Roland Kappe
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rolandkappe.bsky.social
Roland Kappe
@rolandkappe.bsky.social
320 followers 490 following 10 posts
Elections and voting, education politics and policy, bureaucracy, coffee, sunshine. Latte papa, citizen of nowhere, lecturer in political economy at UCL
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Reposted by Roland Kappe
davidattewell6.bsky.social
8/ Education anchors contemporary cleavage politics, but what *kind* of education? @nspmartin.bsky.social @ralphscott.bsky.social ‬ and @rolandkappe.bsky.social show the specific subjects British adolescents take in secondary school shape their voting behavior as adults.

bsky.app/profile/ralp...
ralphscott.bsky.social Ralph Scott @ralphscott.bsky.social · Jul 14
📣 NEW PAPER ALERT! 🚨

"School subject choices in adolescence affect political party support"

Just published in @wepsocial.bsky.social with @nspmartin.bsky.social and @rolandkappe.bsky.social.

doi.org/10.1080/0140...

🧵👇
Article abstract, which says: The educational cleavage is restructuring electoral competition in many democracies, yet there has been insufficient attention on how variation in educational content affects this. In order to address this, this article combines English administrative school records with a unique representative panel of adolescents to estimate the within-individual effect of studying different subjects at school on political party preference. This analysis finds that studying arts and humanities subjects leads to greater support for socially liberal parties, whilst studying business and economics increases support for economically right-wing parties. Students who study technical subjects become more likely to support socially conservative and economically right-wing parties. These relationships between particular subjects and party support also persist into adulthood. As such, this article provides new evidence on the importance of subjects taken in secondary school for political socialisation, during the impressionable years of adolescence.
October 7, 2025 at 11:28 AM
Reposted by Roland Kappe
davidattewell6.bsky.social
@dpzollinger.bsky.social and I are thrilled "Cleavage Politics in Western Democracies" is out as an SI at @wepsocial.bsky.social!

Its papers explore the foundations of the cleavage pitting new left against radical right parties, and how it compares to the classic cleavages of Lipset & Rokkan:

🧵⬇️
October 7, 2025 at 11:28 AM
Reposted by Roland Kappe
ralphscott.bsky.social
📣 NEW PAPER ALERT! 🚨

"School subject choices in adolescence affect political party support"

Just published in @wepsocial.bsky.social with @nspmartin.bsky.social and @rolandkappe.bsky.social.

doi.org/10.1080/0140...

🧵👇
Article abstract, which says: The educational cleavage is restructuring electoral competition in many democracies, yet there has been insufficient attention on how variation in educational content affects this. In order to address this, this article combines English administrative school records with a unique representative panel of adolescents to estimate the within-individual effect of studying different subjects at school on political party preference. This analysis finds that studying arts and humanities subjects leads to greater support for socially liberal parties, whilst studying business and economics increases support for economically right-wing parties. Students who study technical subjects become more likely to support socially conservative and economically right-wing parties. These relationships between particular subjects and party support also persist into adulthood. As such, this article provides new evidence on the importance of subjects taken in secondary school for political socialisation, during the impressionable years of adolescence.
July 14, 2025 at 1:13 PM
Reposted by Roland Kappe
wepsocial.bsky.social
Online first: "School subject choices in adolescence affect political party support" by @nspmartin.bsky.social @ralphscott.bsky.social & @rolandkappe.bsky.social

doi.org/10.1080/0140...

Part of the Special Issue "Cleavage Politics in Western Democracies"
Abstract of the article "School subject choices in adolescence affect political party support" by Nicole S. Martin, Ralph Scott and Roland Kappe. Published online first in West European Politics. Part of the forthcoming Special Issue "Cleavage Politics in Western Democracies", edited by Delia Zollinger and David Attewell. Figure 1, displaying the effects of choosing a school subject for the General Certificate of Secondary Education on vote intention in adolescence. Figure 2, displaying the effects of choosing a school subject for A-Levels on vote intention in adolescence. Figure 5, displaying the effects of choosing a school subject for the General Certificate of Secondary Education on vote intention in adulthood. This time displayed for specific parties in the UK.
July 11, 2025 at 6:02 AM
Reposted by Roland Kappe
epssnet.bsky.social
1.3K followers & counting. Thank you all for your incredible support!

