Book Launch: 'Presidential Activism and Veto Power in Central and Eastern Europe' by Philipp Köker

Join us for the launch for Dr Philipp Köker's new book 'Presidential Activism and Veto Power in Central and Eastern Europe'
Friday 8 December, 6:00pm-8:00pm

The UCL European Institute together with the UCL SSEES Centre for Politics, Security and Integration is pleased to host the launch of the new book by Dr Philipp Köker "Presidential Activism and Veto Power in Central and Eastern Europe" (Palgrave, 2017).

Philipp's book is one of the first comprehensive comparative studies of presidential activism and veto power in Europe. Focussing on presidential vetoes and the formation of governments, it maps patterns of presidential activism and its determinants across nine Central and East European democracies between 1990 and 2010. Thereby, it combines the analysis of original quantitative data on the use of presidential powers with in-depth case studies in an innovative mixed-methods framework. Based on regression analyses and unique insights from numerous elite interviews, the study shows strong support for the hitherto insufficiently tested assumption that popularly elected presidents are more active than their indirectly elected counterparts. This book will be a key resource not only for area specialists but also for scholars of presidential studies, comparative government, and executives.

The book will be introduced by Prof Petra Schleiter (Oxford University) followed by a brief presentation by the author and a Q&A. The launch concludes with a wine and snacks reception in the Masaryk Senior Common Room.

About the author:

Dr Philipp Köker is Senior Research Fellow in Politics & IR and Deputy Director of the Centre for European Studies (CEFEUS) at Canterbury Christ Church University, UK. He completed his MA and PhD at UCL SSEES and was recipient of the SSEES Foundation Scholarship and SSEES Excellence Scholarship. In 2016, he won the prestigious ECPR Jean Blondel PhD Prize for the best thesis in politics.

The launch and wine reception are kindly sponsored by the Political Leadership Specialist Group of the Political Studies Association (PSA). The event is hosted jointly by the UCL European Institute and the UCL SSEES Centre for European Politics, Security and Integration.

The launch and reception are free and open to all - no registration necessary.