Magni Szymaniak-Arnesen is one of the beneficiaries of the competition for funding student and PhD candidates mobility within the HarSval project. The application received 9948.38 PLN funding for the research trip: Department of Political Science at the University of Oslo.
Enjoy reading report below:
“Thanks to the financial support offered by the HarSval project, I recently concluded a three-week research visit at the Institute of Political Science at the University of Oslo (UiO), where I stayed between the 2nd and the 25th of September. This opportunity arose through an invitation from the participants of the project “Democratic Innovations and Responsive Politicians” (DEMRE), led by Professor Signy Irene Vabo. The stay allowed my colleagues from the DEMRE project and me, as a member of the research group Democratic Innovations at the Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland (AMU), to exchange knowledge about participatory processes in both Poland and Norway while also exploring the different approaches we apply in our research on democratic innovations.
One of the highlights of my visit was a full-day seminar focused on deliberative minipublics and democratic innovations, such as Citizens’ Assemblies. I had the privilege of engaging with esteemed colleagues, including Professor Signy Irene Vabo, Professor Jan Erling Klausen, and Professor Jonathan William Kuyper from UiO, as well as Dr. Marte Winsvold from the Institute for Social Research (ISF) and Dr. Arild Ohren from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). During this seminar, we presented and discussed articles prepared by Norwegian researchers alongside my own research, which I am conducting as part of my doctoral project, including a paper on analyzing deliberative minipublics’ recommendations co-authored with Adela Gąsiorowska, M.A (University of Warsaw). The seminar offered all its participants a rare opportunity of enough time to engage deeply with each other’s work and receive detailed and insightful feedback, which proved invaluable for further improving my research.
My stay at the University of Oslo provided me with an excellent opportunity to deepen my understanding of public policies, particularly in the realm of climate protection, which will be a relevant perspective to include in my doctoral research. On September 12th, I attended a seminar titled “Klimastyring – hva kan Norge lære av andre?” (“Climate Governance – What Can Norway Learn from Others?”). The seminar took place in the beautiful building of Domus Bibliotheca, where various units of the University of Oslo organize open events, bringing their latest research to the public. This event focused on public climate governance and how Norway can enhance its policies and practices to cut emissions by learning from other countries. Back at the Institute, I had the opportunity to engage in fruitful consultations with Professor Elin Lerum Boasson and Professor Yves Steinebach, focusing on the role of citizens’ assemblies in shaping climate policy. Both colleagues provided me with insightful feedback on my paper draft and invaluable suggestions for literature in the field of public policy to strengthen the theoretical foundations and contributions of my research on deliberative minipublics.
Moreover, I was able to attend seminars regularly organized at the Institute of Political Science, including a PhD students’ seminar, which allowed me to familiarize myself with the excellent research conducted by colleagues active in other subfields of political science.
In summary, my research stay allowed me to build connections with excellent political scientists from Norwegian research institutions, promote the work of my research group, expand my knowledge of climate policies and innovative forms of public participation in Norway, and make progress in my research projects. I left Oslo with new insights and inspiration. “
