The European Research Council has just announced that Professor Carsten Jensen from Aarhus BSS at Aarhus University has been awarded a Consolidator Grant of EUR 2 million (DKK 15 million) to be used for research into election promises.

“Naturally, I’m very honoured to receive this distinguished acknowledgement. It allows me to conduct a thorough exploration of a central and underexplored aspect of our democracy,” says Carsten Jensen, professor at Aarhus BSS, Aarhus University.

Carsten Jensen will be heading an international research project on election promises. The aim is to find out how voters relate to the promises given by politicians during election campaigns.

“We have no idea whether election promises have any influence on who voters decide to vote for. Nor do we know if voters notice whether or not the promises are fulfilled after an election. Despite the great focus of the media and politicians on election promises, we simply don’t know whether politicians are just wasting their time making these promises,” says Jensen.

Head of department: Prestigious grant benefits entire school

This year, the European Research Council has awarded a Consolidator Grant to 291 researchers from universities and research centres in 21 different countries and across all academic disciplines. The prestigious grant has previously been awarded to Danish researchers, but it is rarely awarded to researchers in the social sciences. Carsten Jensen is the first Danish political science researcher ever to receive the Consolidator Grant.

“I’m very proud that a professor from our department has been awarded a Consolidator Grant. Many people apply, but only a few receive the grant. It’s a great recognition of Carsten Jensen’s excellent research skills, and the recognition doesn’t just benefit the department but the entire school. To receive a grant from the European Research Council is a marker of quality that is becoming increasingly important these years,” says Peter Munk Christiansen, head of the Department of Political Science.

Another marker of quality is the Shanghai ranking, which each year names the best research institutions in the world. In August, Aarhus University was ranked as the third best university in the world in the field of public administration and the third best university in Europe in the field of political science.

Facts about the European Research Council’s Consolidator Grant

Consolidator Grants are awarded to excellent researchers seven to 12 years after they have completed their PhD. To receive the award, you must demonstrate a promising scientific list of publications and a project proposal for new potentially groundbreaking research. The purpose of the grant is to allow the individual researchers to consolidate themselves and their research teams.

See press release from The European Research Council