Publications 2023

"Political science is described as an integrative discipline. Its subdisciplines and related fields, however, are integrated only organizationally, not theoretically; there is no commonly accepted theory of political science. This state of affairs is considered normal, and even seems to enable a particular degree of interdisciplinary flexibility. Without a theoretical framework, however, it is difficult for political science debates, research and learning processes to take place. As a result, politics is far less well understood scientifically than the subject matter of the natural and technical sciences—a fatal shortcoming in an era of existential political challenges (...). In view of this, political science should reflect on its own contribution to the global failure of politics and on its potential for innovation: What intellectual—and therefore also social-scientific—factors underlie the global failure of politics? What role does the existing theoretical deficit play, and what can we learn from it?"

Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine leaves many bewildered: How could Putin do this? What motivated him to commit this serious violation of international law and crime against humanity? And why do dictators and populists fail to distance themselves from it, or even support it? These questions, which may initially seem complex, can be clearly analyzed through civility theory: by examining dominant relationship logics and interaction types.

The fully developed civility theory has been available since September 2023. Felix Zachau, research associate at Civility gUG, discusses it with its author, Volker von Prittwitz.

The German team’s disastrous sports politics at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar in December 2022 ultimately stemmed from the DFB wanting both to 1) take part in the World Cup with its team and 2) publicly express its critical stance towards the host country and the decision to award it the tournament. In doing so, the association overreached and came across as a killjoy at a World Cup everyone had agreed to attend; at the same time, it appeared too hesitant to stand up for the fundamental principles of sport: strict equality and freedom for all athletes. To learn from this, sport, sports politics and politics in general must be distinguished according to their respective human rights dimensions—as the basis for responsible, resolute sports policy.