IPSA and ECPR Tribute to Jean Blondel

The IPSA Research Committee on Political Elites (RC02) will commemorate Jean Blondel as a comparative élites and leadership scholar, with Prof Zdenka Mansfeldová and Prof.Luca Verzichelli as our guest speakers, on Wednesday, 19 July, at 15.30 in room SJ1 Aula Magna Cardenal Pironio, at the occasion of the Prize of the Mattei Dogan Foundation lecture. In addition, the ECPR Standing Group on Elites and Political Leadership will hold a panel at the September ECPR General Conference in Prague (Understanding Rulers Across the World: Jean Blondel and the Study of Ministerial Elites). 

The common denominator between the two events is the sincere gratitude that comparative scholars want to pay to Jean for his work in some of the oldest, but as relevant as ever, domains of political science: the study of elites, leadership and governmental institutions. Until the end of his prolific career, Jean also insisted on the global dimension of comparative analysis. The IPSA and ECPR events, therefore, intend to rediscuss Jean’s restless work of systematization of theoretical and empirical assessment on “who are the leaders” in contemporary politics. 

For the IPSA RC02, Patrick Dumont, for the ECPR SGEPL, Luca Verzichelli.