In 2026, CIVICA is launching four Research Hubs. Led by faculty members, each Hub brings together research teams from across the CIVICA alliance, combining expertise from different disciplines and perspectives.
The Hubs are designed to act as connecting points within a wider European research network. Through workshops, conferences and collaborative events, they draw in scholars from across the alliance and beyond. Their purpose is to support seed research and lay the groundwork for larger, externally funded research projects in the future.
The four hubs are:
Introducing GROUPID
European democracies are facing growing political division. Across the continent, public debate is increasingly shaped by racial, ethnic, religious, and national identities –not only for minorities, but also among members of majority populations who feel economically and socially left behind. These shifts are challenging long-standing liberal democratic norms and reshaping political competition in Europe.
Understanding why this is happening, and what it means for Europe’s democratic future, requires strong European social sciences, deeper higher education cooperation in Europe, and close collaboration across disciplines. This is the focus of GROUPID.
Group Identity Politics and the End of the Liberal Consensus (GROUPID) is one of the new Research Hubs launched under the CIVICA call. Running from January 2026 to June 2027, the hub studies how economic pressures, social status change, and inequality influence group identities and political attitudes across Europe.
As part of the CIVICA European University Alliance, GROUPID explores why economic insecurity and long-term social change often lead people to prioritise ethnic or national identities over class-based ones, and how this shift affects voting behaviour, democratic values, and support for illiberal politics. The hub combines interdisciplinary academic research in political science, sociology, and political economy to rethink how democracy works in times of social and economic transition.
Who is involved
GROUPID brings together leading researchers from five CIVICA universities, including Central European University (CEU), Sciences Po, London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), IE University and the Hertie School. The team combines expertise in political behaviour, identity politics, political economy, and advanced survey and experimental methods.
Through European academic cooperation, the hub builds a strong network of scholars at different career stages, strengthening European research collaboration in the social sciences and creating opportunities for students and early-career researchers.
What GROUPID is looking into:
The hub studies politics and democratic resilience through several closely connected research areas:
Group identities and political attitudes - How ethnic, national, religious, and class identities become politically important and shape beliefs and behaviour.
Economic change and status insecurity - How long-term economic decline, inequality, and social mobility affect political preferences and identity formation.
Voting behaviour and democratic norms - Why economic hardship often fuels support for far-right or illiberal movements rather than redistribution-focused politics.
Policy relevance and democratic resilience - How social science research can inform policies that strengthen social cohesion and democratic institutions.
Why this research matters now
This research matters for Europe’s future. Rising political polarisation and identity-based politics are putting pressure on democratic institutions and public trust across Europe. GROUPID helps explain the social and economic roots of these trends and explores how democracy can remain resilient in times of change.
By providing social sciences research for policymakers, journalists, and civil society, the hub contributes evidence-based insights into some of Europe’s most pressing political challenges. It also demonstrates how universities can play a central role in shaping inclusive and resilient public policy.
What the hub will deliver
GROUPID will deliver a range of research and engagement activities, including: Large-scale surveys and experiments, joint academic publications and policy-focused outputs, CIVICA workshops and research seminars, and training and research opportunities for CIVICA students and early-career scholars. By combining pioneering social science research with real-world policy questions, GROUPID contributes to debates on the future of higher education in Europe and highlights how higher education shapes public policy.
