Caterina Froio

Caterina Froio (PhD EUI, 2015) is Associate Professor in Political Science/E-politics at Sciences Po (CEE) where she studies politics. This involves a reflection on the relationship between citizens & elites in contemporary democracies. Caterina is particularly interested in researching the role of political parties, social movements, media, right-wing extremism & populism in order to understand the changing dynamics of political conflict.

Caterina is also an affiliate researcher at the Centre for Research on Extremism (C-Rex), University of Oslo (since 2017) and editor of the Routledge series ‘Extremism & Democracy’ (since 2019).

Before joining Sciences Po, she held research and teaching positions at the University of Colorado at Boulder (Department of Political Science), the University of Oxford (Oxford Internet Institute) and the Catholic University of Lille (European School of Political and Social Sciences). 

Research

Caterina is currently working on several projects:

• WHAT DO THE PEOPLE WANT? ANALYSING ONLINE POPULIST CHALLENGES TO EUROPE (funded by the Volkswagen foundation in partnership with the Oxford Internet Institute and GESIS). The project examines how (digital) media exposure shapes political behaviour, notably support for far-right parties and nativist worldviews.
• FROM THE BALLOTS TO THE STREETS: FAR RIGHT PROTEST MOBILIZATION IN EUROPE AND THE UNITED STATES (funded by a SAB grant- Fondation Nationale des Sciences Politiques). The project explores the drivers and consequences of far-right mobilization in the aftermaths of the 2008 Great Recession.
• AUTHLIB - Neo-authoritarianisms in Europe and the liberal democratic response (funded by the Horizon Europe programme). The project explores diverse forms of opposition to democracy, as well as their social, psychological and historical causes, their organisational background and their political implications.

Teaching

Caterina Froio teaches courses on populism at Sciences Po's School of Public Affairs (EAP) and on the impact of digital technology on politics for Sciences Po's School of Research and Paris School of International Affairs (PSIA).

Since the start of the 2024-2025 academic year, she is the co-scientific coordinator of the Master in Political Science, Major in Comparative Politics at the School of Research.

To know more

• Her publications are available on HAL, Academia and Researchgate.