), and what these reveal about underlying political and social assumptions/values/aims. 

Contact Infomation: Please send any inquiries to the research team.

Research Team: 
Page Wilson (plw@hi.is) 
Jacky Mallett (jcm@hi.is)
Jón Gunnar Ólafsson (jgo@hi.is) 
Luca Aceto (luca@ru.is) 
Max Conrad (mc@hi.is)

Viðfangsefni / svið. 
Fréttir,  blaða- og fréttamennska, fjölmiðlar og lýðræði, kyn og fjölmiðlar, fjölmiðlakerfi, fjölmiðlastefna, fjölmiðlanoktun

Stutt lýsing
Hópurinn fæst einkum við rannsóknir á fréttamiðlum á Íslandi, umhverfi þeirra, starfsemi og starfskilyrði í víðum skilningi. Áhersla hópsins er ekki síst á lýðræðishlutverk fjölmiðla, og að setja stöðuna hér á landi í alþjóðlegt samhengi. Sem dæmi um viðfangsefni má nefna rannsóknir á stöðu blaðamennsku í breyttu fjölmiðlaumhverfi; á hlut kvenna og karla í fréttum, rannsóknir á fréttaneyslu og á gerð og uppbyggingu fjölmiðlakerfa á Norðurlöndum.

Meðal samstarfsverkefna innan hópsins eru: 

• Staða blaða- og fréttamennsku á Íslandi. Markmið verkefnis er að kortleggja þá óvissu og ógnir sem íslenskir blaða- og fréttamenn standa frammi, vegna mikilli breytinga á umhverfi fjölmiða á undanförnum árum, og að öðlast betri skilning á því hvernig þeir bregðast við og laga sig að breytingum. Jafnframt er markmiðið að setja stöðu blaða- og fréttamennsku á Íslandi í samhengi, með því að bera hana saman við stöðuna í öðrum löndum og að skoða langtímabreytingar. Rannsóknin er hluti af alþjóðlegri langtímarannsókn, the Worlds of Journalism Study (WJS).
• Fjölmiðlar og lýðræði. Ísland í alþjóðlegri vöktun. Markmið verkefnisins er að rannsaka að hvaða marki umhverfi, starfsskilyrði og vinnubrögð íslenskra fréttamiðla stuðla að og styðja við lýðræði í landinu. Mældar eru og vaktaðar breytingar á hlutverki fjölmiðla þegar kemur að opinberum boðskipum og upplýsingastreymi, með hliðsjón af þörfum lýðræðissamfélaga. Rannsóknin er hluti af alþjóðlegu verkefni rannsakenda frá um 20 löndum víðsvegar í heiminum, undir yfirskriftinni Media for Democracy Monitor (MDM).  
• Konur og karlar í fréttum á Íslandi: Alþjóðleg fjölmiðlavöktun. Hluti af alþjóðlegri fjölmiðlavöktun á kynjamisrétti í fjölmiðlum. Markmiðið er að kortleggja hlut karla og kvenna í fréttum helstu fjölmiðla á Íslandi og birtingarmyndir kynjanna í fréttum. Jafnframt að skoða þróunina yfir tíma og í samanburði við önnur lönd. Verkefnið er hluti af Gender and Media Monitoring Project (GMMP), sem er umfangsmesta og langlífasta rannsókn á hlut kvenna og karla í fréttum í heiminum. 
• Norrænt rannsóknasamstarf um fjölmiðlakerfi á Norðurlöndum. Markmið rannsóknasamstarfs um fjölmiðlakerfi er að þróa leiðandi rannsóknarumhverfi með það að markmiði annars vegar, að auka þekking á gerð og uppbyggingu fjölmiðlakerfa á Norðurlöndum og getu þess til að skapa skilyrði fyrir sterkt og gagnsætt lýðræði í norrænum samfélögum; og hins vegar að rannsaka hvort þessi þekking geti nýst í tengslum við þær áskoranir sem fréttmennska og lýðræði standa frammi fyrir á Vesturlöndum. Rannsakendur frá öllum Norðurlöndum taka þátt í þessu samstarfi.  