The EPSS journey is just getting started & we couldn’t do it without you.

Thank you for so many of you who already joined EPSS! If you haven't already, please join: epssnet.org/sign-up/#join

Let’s do this together.
Sign Up – EPSS
© 2025 – European Political Science CIC
epssnet.org
June 29, 2025 at 10:17 AM
Reposted by Roland Kappe
robfordmancs.bsky.social
Political volatility has been taking us by surprise for a while now. Here’s little exercise to illustrate. Rewind two years and take a look at where the polls were, what people expected, and what they failed to anticipate. You have to go back a while before politics is predictable even 2 yrs out 1/
robfordmancs.bsky.social Rob Ford @robfordmancs.bsky.social · Jun 10
A reminder of how volatile politics is now: Reform UK, who lead the current polls, won the most recent by-election and swept the board in the recent local elections, failed to retain their deposit or finish above third in any by-election from Old Bexley (Dec 21) to Tamworth (Oct 23)
June 11, 2025 at 6:48 AM
rolandkappe.bsky.social
How good were the German election forecasts? @zweitstimme.bsky.social team already posted an evaluation of their prediction online here (in German):
zweitstimme.org/posts/blog/e...
#bundestagswahl #btw2025
February 26, 2025 at 12:13 PM
rolandkappe.bsky.social
Fantastic thread by @anjaneundorf.bsky.social explaining that German election map #btw25
anjaneundorf.bsky.social Anja Neundorf @anjaneundorf.bsky.social · Feb 24
The most striking result from yesterday’s German election #btw2025 🇩🇪:

🔹 35 years after reunification: The GDR is redrawn on this map.
🔹 The AfD won 45 out of 48 electoral districts in the East.
🔹 In some parts of Saxony, they came close to 50%!

