This conference, organized by the International Political Science Association, from the 24th to the 27th of June 2017, brought together the research committees of nearly 120 universities from all over the world, to examine the challenges of designing democratic institutions in divided societies.

The conference provided an opportunity to examine the role of different factors (e.g., ethnicity, gender, class, political institutions, efficacy of multi-level governance, the intersection between peace and democratic stability) in fostering democratization in the context of regional and global integration. We had contributions that focused on democratization as an open-ended process driven by either internal or external factors, embedded in local, regional, or global dynamics as well as social, economic and legal legacies of the past.

The conference was convened in Nicosia, Cyprus at the time when the country is undergoing a complex and historic process of designing political institutions to bridge the gap between the island’s divided communities.

The students of Rondine presented papers related with their origin countries conflicts in interdisciplinary aspects.

Blerina Duli, the Head of Training and Education presented our Association through the paper: Intercultural Dialogue and Deconstruction of “the Other”: A Path towards the Democratization Process of Conflict Countries.

Simone Grigoletto, researcher at the University of Padova, presented part of his research project in collaboration with the University of Cattolica, Milano. His paper was on:  Restoring Democracy through the Development of Cross-cultural Relationships