Honorary Degree in Economics and Political Science awarded to George Tsebelis

Today the University of Milan awarded George Tsebelis an honorary Master's degree in Economics and Political Science for "his outstanding and long-lasting contribution to the study of comparative politics and the understanding of decision-making processes within democratic institutions; for his innovative application of economic analysis techniques to the study of political phenomena; for the remarkable clarity and strong methodological rigour permeating all his works", as stated in the citation. 

The ceremony, which was held entirely in English in the University's main conference room, opened with the welcome remarks by the Rector of the University, Marina Brambilla, and an introduction by Alessandro Missale, Head of the Department of Economics, Management and Quantitative Methods. After the Laudatio by Francesco Zucchini, Professor of Political Science at the University of Milan, titled "Reading Political Institutions as a Game. The Intellectual Legacy of George Tsebelis", George Tsebelis gave a Lectio Magistralis titled "Cannot Understand Politics without Following the Decisions".

Currently the Anatol Rapoport Collegiate Professor of Political Science at the University of Michigan and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, George Tsebelis has a multifaceted educational background. He was born in Greece, where he graduated in engineering. In the 1970s he furthered his studies in Paris by completing a second degree in political science, as well as a doctorate in mathematical statistics focusing on Greek electoral geography. Tsebelis eventually moved to the United States to complete a second doctorate in political science. He there embarked on a brilliant academic career, developing a rigorous and original theory for understanding the functioning of democratic institutions and their transformations.

In the Laudatio, Francesco Zucchini noted how "the extraordinary academic and scientific career of George Tsebelis has developed within the field of political science while also exploring issues in economics and constitutional law. It has always been driven — and still is — by three fundamental elements: extreme logical and conceptual rigour, the ability to grasp the empirical details that really matter in explaining phenomena, a deep passion, as well as a boundless curiosity for politics".

He then traced the development of Tsebelis's ideas through some of his most significant works. In Nested Games (1990) he applies game theory to comparative politics, showing how political actors are not usually inconsistent or prey to emotions, but rather skilled strategists involved in multiple simultaneous games. This was followed by Bicameralism (1997, with Jeannette Money), in which he explores the functioning of bicameral legislative institutions, analysing the interactions between legislative chambers in over fifty countries. 

"But it was with Veto Players: How Political Institutions Work, published in 2002, that Tsebelis put forward one of the most influential theories in contemporary political science. The idea is as simple as it is revolutionary: what determines a political system's ability to change the status quo is not the type of regime or the number of parties, but the number and ideological distance of the "veto players" — actors whose consent is necessary to approve new policies. This theory has been applied in fields ranging from the study of governments and courts to fiscal and monetary policy and the analysis of the functioning of the European Union". 

The overview also included his latest and most recent work, Changing the Rules (2025), in which Tsebelis extends his analysis to constitutional changes, demonstrating — after analysing 104 democracies — that the rigidity of constitutional revision procedures reduces the number of amendments and promotes judicial independence, refuting approaches that underestimate the importance of institutions.

 "The University of Milan is particularly proud to award Professor George Tsebelis an honorary degree in Economics and Political Science," said Rector Marina Brambilla, "for its cultural value, as well as its academic and scientific importance, at this moment in history, when we are compelled to defend the founding values of democracy and the rule of law — principles which we once believed to be inviolable but now seem to be wavering, even in Europe, under the pressure of populism and nationalism. In this critical moment, in which we as European universities are called upon to be guardians of the democratic values of Western culture and peace, we turn in particular to studies in political, social and international sciences. Only study, calm reasoning, and scientific research can lead to a true understanding of our complex reality, overcoming the polarisation of extremism and the discourse of hatred. In this context, academic freedom assumes a fundamental role also in the defense and preservation of peace."

 "The University of Milan has always been one of the most prestigious in Italy, and Italy is a country with centuries of political history that has produced giants of political and economic thought such as Machiavelli, Pareto and Gramsci. Receiving an honorary degree in two distinct sciences from the University of Milan is a once-in-a-lifetime honour", concluded George Tsebelis.