Manchester Welcomes Professor Stefano Bartolini for British Academy Lecture

The University of Manchester was delighted to host Professor Stefano Bartolini, Emeritus Professor at the European University Institute, for a prestigious British Academy Lecture.

Professor Stefano Bartolini, one of Europe’s most influential scholars of comparative politics and political theory, visited the University of Manchester to deliver his British Academy Lecture, titled ‘The Institutional Patrimony of the West.’

In his thought-provoking talk, Professor Bartolini drew on more than 1,500 years of history to ask the question: why have democratic institutions and systems of power-sharing emerged and endured in some societies, while proving more difficult to establish in others?

The lecture explored the long historical development of the institutions that underpin democracy in Western Europe where, rather than viewing democracy as a deliberate invention or the inevitable result of economic development, he argued that it emerged gradually through centuries of political competition, negotiation and compromise between different centres of power.

A fresh perspective

Offering a fresh perspective on the historical foundations of democracy, the talk raised topical and important questions about the future of political institutions in an increasingly complex and contested world.

Following the talk, Professor Bartolini was joined in conversation by Manchester colleagues: Professor Dimitris Papadimitriou, Professor of Political Science and a Vice-Dean in the Faculty of Humanities, and Professor Olga Onuch, Professor of Comparative and Ukrainian Politics.

Their expertise in European politics, democratic engagement, political behaviour and identity provided a fascinating discussion, covering pressing topics such as the role in trust in sustaining institutional legitimacy, contemporary political challenges, and questions of pluralism and citizenship.

Watch the full recording here.