Why is this happening? Here’s my take 👇
February 25, 2025 at 11:00 AM
Reposted by Roland Kappe
juliusk.bsky.social
In just one week, Germany will head to the polls for one of its most crucial elections in decades. At @zeitonline.bsky.social, we analyze the results of all federal elections since 1949 within current constituencies. Use our interactive tool to explore trends over time!
www.zeit.de/politik/deut...
February 16, 2025 at 8:37 AM
Reposted by Roland Kappe
florianfoos.bsky.social
The final vote fails despite the AfD voting with FDP & CDU. Results aren’t online yet, but looks like a substantial intra-party rebellion this time around. Thanks to everyone who wrote to their MP, went out in cold temperatures, spoke out etc. Pressure does work! Concede nothing.
January 31, 2025 at 4:50 PM
Reposted by Roland Kappe
pluggedchris.bsky.social
With the joint majority of AfD and CDU, the "firewall" (Brandmauer) is becoming a central issue in the Bundestag election campaign. In a new study (with @christinajuen.bsky.social & @martingross.bsky.social), we examine how voters react to CDU candidates' varying positions on issues & firewall. 🧵
January 31, 2025 at 12:37 PM
rolandkappe.bsky.social
Wow, Merkel directly criticises Merz for his vote with AfD support. www.spiegel.de/politik/deut...
Angela Merkel stellt sich gegen Friedrich Merz
Mit Stimmen der AfD hat CDU-Chef Friedrich Merz einen Antrag im Bundestag durchgebracht. Altkanzlerin Merkel wirft ihrem Nachfolger an der Parteispitze deswegen Abkehr von seiner staatspolitischen Ver...
www.spiegel.de
January 30, 2025 at 10:17 AM
rolandkappe.bsky.social
Historic day in Germany where the CDU passes a motion with the support of the far-right AfD - violating the post-war cordon sanitaire. The actual motion is largely symbolic, but the measures demanded such as permanent border controls would likely break European law.
January 29, 2025 at 7:26 PM
Reposted by Roland Kappe
taniel.bsky.social
Die Zeit, a prominent German publication, titles its article: 'A Hitler salute is a Hitler salute is a Hitler salute.'
screengrab of Die Zeit story on Elon Musk
January 21, 2025 at 5:23 PM
Reposted by Roland Kappe
tabouchadi.bsky.social
Pretty much exactly 80 years after the liberation of Auschwitz, the richest man in the world uses the Nazi salute at the inauguration of his close ally as US president. What should rationally not be surprising is still so deeply shocking and simply difficult to comprehend.
January 20, 2025 at 8:41 PM
rolandkappe.bsky.social
Clissold Park in all its frosty beauty this morning ❄️
View of frost on tree trunks and a meadow in Clissold Park with the morning sun rising behind the trees.
November 29, 2024 at 10:44 AM
Reposted by Roland Kappe
sergipardos.bsky.social
Do radical right parties need to detach themselves from the legacy of right-wing authoritarian regimes to be successful? It would appear not, or not anymore. New work with @anjaneundorf.bsky.social now forthcoming at @thejop.bsky.social. A couple of thoughts 👇
November 28, 2024 at 12:17 PM
Reposted by Roland Kappe
marcdebus.bsky.social
The Christian Democrats are currently favoured to become the strongest party in the next German parliament. The estimated policy position the CDU’s basic programme, which the party adopted in May 2024, indicates that the CDU moved to the right on economic and societal issues. 1/2
November 26, 2024 at 2:05 PM
Reposted by Roland Kappe
lewisgoodall.com
Spot on. Comprehensive pedestrianisation should be far higher up the agenda in our cities than it is. Nearly wherever cars go, cities get worse. Nearly wherever they’re removed, those urban spaces flourish.
qagggy.bsky.social Qagggy! @qagggy.bsky.social · Nov 25
Before & After: I don’t think people realize the extent to which parked cars degrade public space.
Street full of parked cars in Bordeaux France, Google photo from 2008. Same location in Bordeaux photo taken by me in 2023.
November 26, 2024 at 9:22 AM
Reposted by Roland Kappe
eborbath.bsky.social
🗳️ Some thoughts on the 1st round of the 🇷🇴 #RomanianPresidentialElections as it now seems clear that the dark horse cand. Georgescu (no party, far-right) and Lasconi (USR, center-right, cult. progressive) will fight it out in the 2nd round (although PSD will prob appeal & there might be a recount) 🧵
November 25, 2024 at 9:48 AM
Reposted by Roland Kappe
llschenoni.bsky.social
Timely joining bsky on the date "Bringing War Back In" was published worldwide with Cambridge UP. Check it out if you are interested in how war makes states also in its aftermath, and how the wars of a distant past explain the variation of state capacity within Latin America until today.
Bringing War Back In
Cambridge Core - International Relations and International Organisations - Bringing War Back In
bit.ly
November 21, 2024 at 10:49 AM
Reposted by Roland Kappe
nosunkcosts.bsky.social
A lot of wealthy people in America are about to learn a bitter lesson in how autocracy operates

The winners circle in an illiberal regime is small & capricious and *you* are almost certainly not in it
November 21, 2024 at 7:59 AM
Reposted by Roland Kappe
denis-cohen.bsky.social
🚨 CfA: MZES-DVPW Conference "Methods of Political Science"

🗓️ Mannheim, Mar 27-28, 2025

⏰ Deadline: Dec 16, 2024

🔗Apply via sosci.sowi.uni-mannheim.de/mzes-dvpw-me...

@gessler.bsky.social, @aleininger.bsky.social, @hannahrajski.bsky.social, Oliver Rittmann & I look forward to your submissions!
A screenshot of the call for applications.
November 20, 2024 at 12:57 PM
rolandkappe.bsky.social
Well, hello BlueSky! Looks like everyone is here now! Only downside: the decline of twitter was an effective tool in keeping my social media use in check 😅
jburnmurdoch.ft.com John Burn-Murdoch @jburnmurdoch.ft.com · Nov 19
This is really getting quite remarkable

• BlueSky user numbers have doubled in the past week and now total 3.5 million across US & UK 🚀

• Number of people deleting their X/Twitter account remains way up

And the next chart is particularly notable...
November 20, 2024 at 3:08 PM