Explore the MEDem Training Database: Training Resources for Democracy Research in One Place
We are excited to announce that the MEDem Training Database is now live! It brings together an overview of more than 100 courses, tutorials, video materials, and seasonal schools related to democracy research, research methods, data analysis, programming, computational approaches, elections, public debate, and democratic processes.
With the Training Database, MEDem offers a curated and searchable overview that helps researchers, students, and practitioners discover relevant training more easily. The database was developed by members of the MEDem Service Center for Training and Capacity Building at the University of Silesia in Katowice and Jagiellonian University in Krakow, together with the MEDem Headquarters at the University of Vienna.
Why the Training Database matters
Quantitative Democracy Research increasingly requires a broad and evolving set of skills. Scholars and students usually need to combine substantive knowledge of democratic institutions and processes with methodological expertise in areas such as statistics, survey research, programming, data collection, text analysis, and computational methods.
However, relevant training opportunities are often spread across different institutions, platforms, and formats—making them difficult to find, compare, and navigate. The MEDem Training Database addresses this challenge by bringing selected resources together in a single searchable platform.
What the Database offers
The database is free to access and organized into three sections: online courses, seasonal schools, and video tutorials. This structure makes it easier for users to find the type of training that best fits their needs, from self-paced learning materials to intensive summer or winter schools and video-based guidance.
- Online Courses include structured courses, tutorials, and learning materials that can often be attended flexibly throughout the year.
- Seasonal Schools provide an overview of time-specific summer and winter schools, offering more intensive training opportunities.
- Video Tutorials brings together selected video-based resources, such as tutorials, lectures, and recorded talks, that support flexible, self-paced learning.
The database includes materials from leading universities and research institutions, many of which are MEDem partners.
A growing and evolving resource
The launch of the Training Database marks the beginning of an ongoing process. The MEDem team will continue to update and improve it, with enhanced usability, better search functions, additional filtering options, and regular updates to the available content.
Anything missing? We also very much welcome suggestions for additional resources. If your institution offers courses, tutorials, seasonal schools, or other training opportunities related to quantitative democracy research, we invite you to get in touch.
The European infrastructure for unlocking the true potential of data-driven democracy research