Armin Schaefer
@arminschaefer.bsky.social
Professor for Comparative Politics @uni_mainz
| Democracy | Political Participation | Inequality | Responsiveness & Populism
| Democracy | Political Participation | Inequality | Responsiveness & Populism
Reposted by Armin Schaefer
we have 5 positions open at @goetheuni.bsky.social in Frankfurt
- a 4,5 year postdoc in my @erc.europa.eu project on the educational cleavage
- 2 postdoc & 2 PhD positions, 4 years, in a research group on Reconfiguration & Internalization of Social Structure
www.uni-frankfurt.de/48794784/FB0...
- a 4,5 year postdoc in my @erc.europa.eu project on the educational cleavage
- 2 postdoc & 2 PhD positions, 4 years, in a research group on Reconfiguration & Internalization of Social Structure
www.uni-frankfurt.de/48794784/FB0...
Goethe-Universität — FB03 - Gesellschaftswissenschaften
Die Goethe-Universität ist eine forschungsstarke Hochschule in der europäischen Finanzmetropole Frankfurt. Lebendig, urban und weltoffen besitzt sie als Stiftungsuniversität ein einzigartiges Maß an E...
www.uni-frankfurt.de
December 17, 2025 at 10:43 AM
we have 5 positions open at @goetheuni.bsky.social in Frankfurt
- a 4,5 year postdoc in my @erc.europa.eu project on the educational cleavage
- 2 postdoc & 2 PhD positions, 4 years, in a research group on Reconfiguration & Internalization of Social Structure
www.uni-frankfurt.de/48794784/FB0...
- a 4,5 year postdoc in my @erc.europa.eu project on the educational cleavage
- 2 postdoc & 2 PhD positions, 4 years, in a research group on Reconfiguration & Internalization of Social Structure
www.uni-frankfurt.de/48794784/FB0...
In line with the 'credibility revolution', we are thinking about research designs that allow us to get closer to causal effects. Those who use surveys have often turned to survey experiments. At the same time, survey response rates have dropped considerably. Below are the figures for the ESS.
December 16, 2025 at 9:27 AM
In line with the 'credibility revolution', we are thinking about research designs that allow us to get closer to causal effects. Those who use surveys have often turned to survey experiments. At the same time, survey response rates have dropped considerably. Below are the figures for the ESS.
Reposted by Armin Schaefer
From October 2025 -
Paths to Power: A New Dataset on the Social Profile of Governments - https://cup.org/47i6oKQ
- @jacobnyrup.bsky.social, @chknutsen.bsky.social, @peterla.bsky.social & Ina Lyftingsmo Kristiansen
#OpenAccess
Paths to Power: A New Dataset on the Social Profile of Governments - https://cup.org/47i6oKQ
- @jacobnyrup.bsky.social, @chknutsen.bsky.social, @peterla.bsky.social & Ina Lyftingsmo Kristiansen
#OpenAccess
December 9, 2025 at 4:40 AM
From October 2025 -
Paths to Power: A New Dataset on the Social Profile of Governments - https://cup.org/47i6oKQ
- @jacobnyrup.bsky.social, @chknutsen.bsky.social, @peterla.bsky.social & Ina Lyftingsmo Kristiansen
#OpenAccess
Paths to Power: A New Dataset on the Social Profile of Governments - https://cup.org/47i6oKQ
- @jacobnyrup.bsky.social, @chknutsen.bsky.social, @peterla.bsky.social & Ina Lyftingsmo Kristiansen
#OpenAccess
Reposted by Armin Schaefer
🎧 JETZT REINHÖREN: #Forschungspodcast #MindsOfMainz – #DerGutenbergTalk | Folge 28: Demokratie im Fokus: Warum Politische Theorie heute die Gesellschaft bewegt | mit Prof. Claudia Landwehr 👉 www.magazin.uni-mainz.de/minds-of-main…#Demokratiei#Politikwissenschaftf#PolitischeTheorieie
December 6, 2025 at 12:03 PM
🎧 JETZT REINHÖREN: #Forschungspodcast #MindsOfMainz – #DerGutenbergTalk | Folge 28: Demokratie im Fokus: Warum Politische Theorie heute die Gesellschaft bewegt | mit Prof. Claudia Landwehr 👉 www.magazin.uni-mainz.de/minds-of-main…#Demokratiei#Politikwissenschaftf#PolitischeTheorieie
Reposted by Armin Schaefer
Study after study shows campaign ads barely move the needle. So where does money’s real power come from? I ranked the five ways money corrupts politics—from least to most corrosive. What I’ve learned from 15 years of tracking political money:
Money Doesn't Buy Elections. It Does Something Worse.