Rannsóknarteymi:
Birgir Guðmundsson (birgirg@unak.is)
Finnborg Salome Þorkelsdóttir (finnborg@hi.is)
Friðrik Þór Guðmundsson (fridgud@hi.is)
Guðbjörg Hildur Kolbeins (kolbeins@hi.is)
Gyða Margrét Pétursdóttir (gydap@hi.is)
Jón Gunnar Ólafsson (jgo@hi.is)
Valgerður Jóhannsdóttir (vaj@hi.is)
Þorgerður Einarsdóttir (the@hi.is)

Hafa samband
Fyrirspurnir er hægt að senda á vaj@hi.is og leitast er við að svara öllum fyrirspurnum eins fljótt og auðið er. 

Media, democracy and the state of journalism in Iceland and in a comparative setting

Keywords. News, journalism, media and democracy, gender and media, media system, media policy, media consumption   

Short description
The groups main focus is on researching news media in Iceland, and the environment, working condition and practices of the media. An emphasis is on the role of the media plays in democratic societies, and on putting the situation in Iceland in an international perspective through comparative research. Examples of research topics are: investigating the state of journalism in light of changes in the media environment in recent years, the portrayal of women and men in news, peoples´ news consumption patterns, and compairing media systems in the Nordic countries. 

The group investigates various topics such as: 

• The State of Journalism in Iceland. The aim of this project is to map levels of risk and uncertainty journalists are facing in Iceland. Journalists and news organizations in Iceland and around the world are confronted with an unprecedented and multi-faceted crisis, due to changes in the media environment in recent years. The study sets out to better understand the ways through which journalism copes with and adapts to risk and uncertainty. The research is a part of an international, longitudinal project, the Worlds of Journalism Study (WJS).
• The Icelandic Media for Democracy Monitor . The main objective of this research is to gather empirical evidence to what extent leading news media in Iceland contribute to core values of democracy. We aim to monitor the changing role of mass media and other forms of public communication with regard to the communication requirements of contemporary democracies. The research is a part of an international comparative research project of around 20 countries, the Media for Democracy Monitor (MDM).  
• Gender and Media Monitoring Prjoect: The case of Iceland. The research group manages the Icelandic part of an internationa Gender and media monitoring project. The aim is to map the representation and portrayal of men and women in main Icelandic news media, and the development over time and in comparison with other countries. The project is a part of the Gender and Media Monitoring Project which is the largest and longest longitudinal study on gender in the world’s media. 
• Nordic Media Systems research network. The objective of the Nordic Media Systems Research Network is to develop a world-leading research environment with a two-folded aim; first to create more knowledge about the structural settings of the Nordic media systems, and their ability to secure the best possible conditions for a strong and transparent democracy, second to investigate how this knowledge can serve as inspiration in relation to the challenges currently facing journalism and democracy all over the Western world. Researchers from all the Nordic countries participate in the network.

Research team:
Birgir Guðmundsson (birgirg@unak.is)
Finnborg Salome Þorkelsdóttir (finnborg@hi.is)
Friðrik Þór Guðmundsson (fridgud@hi.is)
Guðbjörg Hildur Kolbeins (kolbeins@hi.is)
Gyða Margrét Pétursdóttir (gydap@hi.is)
Jón Gunnar Ólafsson (jgo@hi.is)
Valgerður Jóhannsdóttir (vaj@hi.is)
Þorgerður Einarsdóttir (the@hi.is)

Contact information
If you have any questions you are welcome to contact that research team by sending an email to vaj@hi.is. We will reply as soon as possible. 

Viðfangsefni / svið
Kjósendur, kosningar, frambjóðendur, stjórnmálaflokkar, kosningabarátta, lýðræði og fulltrúalýðræði

Stutt lýsing 
Megin viðfangsefni rannsóknarhópsins eru á sviði fulltrúalýðræðis, kjósenda, stjórnmálaflokka, kosningabaráttu og þróun lýðræðis, bæði í íslensku samhengi og í samanburði við önnur ríki. Íslenska kosningarannsóknin (ÍsKos) er rannsóknaverkefni sem er á vegum hópsins, en sú rannsókn sem samanstendur í dag af viðamikilli viðhorfskönnun meðal kjósenda og frambjóðenda eftir hverjar Alþingiskosningar ásamt könnun á meðan á kosningabaráttu stendur (VEFSLÓÐ). Hópurinn er í virku samstarfi við sambærilega hópa í Evrópu, til að mynda á Norðurlöndunum og í Póllandi. ÍsKos er jafnframt hluti af CSES, CCS og TEV sem eru samstarfsverkefni og vettvangi kosningarannsókna. Meðal rannsóknarefna Ískos eru kosningar, kosningahegðun, kosningabarátta, stjórnmálaviðhorf, hlutverk stjórnmálaflokka, greining á samspili stjórnmálamanna/flokka og kjósenda og hlutverk fjölmiðla í fulltrúalýðræði.

