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European Journal of Political Research

February 12, 2024

How powerful are polls in influencing election outcomes?

Werner Krause Werner Krause and Christina Gahn argue that we need to pay more attention to how the media communicates the results of opinion polls to the public. Reporting methodological details, such as margins of error, can alter citizens’ vote choices on election day. This has important implications for elections around the globe Read more
January 23, 2024

Are parties wasting time negotiating coalition deals?

Matthew E Bergman Recent elections in several countries have produced inconclusive outcomes. This has resulted in extended periods of bargaining between parties to determine the next government. Matthew E Bergman, Hanna Bäck, and Wolfgang C Müller argue that contrary to conventional wisdom, long bargaining periods might actually be a constructive investment in future productivity Read more
November 22, 2023

Divided by sovereignty claims – territorial identity and societal polarisation

Laia Balcells Laia Balcells, Lesley-Ann Daniels, and Alexander Kuo highlight the role of contentious territorial issues in shaping societal divisions. They study three European regions —Scotland, Catalonia, and Northern Ireland — that have salient territorial claims but very different histories. All three, however, exhibit striking similarities in levels of social polarisation Read more
November 1, 2023

Losing the vote, losing the faith: electoral defeat in polarised times

Lisa Janssen Accepting electoral defeat is essential for democratic stability. Yet, amid the political polarisation that followed the storming of the US Capitol and similar events in Brazil, losers’ consent became harder to obtain. Using case studies from UK elections, Lisa Janssen explains how polarisation influences citizens’ responses to election results Read more
August 10, 2023

🔮 Populists in power, constitutional change, and democratic backsliding

Jasmin Sarah König We know that there is an inherent tension between populism and liberal democracy. So how does this translate into law when populists are in power? Jasmin Sarah König and Tilko Swalve argue that constitutional changes by populist governments can have ambiguous implications for democratic quality Read more
August 8, 2023

How do French and German voters view arms exports?

Lukas Rudolph The war in Ukraine has focussed attention on public attitudes to arms exports. New research by Lukas Rudolph, Markus Freitag, and Paul Thurner finds that in France and Germany, while a small minority is in principled opposition, a large majority makes nuanced trade-offs when articulating their positions on the issue of arms exports Read more
July 21, 2023

How income inequality threatens democracy

Simon Bienstman Income inequality threatens democracy by depressing trust in political institutions. To better understand why, Simon Bienstman, Svenja Hense, and Markus Gangl argue that we should pay attention to inequality’s negative effect on citizens’ evaluations of the democratic process Read more
July 7, 2023

Voters now identify as winners and losers of globalisation, shaping party preferences

Nils Steiner One way globalisation influences politics is by making new social categories ripe for politicisation. Nils Steiner, Matthias Mader and Harald Schoen examine the case of 'winners' and 'losers' of globalisation and show that significant proportions of citizens see themselves as part of these groups, showing distinct party preferences as a result Read more

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Advancing Political Science
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