The POPE Standing Group was settled in 2012 by merging two pre-existing SGs: Public Opinion and Political Behaviour, and Transformation of Italian Parties in Comparative Perspective.
Parties, Elections, and Public Opinion are three macro areas of research of the SG, but they are approached with great openness with respect to analytical dimensions and research perspectives. The SG supports the necessity of combining the study of political supply with the analysis of the political demand, with particular emphasis on the swings in public opinion. The general purpose, in this sense, is to investigate the dynamics of political representation as a whole. POPE provides debating opportunities for all scholars engaged in these topics by promoting different analytical methodologies; encouraging the use of comparative analytical perspectives; combining theoretical reflections with empirical research. The analysis of the relationships between political parties, voting choices, and public opinion aims to highlight the conditions that make democracy a working system responsive to its citizens.