Campaign ads barely move the needle. The real influence is hiding in plain sight.
open.substack.com
December 6, 2025 at 8:22 PM
Study after study shows campaign ads barely move the needle. So where does money’s real power come from? I ranked the five ways money corrupts politics—from least to most corrosive. What I’ve learned from 15 years of tracking political money:
Reposted by Armin Schaefer
1/ Does growing up poor always lead to political apathy?
Very happy to share my first paper published (open access) in @electoralstudies.bsky.social, where I show that parents' influence mitigates the poverty gap in participation, while economic mobility does not.
🔗 shorturl.at/p5Bac
Very happy to share my first paper published (open access) in @electoralstudies.bsky.social, where I show that parents' influence mitigates the poverty gap in participation, while economic mobility does not.
🔗 shorturl.at/p5Bac
December 4, 2025 at 10:54 AM
1/ Does growing up poor always lead to political apathy?
Very happy to share my first paper published (open access) in @electoralstudies.bsky.social, where I show that parents' influence mitigates the poverty gap in participation, while economic mobility does not.
🔗 shorturl.at/p5Bac
Very happy to share my first paper published (open access) in @electoralstudies.bsky.social, where I show that parents' influence mitigates the poverty gap in participation, while economic mobility does not.
🔗 shorturl.at/p5Bac
Reposted by Armin Schaefer
After becoming a congressional leader, a politician’s stock portfolio beats out those of peers by 47 (!!!) percentage points a year through trades timed around bills and firms that later get government contracts
www.nber.org/papers/w34524
via @florianederer.bsky.social
www.nber.org/papers/w34524
via @florianederer.bsky.social
December 3, 2025 at 1:42 AM
After becoming a congressional leader, a politician’s stock portfolio beats out those of peers by 47 (!!!) percentage points a year through trades timed around bills and firms that later get government contracts
www.nber.org/papers/w34524
via @florianederer.bsky.social
www.nber.org/papers/w34524
via @florianederer.bsky.social
Reposted by Armin Schaefer
Join us! Die Abteilung für Innenpolitik & Politische Soziologie sucht zum 01.04. eine*n neue*n Kollegin*en. Wir bieten: volle Promotionsstelle (EG13) für drei Jahre (Verlängerung um 3 Jahre möglich), flexible Arbeitszeitregelungen, kollegiales & forschungsstarkes Team. Mehr Informationen hier👇
stellenboerse.uni-mainz.de
December 2, 2025 at 2:12 PM
Join us! Die Abteilung für Innenpolitik & Politische Soziologie sucht zum 01.04. eine*n neue*n Kollegin*en. Wir bieten: volle Promotionsstelle (EG13) für drei Jahre (Verlängerung um 3 Jahre möglich), flexible Arbeitszeitregelungen, kollegiales & forschungsstarkes Team. Mehr Informationen hier👇
Reposted by Armin Schaefer
Am Mittwoch, 3. Dezember (16 Uhr, P5), freuen wir uns auf den Besuch von Jale Tosun (Universität Heidelberg) in unserer #Forschungswerkstatt. Sie spricht zum Thema "Die Wirksamkeit nationaler Klimapolitiken: Evidenz aus 43 OECD- und Schwellenländern".
Alle sind herzlich willkommen.
Alle sind herzlich willkommen.
