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March 6, 2026
Dear CSES Colleagues,
We are excited to share several important updates about the Comparative Study of Electoral Systems (CSES) and opportunities to recognize outstanding scholarship using CSES data.
1. Study Name Update
The CSES Planning Committee has approved a small update to the study’s name. While the “Comparative Study of Electoral Systems (CSES)” has served us well, feedback indicated that it could suggest a narrower focus than intended. To better reflect that CSES conducts nationally representative surveys of the electorate, the study’s new name is:
Comparative Study of Election Surveys (CSES)
Updates to the CSES website and related materials are ongoing.
2. Secretariat Transitions
A premier resource for comparative electoral research, the CSES brings together researchers from more than 60 countries to harmonize post-election survey data and information about electoral systems, producing freely accessible datasets widely cited in scholarly work.
The CSES Secretariat serves as the central operations and staffing of the project, in support of the CSES Planning Committee and CSES Collaborators.
GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences
The GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences in Germany is a co-host of the CSES Secretariat, originally taking on that important role in 2009.
There have been several recent CSES personnel changes at GESIS. Stephen Quinlan left his position at the end of 2025. Armin Seimel joined in January 2026 and has assumed Steve’s responsibilities. Klara Dentler recently completed her PhD and concluded her work with CSES. Katharina Blinzer continues her contributions to CSES at GESIS.
U.S. Operations to Vanderbilt University
As of January 2026, the U.S. operations of the CSES Secretariat have moved from the University of Michigan to the Center for Global Democracy (CGD) at Vanderbilt University. This move positions Vanderbilt as a hub for global democracy research and builds on decades of international survey experience, including CGD’s flagship AmericasBarometer project.
At Vanderbilt, Noam Lupu serves as Principal Investigator, and Mariana Rodriguez has assumed the role of Director of Studies, succeeding the University of Michigan’s David Howell. CGD research staff, along with continuing consultants Bojan Todosijevic and Slaven Zivkovic, will support the project. Together with GESIS, the Vanderbilt team will ensure data quality, harmonization, and broad dissemination of CSES datasets—continuing to generate insights that inform research and policy on elections and democratic governance worldwide.
Collaborator questions and election study deposits should now be sent to the new project email: [email protected]
Thank you and welcome
We are deeply grateful to Steve and Klara for their many years of leadership and dedication to the project.
We are also extremely grateful to the University of Michigan for hosting the CSES Secretariat for three decades, nearly 25 years of which were under the leadership of then CSES Director of Studies David Howell.
We warmly welcome our new team members at Vanderbilt and GESIS and look forward to the contributions they will make in the years ahead!.
3. 2026 Awards: Call for Nominations
CSES invites nominations for two major awards recognizing outstanding scholarship using CSES data. Scholars at all career stages are encouraged to nominate colleagues, students, or themselves.
2026 GESIS Klingemann Prize for the Best CSES Scholarship
- Named in honor of Professor Hans-Dieter Klingemann, co-founder of CSES.
- Recognizes outstanding work using CSES data published in 2025 (articles, books, dissertations, or other scholarly formats).
- Prize: €1,000 honorarium + up to €1,000 toward travel/conference costs.
- Selection Committee: James Adams, Rosario Queirolo, and Armin Seimel.
- Nomination Deadline: April 22, 2026
- Submit via Google Form: Klingemann Prize Nomination
2026 David Howell Award for Best Conference Paper Using CSES Data
- Named in honor of David Howell, former CSES Director of Studies.
- Recognizes outstanding conference papers presented in 2025 that substantially use CSES data.
- Prize: $250 honorarium.
- Selection Committee: Ameni Mehrez, Dieter Stiers, and Elizabeth Zechmeister.
- Nomination Deadline: April 22, 2026
- Submit via Google Form: David Howell Award Nomination
Both awards will be presented at the EPSS Conference, Belfast, June 18–20, 2026. We strongly encourage nominations across regions, methodologies, and career stages, with particular emphasis on early-career scholars.
We look forward to celebrating the next generation of influential research using CSES data. Thank you for your continued engagement and contributions to the project!
Best regards,
Mariana