Projects
They are not like us. The perception of differentness, polarization amongst citizens and dissatisfaction with representatives KU Leuven
The project examines an hitherto under-examined driver of two of the main problems representative
democracies are wrestling with: horizontal affective polarization among citizens and vertical political
dissatisfaction with politicians. The ‘new’ driver is the perception that other-minded citizens and other-minded
politicians are not only politically different—they have other political preferences—but that they also are ...
Poorly Understood, Deliberately Disregarded, or Well-Represented After All? The Scope and Mechanisms of the Unequal Political Representation of Disadvantaged Groups. University of Antwerp
The Political Economy of Euroscepticism, Referenda and Primaries in an Integrated Europe KU Leuven
In recent decades voters in Europe and North America have become less loyal to political parties. Support for mainstream parties has declined and radical populist parties prosper. In the European Union (EU) this evolution has led to more Euroscepticism. One way mainstream politicians have responded is by giving voters a more direct role in the political process. Examples include the use of referenda on EU-related issues in the Netherlands and ...
How Are Policymakers Influenced by What the Public Wants? An Experimental Study of the Effect of Public Opinion on Elite Preferences and Behavior. University of Antwerp
Power to the people? Studying citizen involvement in political decision-making and its effects om democratic legitimacy from a bottom-up perspective. KU Leuven
Many citizens in western democracies are dissatisfied with the way politics works in their country. Among academics, journalists and politicians there is a deep concern about a deficit in perceived democratic legitimacy, indicated by a lack of trust in political institutions and representatives, lack of compliance and cooperation, support for protest parties and a general sense that politics is an elite affair where the ordinary citizen is ...
A Republic of Comrades. Elite and elitenetworks in Belgian interwar politics (1918-1940) KU Leuven
This thesis explores the existence and modus operandi of interwar elite networks and the ways they have (or tried to) influenced Belgian politics in the period between the two world wars. Traditionally, these two decades are associated with the breakthrough of democratization in the twenties, the success of the New Order movements in the thirties and political instability throughout the entire period. At the same time, researchers ...
Power to the experts? A mixed-method study on the attitudes towards, the use and the effects of expert advice in the Belgian policy context. Ghent University
Representative democracy is put under pressure the last few years. To remedy this crisis, different alternatives are explored, including ‘stealth democracy’ which aims to transfer (more) decision-making power to non-partisan experts. Although some support for this kind of democracy can be found among citizens, it is also contested, as became apparent during the Covid-crisis.
Research on ‘stealth democracy’ is less developed than ...
Concerned about inequality? The political salience of economic inequality among voters and political parties KU Leuven
Economic inequality is rising in most democracies: the gap between the incomes of the wealthiest part of the population and the rest is widening. Despite high and rising inequality, and its pressure on redistributive welfare states, there is no systematic evidence that inequality leads to redistributive policies or public demands for such policies. We are confronted with a paradox: Most citizens and politicians realise that inequality exists ...
Narrating the past in the African Great Lakes region Ghent University
The African Great Lakes region has experienced significant turmoil and violence, with historical narratives often used by politicians and actors to fuel conflict. In these narratives, 'ethnicity' is commonly used as the single source to explain societal divides, but those who have lived through these conflicts emphasize the importance of inter-ethnic relationships and alliances in providing protection. Moreover, oral research suggests that ...