Chapter 1. European political science: the magnitude, heterogeneity and relevance of a divided discipline.- 2. The legacies. Explaining the richness and heterogeneity of European political science.- 3. The current scenario. Mapping fragmentation and transformation in European political science.- 4. The future of European Political Science.

The Fate of Political Scientists in Europe not only draws a comprehensive picture of today’s political science and of its scholars, but also reflects in a refreshing and challenging way on what it should be. - Kris Deschouwer,  Emeritus Professor, Vrije Universiteit Brussels, Belgium. Giliberto Capano and Luca Verzichelli take us into a fascinating intellectual journey that sheds light on how European scholars conceive of the profession and what attitudes and values animate their research activities. - Manuela Moschella, Associate professor in Political Science, Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa, Italy. Every so often academic disciplines should take stock of where they have come from, what they are, and what they want to be. This thorough study of European political science is an excellent example of such a stock-taking. - B. Guy Peters, Maurice Falk Professor of American Government, University of Pittsburgh, USA. This open access book offers a systematic survey of the attitudes and values of European political scientists. It builds a structural interpretation based on empirical data, as well as offering reflections on the future structure of the discipline. In the middle of a delicate phase of changes marked by the effects of pandemic and the war in Ukraine, we need to pay attention to the factors that are affecting not only the ‘objects’ of Political Science as a discipline but also its interactions with the world around it. First, this book asks to what extent the work of European political scientists is impacted by the current change. Second, their attitudes and predisposition about the future goals of the discipline are analysed. In the final chapter, the authors seek to understand to what extent a diffuse but still not completely institutionalized academic discipline will be able to produce a comprehensive impact around the European society, in order to be more visible and effective in policy making and policy processes. Giliberto Capano is Professor of Political Science and Public Policy at the University of Bologna, Italy. Luca Verzichelli is Professor of Political Science at the University of Siena, Italy.

Giliberto Capano and Luca Verzichelli have written a book that is dearly needed for the discipline of political science. The Fate of Political Scientists in Europe not only draws a comprehensive picture of today’s political science and of its scholars, but also reflects in a refreshing and challenging way on what it should be. And this is actually what political science itself should do more actively and explicitly, i.e. not only describe and explain how things are, but also reflect on how they could be, making sure that the insights of political science also contribute to the solving of collective problems. The authors argue very convincingly how in times of increasing turbulence and change, this is the way in which political science can be relevant and hence also respected. Political scientists should all have a good look in the mirror that this book offers them- (Kris Deschouwer, emeritus professor of political science at the Vrije Universiteit Brussels and former chair of the European Consortium for Political Research) What is European political science? Giliberto Capano and Luca Verzichelli take us into a fascinating intellectual journey that sheds light on how European scholars conceive of the profession and what attitudes and values animate their research activities. While showing the resilience of political science to address different challenges over time, the book does not shy away from pointing to the problems that bedevil the discipline, including its unfinished quest for relevance and fragmentation. This book is of interest to all those who care about the present and future of political science and especially to those who think our profession can have a positive impact on the world we study. - (Manuela Moschella, Professor of International Political Economy, Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa and Associate Fellow Chatham House, Europe Programme) Every so often academic disciplines should take stock of where they have come from, what they are, and what they want to be. This thorough study of European political science is an excellent example of such a stock-taking. The book written by Giliberto Capano and Luca Verzichelli is rich in detail and has numerous insights into the nature of our discipline – not just in Europe – and what we can and should become. - (B. Guy Peters, Maurice Falk Professor of American Government, University of Pittsburgh)  

This book is open access, which means you have free and unlimited access Defines the boundaries of the discipline and the scope of Political Scientists’ work Asks why European Political Science continues to be seen as less scientific than other empirical social sciences Addresses the issue of how to evaluate the impact of Political Science as compared to e.g. Sociology and Psychology

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