Projects
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 ...
"When Political Economy was Popular": The Reception of Political Economy in Bri tain, 1817-1847 KU Leuven
Ever since C.P. Snow first coined the phrase, it has been widely accepted that the history of public and academic discourse is one of a widening divide between “two cultures,” generally designated as literature and science. This view is especially pervasive in accounts of the first half of the 19th century, a period in which artists and writers increasingly defined themselves against scientists and vice versa. Even though ...
The geographical strategy of parties in the candidate selection process: the Belgian political parties in the election of the Belgian Chamber (1987-2010) KU Leuven
When Belgian voters go to the polling booth on election day, they are presented with a set of candidate lists of different political parties. Voters know that they can either cast a list vote, which implies that they endorse the party list in its entirety, or they can cast an individual preferential vote for one or several candidates from the same list. What most voters are unaware of, however, is the amount of effort and preparation that ...
The European Union and the information gap: a political science analysis of the decisionmaking process and the autonomy of the Directorate-General Communication Ghent University
This study examines decionmaking processes of the Directorate-General Communication of the European Commission from a Principal Agent perspective. The analysis focuses on the level of autonomy this DG has in its policy- and decisionmaking and in what way the powerrelations between this DG and other actors, such as the European Parliament and the memberstates, influence this autonomy.
The political economy of the trade-climate nexus in the European Union: Under which conditions does the EU use trade instruments at the service of climate policies? Ghent University
We want to characterize and explain the EU’s stance in the trade-climate nexus from a political science perspective. The reasons for (not) taking certain decisions about trade measures to fight climate change will be studied, through analysing and comparing six cases. We will collect data mainly via interviews and primary sources, and use process tracing as our research method.
Does the journalist matter? A multi-method study on the influence of journalists' political gender stereotypes on the representations of male and female politicians in the news Ghent University
This project contributes to the literature by shedding light on the impact of political gender stereotypes among journalists on the representation of female politicians in Flemish news media, from an intersectional perspective. To do so, the project puts forward a multi-method research design combining quantitative content analysis, reconstruction interviews and a between-subjects survey experiment.
On 'd'oorloghs wree Canonnen': Peeter Snayers (1592-1667) and the development of the topographical battle scene. The representation of war and peace within the artistic, political and socio-economic dynamics of 17th-century Brussels. KU Leuven
The spending behaviour of political parties. The expenses of the parties in nine European democracies KU Leuven
Money constitutes one of the most valuable resources for political parties, as it allows them to buy a variety of other resources, including staff, office space, and marketing materials, and consequently to fund all party operations and activities. Given the important role of money in politics, this issue has already received considerable attention in academic literature. Political finance research has been blooming in recent decades, ...