Gergely Rajnai

Gergely Rajnai

Gergely Rajnai, Doctoral Candidate at the Corvinus University of Budapest

 

I studied International Relations (BA), then Political Science (MA) at the Corvinus University of Budapest, and I am currently doing my PhD at the same university in Political Science. I have also spent a few months at Pepperdine University in California during my doctoral studies as a visiting scholar.

My work previously focused on democratic theory and its applications (particularly on the preconditions of democracy), and now my research is dealing with power theory. My goal is to make political power measurable in as many different contexts as possible; I develop and apply various metrics using a diverse set of methods (statistics, game theory, etc.) to do so.

My PhD project is dealing with the concept of power consolidation, which I define as an actor using its power to extend said power in time. In addition to creating a conceptual framework of power consolidation, I also inspect the effectiveness of specific tools of consolidation. So far I have analyzed whether altering the electoral system or changing the rules of the legislature are effective ways to consolidate power; I plan to delve deeper into those and analyze additional tools as well before completing my PhD.

Beside my doctoral research, I am also interested in deliberative theory and the relationship between power and deliberation. I am developing a metric that is capable of measuring power in a deliberative setting, which could be useful in ascertaining power relations in groups that require a consensus to make decisions (e.g. NATO, European Council), where conventional power metrics are not applicable. I am also a political analyst for the Center for Fair Political Analysis, providing commentary and analysis on current international and Hungarian political issues.

Contact

E-mail: rajnai@ualberta.ca
Telephone: 780-492-6095
Address:
University of Alberta
Wirth Institute for Austrian and Central European Studies
300-G
Arts & Convocation Hall
Edmonton, Alberta
Canada T6G 2E6