1970
Stein Rokkan
University of Bergen, Norway
(1970–1973)
Stein Rokkan (1921–1979) was a Norwegian scholar and a pioneering figure in comparative political and social science research. He earned his Ph.D. in Political Philosophy from the University of Oslo in 1948 and was instrumental in developing the Social Sciences at the University of Bergen. Before his professorship, he was a chief researcher at the in Bergen. In 1966, he was appointed Professor of sociology at the University of Bergen, with a special focus on comparative politics.
The University of Bergen’s webpage for the Rokkan Symposium: The life and scholarly legacy of Stein Rokkan, highlights Rokkan’s groundbreaking contributions, stating that he “made original contributions to the study of state- and nation-building in Europe and developed ‘a conceptual map of Europe’. He coined the concept of ‘critical junctures’, and the formulation ‘Votes count, but resources decide’, and his book on Party Systems and Voter Alignments (1967), co-authored with Seymour Martin Lipset, is a classic work on party system development in Europe”.
In their 1980 article following the passing of Prof. Rokkan, Robert Dahl and Val Lorwin emphasized his contributions to political science: “He also had a major impact on political science through his fostering, encouraging, training, and stimulating others to carry on scholarly research in political science and sociology. With this end in view, he organized a large number of summer schools and workshops. He was also a prime mover in the conceptual and practical work of developing data archives, and in the creation of the European Consortium for Political Research, of which he was chairman from 1970-76. Perhaps no single scholar contributed more to the development of political science in Europe.”
Prof. Rokkan’s major books include Economy, Territory, Identity: Politics of West European Peripheries (1983, posthumously edited by Derek W. Urwin); Citizens, Elections, Parties: Approaches to the Comparative Study of the Processes of Development (1970); and Party Systems and Voter Alignments: Cross-National Perspectives (1967, co-authored with Seymour Martin Lipset).
Prof. Rokkan served as a member of IPSA's Executive Committee from 1964 to 1967 and as its President from 1970 to 1973. He also held roles as Vice-President of the International Sociological Association (1966-1970), founding Chair of the European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR) (1970-1976), President of the International Social Science Council (ISSC) (1973-1977), and Chair of the Nordic Political Science Association (1975-1976).
His academic contributions are honored through annual prizes and scholarships established in his name. These include IPSA’s Stein Rokkan Travel Grant Award, the (organized by the International Science Council, the University of Bergen, and the ECPR), and the (awarded by the European University Institute).
