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COST Action Projects at Sampol

COST Actions help connect research initiatives across Europe and beyond. Sampol's Linn Sandberg and Arjan Schakel are both involved in their respective Cost Action Project.

COST Action logo and portrait of Linn and Arjan,
Photo:
COST Action, EU. Portretter: Eivind Senneset, UiB

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A COST Action is an interdisciplinary research network that brings researchers and innovators together to investigate a topic of their choice for 4 years. COST Actions are typically made up of researchers from academia, SMEs, public institutions and other relevant organisations or interested parties. Postdoctor Linn Sandberg and Professor Arjan Schakel are both part of Management Committees in two COST Action Projects

How can digital transformations enhance the linkage between political organisations and citizens?

Linn Sandberg is currently representing Norway in the Management Committee of the COST Action "Regaining Linkage? Digital Technologies Improving Civic Engagement, Political Organisations, and Democracy" (RELINK²). 

– This initiative brings together researchers and stakeholders across Europe to examine how digital transformations can enhance the linkage between political organisations and citizens. As part of this Action, I am actively involved in Working Group 3, which focuses on conducting empirical analyses to understand the impacts of digitalisation on political organisations and their ability to engage with diverse societal groups, Linn says.

– This work provides a practical foundation for identifying best practices and coordinating new comparative empirical insights. The RELINK² project addresses critical issues such as rebuilding trust in democratic institutions, promoting inclusive and secure digital transitions, and identifying effective strategies for re-engaging citizens in the political process.

Intergovernmental Coordination from Local to European Governance

Professor Arjan Schakel is a member of the Management Committee of the COST Action "Intergovernmental Coordination from Local to European Governance" (IGCOORD). IGCOORD is a network of 227 scholars from 42 countries.

– The network’s aim is to study coordination between executive actors of territorial units across levels of government. The effectiveness and legitimacy of multilevel democratic governance depends crucially on the ability of executives to coordinate their decisions and policies, Arjan elaborates.

 IGCOORD organises training schools and conferences, and offers short term scientific mission grants to its members.

Interconnected, interdisciplinary, collaborative and data-intensive

The COST Action website emphasises the need for research to be interconnected, interdisciplinary, collaborative and data-intensive. By focusing on networking activities, COST Actions seek to advance knowledge and strengthen the research and development sector, by creating networking opportunities for researchers to meet and discuss ideas, complex problems can be addressed in a targeted way, across a large geographical area.

Linn also stresses the gains of working collaboratory and sharing insights with a network:

Participating in this COST Action offers valuable opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration and knowledge exchange for understanding and addressing these challenges.