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Open Access to Table of Contents, Preface & Acknowledgments:
Parlamento de portas abertas_MA-pages-1.pdfHello,
Hello,
I am Sofia Serra-Silva, a Research Fellow at the Institute of Social Sciences, University of Lisbon, and I earned my PhD in Comparative Politics in 2020.
My research explores how political institutions and citizens engage in the contemporary globalized digital landscape. Two key questions drive my work:
a) How are political institutions addressing democratic fractures and strengthening their connection with citizens in a hyper-mediatized 21st century?
b) How do citizens engage with political institutions and participate in democratic processes?
My findings have been published in Party Politics, Policy & Internet, Parliamentary Affairs, Journal of Legislative Studies, European Politics & Society, Mediterranean Politics, among other outlets.
I am currently spending most of my time dedicated to completing a book, under contract with Oxford University Press, on “Open Parliaments: Revitalizing Democracy through Public Engagement and Innovation"
I am also currently the Principal Investigator (PI) of the FCT-funded project Bridging the Gap: A New Approach to Understanding Citizen Attitudes and Perceptions Towards the Portuguese Parliament (proj. ref: 2023.12063.PEX).
Beyond my role at ICS, I serve on the Board of IPP-Thomas Jefferson-Correia Serra, an academic think tank, where my policy-oriented work has received support from institutions like the Bertelsmann Stiftung Foundation.
I am dedicated to promoting transparency around toxic academic environments, including bullying, to foster healthier and more inclusive scholarly communities. I have openly shared my experiences and their impact on my mental health — see my ECPR The Loop article.
I am also passionate about demystifying the more intricate aspects of academic life (e.g. publishing, funding etc) and fostering a supportive community among early career researchers. To this end, I organize the annual "Research & Publish Seminars" series, which you are welcome to subscribe to! If you need guidance on navigating academia, please don’t hesitate to reach out — I truly mean it!
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