November 28, 2025 at 1:28 PM
Am Mittwoch, 3. Dezember (16 Uhr, P5), freuen wir uns auf den Besuch von Jale Tosun (Universität Heidelberg) in unserer #Forschungswerkstatt. Sie spricht zum Thema "Die Wirksamkeit nationaler Klimapolitiken: Evidenz aus 43 OECD- und Schwellenländern".
Alle sind herzlich willkommen.
Alle sind herzlich willkommen.
Reposted by Armin Schaefer
Heute begrüßen wir Markus Patberg (Universität Hamburg) in der #Forschungswerkstatt (16 Uhr in P5, Philo). Wir freuen uns auf einen spannenden Vortrag zum Thema: „Oligarchische Vereinnahmung: Soziale Medien und politische Öffentlichkeit"
Alle sind herzlich willkommen!
Alle sind herzlich willkommen!
November 26, 2025 at 7:10 AM
Heute begrüßen wir Markus Patberg (Universität Hamburg) in der #Forschungswerkstatt (16 Uhr in P5, Philo). Wir freuen uns auf einen spannenden Vortrag zum Thema: „Oligarchische Vereinnahmung: Soziale Medien und politische Öffentlichkeit"
Alle sind herzlich willkommen!
Alle sind herzlich willkommen!
Reposted by Armin Schaefer
Members of the IPP gathered for the 11th consecutive retreat in Bodenheim close to Mainz on 13th and 14th November. The main purpose of the retreat was once again to foster the exchange of research ideas and collaboration and talk about the future of the IPP.
November 24, 2025 at 3:52 PM
Members of the IPP gathered for the 11th consecutive retreat in Bodenheim close to Mainz on 13th and 14th November. The main purpose of the retreat was once again to foster the exchange of research ideas and collaboration and talk about the future of the IPP.
Reposted by Armin Schaefer
There are very good reasons 𝘯𝘰𝘵 to panic about the #AfD's success in the #btw25 election, but their result is certainly historic. Want to know more? Or just can't go back to sleep? Tune in to my chat with Selcuk Gultasli
Professor Kai Arzheimer: AfD’s Surge is a Game-Changer in Post-War German Politics
The Alternative for Germany (AfD) has doubled its vote share in the February 23 elections, marking what Professor Kai Arzheimer calls “a turning point in post-war German politics.” While expected, this surge solidifies the AfD as Germany’s second-strongest party, normalizing far-right rhetoric in mainstream discourse. Arzheimer highlights how economic anxiety, deindustrialization, and anti-immigration sentiment fuel AfD’s rise. He also warns that mainstream parties risk losing credibility by mimicking far-right policies rather than offering bold alternatives. Despite its growing influence, AfD’s radicalization presents both an opportunity and a challenge for German democracy. As political fragmentation deepens, the response of centrist parties will determine whether this shift is temporary—or part of a long-term realignment. Interview by Selcuk Gultasli The Alternative for Germany (AfD) has cemented itself as a formidable force in German politics, nearly doubling its vote share in the February 23 elections compared to 2021. According to Professor Kai Arzheimer, a...
www.youtube.com
November 23, 2025 at 8:55 AM
Reposted by Armin Schaefer
🎉 New publication 🎉 Why do #youngpeople vote for the #AfD? This question has kept our research project busy for quite some time, so I'm beyond excited that our first article - co-authored with @timonscheuer.bsky.social - is now out in #GermanPolitics! 🤩 www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
November 22, 2025 at 9:36 AM
🎉 New publication 🎉 Why do #youngpeople vote for the #AfD? This question has kept our research project busy for quite some time, so I'm beyond excited that our first article - co-authored with @timonscheuer.bsky.social - is now out in #GermanPolitics! 🤩 www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
We look forward to welcoming @theresmatthiess.bsky.social to the Democracy Seminar today! 👇👇👇 What a treat!
🚂 On my way to the Democracy Seminar at @unimainz.bsky.social to pesent a joint paper with A. Ecker at the Democracy Seminar on "Citizens’ Preferences on Governing with Radical Right Parties and Flexible Majorities". Thank you for the invitation @arminschaefer.bsky.social @clandwehr.bsky.social
Aktuelles | Mainzer Zentrum für empirische Demokratieforschung
www.mzedf.uni-mainz.de
November 20, 2025 at 11:10 AM
We look forward to welcoming @theresmatthiess.bsky.social to the Democracy Seminar today! 👇👇👇 What a treat!
