Georgetown University in Qatar Professor Recognized as Global Thought Leader on Democracy with Prestigious Fellowship

English , Qatar - قطر , Snippets , / Tuesday, April 15th, 2025

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Dr. Gabor Scheiring, Assistant Professor of Comparative Politics at Georgetown University in Qatar has been selected as a Global Fellow by the Charles F. Kettering Foundation. This one-year, by-invitation-only fellowship recognizes Dr. Scheiring as a “global thought leader” committed to defending democracy and combating authoritarianism. As a fellow, Dr. Scheiring will have the opportunity to contribute to global conversations about the future of democracy through publications, webinars, and conferences.

“The stakes could not be higher, Democracy is under pressure globally, from Hungary to the United States, from Brazil to India. Economic anxiety, political polarization, and strategic institutional manipulation are converging in ways that threaten democratic governance,” explains Dr. Scheiring, adding: “Understanding why democratic institutions weaken and what can be done to counteract these trends is not just an academic concern—it’s an urgent political and social challenge.”

A former Member of Parliament in the Hungarian National Assembly before pursuing his Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Cambridge, Dr. Scheiring’s research explores the intersection of economic shocks, inequality, and democratic resilience focusing on actionable insights for policymakers.

“As a scholar and a former policymaker, I’ve seen firsthand how economic crises and social dislocation create fertile ground for illiberalism. My work seeks to unravel these dynamics—not just as an academic exercise, but as a way to inform better policy responses,” he said.

The recipient of many prestigious fellowships and awards, including the European Commission’s Marie Curie Fellowship, Dr. Scheiring highlighted the unique platform that the Kettering Foundation provides: “This fellowship offers an opportunity to contribute my expertise while also learning from practitioners actively engaged in defending democracy on the ground.”

Dr. Scheiring is the author of The Retreat of Liberal Democracy: Authoritarian Capitalism and the Accumulative State in Hungary, among other publications, and during the fellowship will be working on two book projects, one exploring the politics of deaths of despair and democracy, and another on the structural forces behind the rise of authoritarian populism and its consequences for strategic policy areas.

At GU-Q, the professor is also excited to use his real-world case study research to teach students to think critically about the forces shaping their world. “This fellowship, by expanding my engagement with global democratic struggles, will further enrich my teaching, providing students with comparative insights and concrete examples of how political and economic structures interact,” he said.

Dr. Scheiring is among many distinguished professors who have taught in Qatar over the past 20 years, contributing to Georgetown’s 236-year-old global mission of preparing students to become leaders and global citizens committed to serving and transforming the world. “I’m grateful for the intellectual community at GU-Q, which provides an excellent environment for teaching and research and for professors to thrive, whatever their field of study might be,” he said.