Hafa samband
Fyrirspurnir á rannsóknarhópinn er hægt að senda á icenes@hi.is og leitast er við að svara öllum fyrirspurnum eins fljótt og auðið er. 

Rannsóknarteymi:
Agnar Freyr Helgason (afh@hi.is)
Eva H. Önnudóttir (eho@hi.is)
Hulda Þórisdóttir (huldat@hi.is) 
Jón Gunnar Ólafsson (jgo@hi.is)
Ólafur Þ. Harðarson (othh@hi.is) 

Political behaviour, voters and political parties 

Keywords
Voters, elections, candidates, political parties, democracy, election campaigns, and representative democracy

Short description 
The overall aim of the research group is to address key questions about the development of representative democracy, voters and political parties as well as the bond between voters and parties and the development of democracy, both focusing on the case of Iceland and in a comparative setting. The research group manages the Icelandic National Election Study (ICENES) which includes today a survey among voters and candidates after each national election, as well as an election campaign survey. ICENES is part of international networks in election studies such as the CSES (www.cses.org), CCS (www.comparativecandidates.org) and TEV (http://true-european-voter.net/node/24) networks. The main research themes of this research group are elections, electoral campaigns, voting behaviour, the role of political parties and the media in representative democracy and the link between voters and the political elite.

Contact information
If you have any questions you are welcome to contact that research team by sending an email to icenes@hi.is. We will reply as soon as possible. 

Research team:
Agnar Freyr Helgason (afh@hi.is)
Eva H. Önnudóttir (eho@hi.is)
Hulda Þórisdóttir (huldat@hi.is) 
Jón Gunnar Ólafsson (jgo@hi.is)
Ólafur Þ. Harðarson (othh@hi.is) 

Viðfangsefni / svið
Kyn, margbreytileiki, kynjuð valdatengsl, samtvinnun mismunarbreyta, jaðarsetning, forréttindi.

Stutt lýsing 
Rannsóknarhópurinn fæst við kynjafræðileg viðfangsefni frá sjónarmiði gagnrýnna jafnréttisfræða. Meðal þess eru staða kynjanna og kynbundin valdatengsl í samfélagi og menningu, karlmennska, kvenleiki, hinsegin málefni, kynbundið ofbeldi, samþætting kynja- og jafnréttissjónarmiða og kynjuð fjármál. Hópurinn er í virku samstarfi við alþjóðlegt fræðafólk á þessu sviði og í virkum tengslum við íslenskt atvinnulíf, stofnanir, stjórnvöld og þjóðlíf. Veigamikill þáttur í verkefnum rannsóknarhópsins verið þátttaka í Evrópuverkefnum fjármögnuð af FP7 og H2020 um jafnrétti í vísindasamfélaginu. 

Hafa samband
Sendið fyrirspurnir á netföngin the@hi.is og gydap@hi.is. 

Rannsóknarteymi:
Þorgerður J. Einarsdóttir (the@hi.is)
Gyða Margrét Pétursdóttir (gydap@hi.is)
Finnborg Salome Steinþórsdóttir (finnborg@hi.is)
Laufey Axelsdóttir (laa@hi.is)
Thamar Melanie Heijstra (thamar@hi.is) 

Gender and diversity 

Keywords
Gender, diversity, gendered power relations, intersectionality, marginalisation, privilege

Short description 
The overall aim of the research group is to address key questions about gender and diversity from the perspective of critical equality studies. Among important topics are gender power relations in culture and society, masculinities, femininities, queer issues, gender-based violence, gender and diversity mainstreaming, and gender budgeting. The research group collaborates with international researchers in this area, in dialogue with Icelandic institutions and society. Significant part of the work of the research group has been participation in European FP7 and H2020 projects on equality in academia (garciaproject.eu, https://www.act-on-gender.eu/). 

Contact information
Please contact the@hi.is and gydap@hi.is. 

Research team:
Þorgerður J. Einarsdóttir (the@hi.is)
Gyða Margrét Pétursdóttir (gydap@hi.is)
Finnborg Salome Steinþórsdóttir (finnborg@hi.is)
Laufey Axelsdóttir (laa@hi.is)
Thamar Melanie Heijstra (thamar@hi.is)