Reposted by Armin Schaefer
Vorgezogene Bundestagswahlen sind außergewöhnlich - geschenkt. Aber 2025 war für junge Menschen doppelt ärgerlich. Wer im Sommer 2025 18 wurde, hätte im Sep 25 eigentlich wählen dürfen, im Feb 25 aber nicht. Ca. 400.000 junge Menschen, die jetzt (voraussichtlich...) erst 2029 erstmals wählen dürfen.
November 19, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Vorgezogene Bundestagswahlen sind außergewöhnlich - geschenkt. Aber 2025 war für junge Menschen doppelt ärgerlich. Wer im Sommer 2025 18 wurde, hätte im Sep 25 eigentlich wählen dürfen, im Feb 25 aber nicht. Ca. 400.000 junge Menschen, die jetzt (voraussichtlich...) erst 2029 erstmals wählen dürfen.
Reposted by Armin Schaefer
Studienzeit - Fadenzeit. Erst gilt das angesichts der historischen Bedeutung des heutigen Tages, denn heute vor genau 53 Jahren fand die erste vorgezogene Bundestagswahl EVER statt. Noch dazu waren erstmals auch 18-, 19- u 20-Jährige dabei. Grund genug für eine Jugendwahlstudie zur BTW25.
November 19, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Studienzeit - Fadenzeit. Erst gilt das angesichts der historischen Bedeutung des heutigen Tages, denn heute vor genau 53 Jahren fand die erste vorgezogene Bundestagswahl EVER statt. Noch dazu waren erstmals auch 18-, 19- u 20-Jährige dabei. Grund genug für eine Jugendwahlstudie zur BTW25.
Interesting! 👇
🚨 New paper with Maria Grasso on generational shifts in political values. Despite talk of rising age polarisation, we show that gaps in attitudes are stable or even narrowing. Economic attitudes move in cycles, while social values have become more liberal – mainly due to generational replacement.
Political Socialisation in the UK: Describing Generational Changes of Values - International Journal of Politics, Culture, and Society
A growing bulk of research examines intergenerational shifts in attitudes and the extent to which they are attributable to new cohorts of voters being socialised under different socioeconomic and cult...
link.springer.com
November 13, 2025 at 12:51 PM
Interesting! 👇
Reposted by Armin Schaefer
Greatly looking forward to @breunig.bsky.social speaking in our research seminar @powimz.bsky.social on Wednesday!
November 10, 2025 at 12:34 PM
Greatly looking forward to @breunig.bsky.social speaking in our research seminar @powimz.bsky.social on Wednesday!
Reposted by Armin Schaefer
Bartels did a study 20+ years ago looking at how much a member of Congress' record coincided with their constituents' views, broken down by income. MCs are a lot more responsive to their wealthier constituents. Think about whom SNAP and flight delays affect. www.russellsage.org/sites/defaul...
November 10, 2025 at 1:11 AM
Bartels did a study 20+ years ago looking at how much a member of Congress' record coincided with their constituents' views, broken down by income. MCs are a lot more responsive to their wealthier constituents. Think about whom SNAP and flight delays affect. www.russellsage.org/sites/defaul...
Reposted by Armin Schaefer
Rechtsextreme, demokratiegefährdende Einstellungen, was ist wichtig, im Hinterkopf zu haben, wenn es um Ergebnisse wie die der Mitte-Studie geht? Einordnungen mit Politikwissenschaftler & Rechtsextremismusforscher @kai-arzheimer.com - 30min Vertiefung 🎧 www.deutschlandfunk.de/mitte-studie... 2/2
Politologe Arzheimer - Viele Menschen stehen fest auf dem Boden der Demokratie
AfD, Pegida, Neonazis - die Mitte-Studie macht den Machern Sorgen. Politiologe Arzheimer warnt, Einstellunge mit Politik gleichzusetzen.
