Sciences Po Paris is a highly influential academic institution in the social sciences in France. Alumni include notable public figures, including seven of the last eight French presidents, foreign heads of state or government and heads of international organizations. The Centre for European Studies and Comparative Politics (CEE) is a multidisciplinary centre dedicated to comparative political analysis. Its projects combine basic and applied research and focus on four main areas: the state and public action; new forms of democratic government, participation and representation; the political effects of the transformations of capitalism; and the role of cities, territories and borders in a globalised world.