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Why do armed conflicts happen? How can we achieve lasting peace? In the Researching Peace podcast, you will meet the leading researchers in peace and conflict research and other experts in the field. Researching Peace is produced by the Department of Peace and Conflict Research at Uppsala University. Some episodes are produced in collaboration with the Alva Myrdal Centre for Nuclear Disarmament and focus on issues of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. The views expressed in the podcast are those of each contributor and do not represent the official position of either the University or the Department. More about us Department of Peace and Conflict Research - Uppsala University
Episodes
Monday Apr 27, 2026
Monday Apr 27, 2026
Our researcher Sebastian van Baalen and his team are conducting the most extensive study of election boycotts to date. In this episode, we ask him why political parties or candidates choose to drop out of elections and what they hope to achieve by doing so. What can we learn from their multifaceted reasons for opting out? Why are incumbents often afraid of such boycotts? What role does humour play?
Sebastian is the project leader for the ongoing research project “Opting out? Explaining the effectiveness of election boycotts”. Working with researchers Gudlaug Olafsdottir and Jesper Bjarnesen (The Nordic Africa Institute), the project has constructed the largest dataset so far on election boycotts, compiling new data on all election boycotts worldwide between 1945 and 2025.
Further resources
Read more about Sebastian's project on the DPCR website: https://www.uu.se/en/department/peace-and-conflict-research/research/research-projects/opting-out-explaining-the-effectiveness-of-election-boycotts
A transcript of this episode is available on our website: https://www.uu.se/download/18.12d27b2919db51d4e285378/1776953932007/Sebastian%20van%20Baalen.pdf
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