www.deutschlandfunk.de
November 6, 2025 at 10:38 AM
Rechtsextreme, demokratiegefährdende Einstellungen, was ist wichtig, im Hinterkopf zu haben, wenn es um Ergebnisse wie die der Mitte-Studie geht? Einordnungen mit Politikwissenschaftler & Rechtsextremismusforscher @kai-arzheimer.com - 30min Vertiefung 🎧 www.deutschlandfunk.de/mitte-studie... 2/2
Reposted by Armin Schaefer
Crazy support numbers for Zohran Mamdani among young women: 84% (!) of women aged 18-29 voted for Mamdani in the NYC Mayoral Election.
But also important: young men voted MUCH MORE STRONGLY (67%) for Mamdani than old men (37%).
But also important: young men voted MUCH MORE STRONGLY (67%) for Mamdani than old men (37%).
November 5, 2025 at 8:49 PM
Crazy support numbers for Zohran Mamdani among young women: 84% (!) of women aged 18-29 voted for Mamdani in the NYC Mayoral Election.
But also important: young men voted MUCH MORE STRONGLY (67%) for Mamdani than old men (37%).
But also important: young men voted MUCH MORE STRONGLY (67%) for Mamdani than old men (37%).
Reposted by Armin Schaefer
Better get your paper submissions in for the @epssnet.bsky.social conference in June 2026, as the deadline is 7 November, and we have no intention of extended that (given the submission numbers)!
epssnet.org/belfast-2026...
epssnet.org/belfast-2026...
Call for Papers | EPSS Belfast 2026 Conference
Submit your abstract or full paper for EPSS Belfast 2026. Share cutting‑edge political science research, network with peers & contribute to academic impact.
epssnet.org
November 1, 2025 at 11:45 AM
Better get your paper submissions in for the @epssnet.bsky.social conference in June 2026, as the deadline is 7 November, and we have no intention of extended that (given the submission numbers)!
epssnet.org/belfast-2026...
epssnet.org/belfast-2026...
Reposted by Armin Schaefer
🚨New paper out in @jeppjournal.bsky.social: doi.org/10.1080/1350...
@manuelwagner.bsky.social & I re-conceptualize class representation to take into account social mobility between classes and variation in how individuals enter politics.
@manuelwagner.bsky.social & I re-conceptualize class representation to take into account social mobility between classes and variation in how individuals enter politics.
October 29, 2025 at 9:55 AM
🚨New paper out in @jeppjournal.bsky.social: doi.org/10.1080/1350...
@manuelwagner.bsky.social & I re-conceptualize class representation to take into account social mobility between classes and variation in how individuals enter politics.
@manuelwagner.bsky.social & I re-conceptualize class representation to take into account social mobility between classes and variation in how individuals enter politics.
Reposted by Armin Schaefer
Diesen Mittwoch in der Forschungswerkstatt Politikwissenschaft @powimz.bsky.social : Nathasha Wunsch stellt ihr neues Buch vor! 16 Uhr in P5 - wir freuen uns schon 🎉
October 27, 2025 at 4:47 PM
Diesen Mittwoch in der Forschungswerkstatt Politikwissenschaft @powimz.bsky.social : Nathasha Wunsch stellt ihr neues Buch vor! 16 Uhr in P5 - wir freuen uns schon 🎉
Reposted by Armin Schaefer
Kickoff done! “Marburger Stadtgespräch” & Future of Democracy (Mon, 20 Oct). @leaelsaesser.bsky.social on working-class political careers, the role of trade unions, and contrasts with uni graduates. Thanks also to our engaged audience for a great discussion! More: tinyurl.com/e3pyhstd
October 24, 2025 at 10:28 AM
Kickoff done! “Marburger Stadtgespräch” & Future of Democracy (Mon, 20 Oct). @leaelsaesser.bsky.social on working-class political careers, the role of trade unions, and contrasts with uni graduates. Thanks also to our engaged audience for a great discussion! More: tinyurl.com/e3pyhstd