Stefan Müller
Several studies have suggested that 'irrelevant events' outside politicians’ control, like sports results or lotteries, affect voting behaviour. Such findings raise worrying questions for democracy. Yet, write Stefan Müller and Liam Kneafsey, these concerns may be overstated. In Ireland, a country with a strong sporting tradition, match outcomes do not influence citizens’ assessments of government performance, or voting behaviour Read more
Dionysios Stivas
‘Securitising’ an alleged external threat can be a convenient tool for political leaders to justify extreme measures and policies. Dionysios Stivas looks at the case of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s handling of asylum seekers in 2015 Read more
Resul Umit
There is lively debate about the effect of casualties in armed conflicts on public opinion. Do voters rally behind their governments, or punish them for failing to prevent casualties? Resul Umit observes both scenarios at the same time in Turkey, as the public reacts differently to initial and subsequent casualties Read more
Christel Koop
Often labelled technocratic and expertise-driven, the Commission’s ‘unelected bureaucrats’ in fact take public opinion seriously. When facing crises, the Commission uses agenda-priorities to respond to citizens’ cues, write Christel Koop, Christine Reh and Edoardo Bressanelli Read more
Julian Garritzmann
Public opinion affects policy-making when the topic is salient and when most people share the same opinion, write Julian Garritzmann, Marius Busemeyer and Erik Niemanns. Yet when the public disagrees on what they want – or when many people don’t care – the influence of public opinion is significantly reduced Read more
Jonathan Polk
Political parties are the mainstay of our democracy – but do they adapt to changes in public opinion? In new research, Raimondas Ibenskas and Jonathan Polk reassure us that they do Read more
Danilo Di Mauro
The refugee crisis has led to changes in EU migration policy management. But effective reform of the so-called Dublin System that could resolve the crisis has so far eluded the EU. To understand the prospects for change, Danilo di Mauro and Vincenzo Memoli argue that we should examine how public opinion influences political parties, and elites Read more
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok
