Research project SEEES

Southeast European Expert Survey

A biennial expert survey mapping political parties’ positions in Southeast Europe to inform research on ideology, policy issues, party behavior, and populism.

The project at a glance

  • Start date:
    11 Nov 2018
  • Duration in months:
    72
  • Funding:
    University of Luxembourg / European Commission
  • Principal Investigator(s):
    Christophe LESSCHAEVE
    Josip GLAURDIC

About

The Southeast European Expert Survey (SEEES) is a project that systematically maps the ideological profiles, policy positions, and behavioral strategies of political parties across the Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Slovenia. The Expert Survey has been conducted every two years since 2018. In total, SEEES has carried out four waves of surveys, gathering evaluations covering more than 100 political parties. SEEES collects data on core ideological identities, such as general left–right position, economic policy, and GAL/TAN values, as well as on nationalism, minority rights, corruption salience, acknowledgment of past war crimes, and EU membership/integration. The survey also tracks party behavior, including reliance on populist rhetoric and the use of fake news. In addition to its core module, the SEEES also incorporates special modules, aimed at capturing party responses to major crises. These modules have examined the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on restrictions of civil liberties, trust in experts, and the trade-off between public health and the economy. The 2022 and 2024 wave assessed party reactions to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, including responsibility attribution and willingness to support military aid. This unique dataset enables the study of democratic backsliding and the diffusion of populism in Southeast Europe. The data are publicly available, informing academic research, teaching, and policy debates. Hosted at the University of Luxembourg, SEEES continues and expands the ELWar (Electoral Legacies of War) project, supported by the European Research Council (ERC Starting Grant No. 714589).

Project team

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