No dia 9 de maio, Filipe Teles (Universidade de Aveiro) será o orador no Seminário de Estudos Pós-Graduados em Ciência Política. O tema para esta sessão será Understanding the role(s) of local government: councillors’ value priorities in Europe. A partir das 14h30, na Sala 1 do ICS-ULisboa e online.

Bio:

Filipe Teles is an Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Aveiro (Portugal), where he currently serves as Pro-Rector for Regional Development and Urban Policies. With over two decades of experience in teaching, research, and academic leadership, he has led numerous scientific projects at both national and international levels. He is President of the European Urban Research Association (2021–2025) and a member of GOVCOPP, a research unit dedicated to governance and public policies. His work focuses on local government, political leadership, and territorial reform, and he has published extensively in these areas. He is the editor and author of 14 books and numerous peer-reviewed articles, and is actively involved in international academic networks and editorial boards. He has served as a consultant and expert for institutions such as the European Commission, OECD, Council of Europe, and the World Bank, contributing to work on decentralization, intermunicipal cooperation, and territorial governance. He has also delivered lectures and seminars at universities across Europe, Latin America, Africa, and Asia.

Resumo:
This seminar investigates how local councillors across Europe navigate and prioritize the core governance values of autonomy, participation, and efficiency. Based on a comprehensive comparative survey (in 25 countries), the session will explore how these value orientations are shaped by the degree of institutional decentralization, councillors’ personal characteristics, and municipal context. We will discuss striking national variations—for example, the emphasis on autonomy and participation in more centralized systems, and the predominance of efficiency in decentralized ones. The seminar also highlights the role of gender and political ideology, revealing that female and left-leaning councillors tend to value participation, while male and right-leaning councillors are more likely to stress autonomy or efficiency. Municipal scale and urban-rural dynamics further influence these patterns. This conversation aims to deepen our understanding of how elected officials perceive and balance the demands of democratic governance in diverse local settings across Europe.