Political Science: National and International Politics is a broad study with a lot of depth. You will study political issues at the local, national and international levels, from a variety of perspectives. You will be taught by renowned, committed professors. In Leiden you will find a real student city…

At Leiden University’s Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences we keep in touch with our alumni in various ways.

Terrorism expert Bart Schuurman has been appointed professor. As a researcher and lecturer at ISGA, he has witnessed the terrorist threat evolve and broaden. 'How can we explain these shifts and protect our society against them? That is what I want to focus on more,' he says.

In Democratie en totalitarisme zijn de invloedrijkste opstellen van de Franse denker Claude Lefort samengebracht. Lefort laat overtuigend zien dat de kwetsbaarheid van de democratie juist ook haar kracht is. Voor democratie is essentieel dat de macht als ‘lege plaats’ verschijnt. Zij mag slechts tijdelijk…

As a student in the programme Politicologie: Nationale en Internationale Politiek, you will examine societies and power relations with the analytical eye of a scientist. You will deal with interesting, important topics such as elections, civil wars and international cooperation. In doing so, you will…

The Leiden University Political Science bachelor’s specialisation International Relations and Organisations enjoys a high popularity. To assure the quality of education, the number of students it admits is limited. This is known as a 'numerus fixus'. If there are more applications than this ‘numerus…

Do objectively correct solutions to ethical dilemmas exist? Or is ethics always a matter of your opinion against my opinion? How do you know what to do? What kind of thing is ethics anyway? Can you be an expert in ethics?

Marietje Beemsterboer defended her thesis on 12 June 2018 (in Dutch)

Following China and Italy, it appears that the United States is becoming the next epicentre of the coronacrisis. Can the US handle this crisis? Is president Trump dealing with the situation correctly? We asked Leiden America expert Sara Polak.

The consequences of social tendencies for the legislation and institutions in the fields of social security, the labor market policy and pension reform are examined in this multdisciplinary research program..

The organisation of the Platform for Postcolonial Readings is a collaboration of main organisers and occasional guest organisers.

Study information

Study information

Meet the ABPP2027 organizers

On 27 September 2017 a new book by Prof. Luuk van Middelaar appeared, entitled The new politics of Europe. The book is at the same time a front line account of Europe’s recent crisis years – from monetary turmoil to tensions around Ukraine, from refugee crisis to Brexit – and an analysis of the Union’s…

Acta Politica is the official journal of the Dutch Political Science Association.

The essay For progress has been published to mark the 450th Dies Natalis of Leiden University. In 2025, we are celebrating our 450th anniversary, and the theme of this special year is Ahead of the Times.

On behalf of trade union FNV, Egbert Jongen and Heike Vethaak from Leiden University conducted a study on income distribution over the past 40 years. Dutch national media outlets have given extensive news coverage to their study.

Assistant professor and dual PhD candidate, Pieter Slaman writes in Binnenlands Bestuur about the fact that the German occupier lengthened the period of mandatory education in The Netherlands.

Institute of Political Science

The Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences (FSW) offers an inspiring and competitive, international working and learning environment to around 1,025 staff and around 7,000 students from home and abroad on 13 bachelor's, master's and research master's programmes.

The programme group Learning and Behaviour Problems in Education is one of the six programme groups within the department of Child and Education Studies at Leiden University.

Papyrology+, founded in 2014, is a collaboration of Leiden scholars studying (Abnormal) Hieratic, Demotic, Aramaic, Greek, Latin, Coptic, and Arabic papyri from a socio-historical, economic and linguistic perspective. Papyrology+ aims to explore new opportunities and directions in the study of ancient…

LUXs unites statisticians from all over the university, who are all members of their own faculty. LUXs does not have its own organisational units, but it is coordinated by a Steering Committee.

The Institute of Education and Child Studies is part of the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences at Leiden University. The institute is governed by an Institute Board under the direction of a rotating chairman, i.e. the Scientific Director and an Director of Studies. The Institute Board is…

The Executive Board and the Board of Education of the Institute of Psychology are responsible for the organisation. A number of committees offer specialised knowlegde, such as the Research Ethics Committee. Students have a say in programme committees.

Many people work less after turning 60 which is not helping the economy. Egbert Jongen, Professor of Economics, will explore with his team how employers and policymakers can help older employees stay healthy and keep working, even after the statutory retirement age.

The faculty has around 650 employees, academic and administrative staff. More than 325 of these are involved in teaching. Together they make Leiden Law School what it is today: a faculty driven by its research and enriched by its teaching.

Recent calculations show the new Dutch cabinet’s plans will lower the purchasing power of low- and middle-income households. Egbert Jongen, Professor of Economics, commented in ‘Trouw’ newspaper about the economic impact of the new cabinet’s policy.

The programme group Educational Sciences is one of the six programme groups within the Institute of Child and Education Studies at Leiden University.

The programme group Forensic Family and Youth Care Studies is one of the six programme groups within the department of Child and Education Studies at Leiden University.

The Mathematical Institute has a rather liberal management structure. Tasks and responsibilities are distributed among the staff. Important decisions are taken by consensus. Various organisational divisions are featured below.

Organisation Institute of Biology Leiden

The programme group Clinical Neurodevelopmental Sciences is one of the six groups within the Institute of Child and Education Studies at Leiden University. The group participates in all stages of the education programme: the bachelor's, master's and research master's programme.  The group is particularly…

The Young Academy Leiden has a board, which consists of a chair and a vice-chair.

From 2029, childcare in the Netherlands will be almost free for working parents. Egbert Jongen, Professor of Economics, spoke with Nieuwsuur about the missed opportunities for non-working parents: 'Participation in formal childcare is particularly beneficial for children from disadvantaged families.…

Organisation of the Leiden Institute of Physics.

Leiden University Graduate School of Teaching

Wout Broekema highlights how organisations not only learn from crises but also forget, losing crucial knowledge and practices over time.

This research cluster is a part of the Institute of Political Science’s research programme ‘Institutions, Decisions and Collective Behaviour’. Its members examine the sources, design, effects and contestation of norms, rules, institutionalised practices and formal organisations that operate across national…

The popular French economist Gabriel Zucman visited the Netherlands last week, advocating an extra tax for billionaires. Egbert Jongen, Professor of Economics, spoke about the economist's proposals on NPO Radio 1's programme ‘De Rode Draad’.

The Honours Academy works closely with partner organisations where students carry out practical assignments. In addition, the Honours Academy collaborates with schools to realise Pre-University education.

Using the League of Nations’ responses to early crises as an explorative historical case study, Political Scientist Gisela Hirschmann investigates how international organisations perceive and respond to existential threats.