Sofia Ventura is associate professor of political science at the University of Bologna-Forli Campus where she teaches Political Sciences, Leadership and Political Communication and Comparative Politics. From 1997 to 2007 she has taught at the Eastern College Consortium composed of Vassar College, Wellesley College, Wesleyan University based in Bologna. She has also led seminars at the Faculty of Political Science, University of Roma, Istituto Italiano di Scienze Umane (SUM) in Florence, Sciences Po and Faculté des Lettres et sciences humaines, Université Paris 12. She is a regular contributor to leading Italian newspapers and has also completed the following publications: • G. Pasquino (a cura di),Una splendida cinquantenne. La Quinta Repubblica francese, Bologna,Il Mulino, 2010 ; • with D. Campus, L’image et la communication de Nicolas Sarkozy: tradition ou innovation?, in P. J. Maarek (a cura di), La communication politique de le presidentielle 2007. Partecipation ou representation?, Paris, l’Harmattan, 2009, pp. 31-51; • Nicolas Sarkozy. L’”iperpresidenza”e la riforma delle istituzioni,in «Quaderni costituzionali», n. 1, marzo 2009, pp. 143-164; • Francia. Bipolarismo a formato variabile, in P. Grilli di Cortona e G. Pasquino (a cura di), Partiti e sistemi di partito nelle democrazie europee, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2008, pp. 83-116; • (edited), Da Stato unitario a Stato federale, Territorializzazione della politica, devoluzione e adattamento istituzionale, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2008.