Werdegang

• since 2026: Co-Director,  Leuphana Center for Cooperative Security (LCCS)
• since 2025: Vice President of the International Political Science Association (IPSA)
• since 2023: Alumni Professor, European University Institute (EUI), Florence 
• since 2019: Senior Professor of Political Science Leuphana University Lüneburg
• since  2005: Affiliated Faculty Member, Center for the Study of Democracy, University of California, Irvine (UCI)
• 2019: Fernand-Braudel-Senior Fellow, European University Institute (EUI), Florence
• 2004-2018: Director of the Center for the Study of Democracy, Leuphana Universität Lüneburg
• 2003-2018: Professor (Chair) of Comparative Politics, Leuphana Universität Lüneburg
• 2012-2013: Part-Time Professor, Department of Social and Political Science, European University Institute (EUI), Florence (Italy)
• 2012-2013: Fulbright Distinguished Chair in Modern German Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara (USA), (rejected)
• 2000-2003: Professor (Chair) of Comparative Politics and Policy Analysis, University of Düsseldorf
• 1994-2000: Associate Professor of Comparative Politics, University of Lüneburg
• 1993: DAAD Professor, Graduate School for International Studies, University of Miami, Coral Gables (Florida) 
• 1992: Habilitation Venia legendi in Political Science
• 1991: Part-Time Professor, Department of Social Sciences, University of Leipzig
• 1986-1993: Assistant Professor of Comparative Politics, University of Lüneburg
• 1985-1986: Jean Monnet Fellowship, European University Institute (EUI), Florence
• 1984-1985: John F. Kennedy Fellowship, Harvard University
• 1982-1983: Policy Adviser in the Office of the Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, Bonn
• 1981: Doctoral degree (Dr. rer. pol.), Free University of Berlin
• 1979-1982: Lecturer for Comparative Politics, Free University of Berlin
• 1977: Graduate Student Fellowship at the Institute for Social Research (ISR), University of Michigan, USA (PhD Program)
• 1977-1979: Graduate Student Fellowship (Graduiertenförderung), Department of Political Science, University of Hamburg
• 1976: M.A. degree in Political Science at the University of Florida, Gainesville
• 1975-1976: Graduate student in political science at the University of Florida, Gainesville
• 1972-1975: Undergraduate student at the University of Tübingen (Major: Political Science) 

• 2014: Visiting Professor at Department of Social and Political Science, European University Institute (EUI), Florence 
• 2014: Visiting Professor at the Center for the Study of Democracy, University of California, Irvine
• 2013: Visiting Professor at the Center for the Study of Political Change (CIRCaP), University of Siena
• 2005: Visiting Professor at the Center for the Study of Democracy, University of California, Irvine (funded by the German Science Foundation- DFG)
• 2004: Visiting Professor at the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies, European University Institute (EUI) (funded by the German Science Foundation- DFG)
• 2000: Visiting Professor, Department of Political Science, University of California, Irvine (funded by the German Science Foundation – DFG))
• 1999: Visiting Professor, Department of Social and Political Science, European University Institute (EUI); Florence (funded by the Volkswagen Foundation)
• 1988: Visiting Professor, Department of Sociology and Political Science, University of New England (Australia) (funded by University of New England)

• 2018-2021 Executive Member of the International Political Science Association (IPSA)
• 2016-2018 President of the Deutschen Vereinigung für Politikwissenschaft (DVPW)
• 2012-2016: Member of the German Science Foundation (DFG) review committee (Fachkollegiat Social Sciences) Principal reviewer for applications in the field of political science
• 2006-2012: Vice President, Leuphana University Lüneburg (Graduate School/Internationalization)
• 1997-2000: Vice Chair of the European Consortium for Political Reserch (ECPR)
• 1994-1998: Vice-President, University of Lüneburg (Reasearch/Internationaization)
• 1994-1997: Chair of the UNESCO/ECPR Stein Rokkan Prize Committee
• 1994-1997: Member of the ECPR Executive Committee (European Consortium for Political Reseerch)
• 1991-2001: Co-Founder and First Director of the Annual ECPR PhD Summer School on Political Parties and Party Systems

Forschungsgebiete

- Empirische Demokratieforschung
- Vergleichende Regierungslehre
- Vergleichende Parteienforschung

Lehrgebiete

Politikwissenschaft, insbesondere:
- Theorien und Methoden der Vergleichende Politikwissenschaft
- Regierungssysteme im Ländervergleich
- Politische Systeme im neuen Europa