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Josep Colomer    

Political Scientist & Economist; Professor at Georgetown University

Josep Colomer is a professor of political science at Georgetown University in Washington DC, United States, and top speaker on government, democratization, political institutions, electoral systems, and international affairs.

Previously, Professor Colomer has worked in many academic roles across the world, including at the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC), Barcelona; the University of Bristol, UK; New York University; Institut d’Etudes Politiques, SciencesPo, Paris; the Center for Research and Teaching in Economics, Mexico; amongst others.

Professor Colomer has authored or edited 141 scholarly articles, 26 books and 83 book chapters. His books have been translated into English, Spanish, Catalan, French, Italian, and Russian. His latest book, Democracy and Globalization: Anger, Fear and Hope, which he co-authored with Ashley Beale, was selected by the Financial Times as one of the Best Books of 2020.

His insights and expertise are widely recognized across the world, and he has delivered over 100 guest lectures at 83 institutions across 25 countries, in three languages. He has worked as a consultant for electoral and constitutional reforms in Spain, Estonia, Mexico, Colombia, the European Union, and the United States.

Professor Colomer has received numerous prizes and awards for his work, including the Prat de la Riba Award for the best book in Philosophy and Social Sciences from 2002 to 2006, for his book Great Empires, Small Nations, which was also shortlisted for the Europa Book prize in 2007; the American Political Science Association’s Leon Weaver Award for the best paper in "Representation and Electoral Systems", 2004; and Oxford University Press Editor’s Choice for the year 2001 for Political Institutions.

Colomer has been awarded life membership with the American Political Science Association and is an elected member of the Academy of Europe.

Speech Topics

Political Polarization is in the Constitution

Colomer argues, against much conventional wisdom, that political polarization is embedded in the constitutional design. Sustained conflict and institutional gridlock are not mainly questions of character, personalities, or determined by socioeconomic or cultural inequalities. They are, above all, the result of the formula of separation of powers between the Presidency and Congress, which, together with a system of only two parties, fosters adversarial politics and polarization. Colomer contends that in the past, bipartisan cooperation and domestic peace flourished only under a foreign existential threat, such as during the Cold War. Once such a threat vanished, unsettled issues and new social concerns have broadened the public agenda and triggered again animosity and conflict. This is of interest to citizens attentive to current affairs, as well as to public officers, journalists, pundits, as well as students, instructors, and researchers in political science.

Traveling the World and Learning Languages

Josep Colomer has visited forty countries, had jobs in five, and lectured in five languages. How can a foreigner learn English in America? Should Americans learn other languages?

How to Be an Academic, and Enjoy the Profession.

Breaking the stigma surrounding academic professionals, this topic is catered to graduation ceremonies, commencements, and similar events.

The Future of Democracy

Democratic governance needs to accept the challenge of globalization. It should be organized at the local, the national, and the global levels without the absolute sovereignty of national states.

Will There Be More National Democracies?

What are the consequences of the cumulative crises provoked by the Great Recession, the pandemic, and the new confrontation with Russia for the expansion of democracy in the world? Are new “transitions” and democratic “revolutions” still likely? Are we moving to a new, non-ideological Cold War between democracy and authoritarianism?

Checks and Grievances

The Founding Fathers misunderstood the British institutional model and did not anticipate the role of political parties. The separation of powers and a two-party system foster polarization.

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