UNIVERSITE LIBRE DE BRUXELLES, UNIVERSITE D'EUROPE
CEVIPOL - Centre d'étude de la vie politique

Activities

Research projects

KANDI-CANDI

Candidates for European, federal, regional and local elections in Belgium

 

Funds: Walloon Region and Region Brussels-Capital

 

Professors in charge: Jean-Benoit Pilet and Pascal Delwit (ULB), Stefaan Fiers and Bart Maddens (KU Leuven)

 

Dates : 2003 -

 

Members of the Cevipol involved:  Jean-Benoit Pilet, Pascal Delwit, Régis Dandoy et Nicolas Dedecker (ULB)

 

Members of other universities involved: Stefaan Fiers, Bart Maddens, Karolien Weekers et Sam Depauw (KU Leuven).

 

Presentation: Since 2003 and the federal elections held this year, the Cevipol abd the  Centrum voor politicologie of the KU Leuven have launched a joint research project on candidates for elections in Belgium. The aim of the project is to build a large database on who candidates for elections at all levels of power in Belgium are. The following variables are considered: age, gender, municipality of living (urban vs. rural, big cities vs. small towns), party, education, professional occupation and political past (previous mandates and candidacy).

Once collected, all these data are studied in order to question the way candidates are selected by parties, and to analyse the impact of party structures on the composition of elected bodies. The carreer patterns of politicians are also under investigation.