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Markus Kollberg

@markuskollberg.bsky.social
2.6K followers 1.2K following 72 posts

Political Scientist | Comparative Political Behaviour, Political Parties, Empirical Democracy Research | Experiments, Surveys, Text-as-Data www.markus-kollberg.net

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Markus Kollberg @markuskollberg.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
It took quite some time to get this paper out. We are really grateful to encouragement and feedback by @tabouchadi.bsky.social, @nicolaiberk.bsky.social, @inalkristiansen.bsky.social, @gessler.bsky.social, @heikekluever.bsky.social, Michael Jacobs, Christina Zuber, and many others...
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Markus Kollberg @markuskollberg.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
This matters because it suggests that citizens can contribute to democratic resilience in their everyday lives by challenging populist narratives in non-political settings.
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Markus Kollberg @markuskollberg.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Finding 1: Pluralist counter-arguments work! They weaken populist-majoritarian attitudes and are evaluated positively by respondents. Finding 2: Elitist counter-arguments do not work! They do not change attitudes and some findings suggest there might be a backlash against them.
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Markus Kollberg @markuskollberg.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
We test the effects of these counter-arguments on respondents' (a) democratic attitudes and (b) candidate evaluations in two survey experiments in the UK. Our vignettes purposefully describe non-political settings: two neighbors meeting at the local supermarket.
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Markus Kollberg @markuskollberg.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Building on the political theory of populism, we develop two counter-arguments. (1) a pluralist one arguing democracy is about balancing the interests of competing groups; (2) an elitist one arguing that elected representatives with expertise and experience should decide.
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Markus Kollberg @markuskollberg.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Many studies have found that politicians can "trash talk" democratic institutions and legitimize attacks on constitutional safeguards using populist rhetoric. We wanted to know: What can citizens actually do to prevent that from happening?
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Markus Kollberg @markuskollberg.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
🚨New Paper in @polbehavior.bsky.social! Julia Leschke and I ask: What works against populist rhetoric? We find: Advocating for pluralist ideals can mitigate the negative effects of populist rhetoric. link.springer.com/article/10.1... More details below ⏬
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Danbischof @danbischof.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Postdoc position within my group 3 years (100% TVl-13): stellen.uni-muenster.de/jobposting/2... ⏱️ 06.11.2026 If you have questions: get in touch!
stellen.uni-muenster.de
Postdoctoral Research Associate (Wissenschaftliche*r Mitarbeiter*in, salary level E 13 TV-L)
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Frederik Thieme @frederikthieme.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Why do green parties struggle electorally despite widespread support for climate action? My new (first 😱) paper explores why green parties remain uniquely challenged in economic crisis & that the mechanism is not only about sociotropic concerns, but also voters’ pocketbooks 🧵 doi.org/10.1017/S147...
doi.org
Pocketbook politics and climate action: How economic strain reduces support for green parties | European Journal of Political Research | Cambridge Core
Pocketbook politics and climate action: How economic strain reduces support for green parties
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Tarik Abou-Chadi @tabouchadi.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
For my new research unit Politics of Democracy at the Berlin Social Science Center @wzb.bsky.social, we have 3 open research positions. 2 postdocs: 4 + 2 years (100%) 1 doc: 2 years (75%) Starting date: 1 March 2027 (negotiable) Application deadline: 1 November
Job adjob ad
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Werner Krause @krausewe.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Happy to see our new paper on mainstream-to-challenger defection in print! w/ @denis-cohen.bsky.social & @aigneranna.bsky.social Check out Denis' summary below! Thanks to @nilssteiner.bsky.social, @conradziller.bsky.social & @ackermannk.bsky.social for organizing this SI! tinyurl.com/5aa9wrmb
First page of the journal article "From the center to the fringes: A comparative test of attitudinal explanations for mainstream-to-challenger defection" by Denis Cohen, Werner Krause, and Anna Aigner, published in Electoral Studies. The page shows the journal head, author affiliations at the University of Mannheim and the University of Potsdam, keywords, a link to the replication dataset, and the full abstract.Dot plot showing net balances of vote switching between mainstream and challenger parties, in percentage points, across 16 west European elections from 1973 to 2025. Each election is a point with a 95% credible interval, ordered left to right from most negative to most positive. Values run from about −6 to +15 points; positive values mean net gains for challengers. German elections are labeled individually and mostly sit between −4 and +4 points. Germany's February 2025 election, highlighted in red, is a clear outlier at nearly +10 points, placing it among the highest in the series alongside the Netherlands 2002, Greece 2012, Denmark 1973, and Italy 1992.
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Alexander Wuttke @kunkakom.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
We are hiring at LMU Munich: two PhD positions and one postdoc on democracy, political psychology and computational social science. Start: January 2027 or as soon as possible. We review applications on a rolling basis until October 20. Details below. Reposts very welcome! 1/7
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Markus Kollberg @markuskollberg.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Do you want to understand whether investments in public services can make democracies more resilient? Come and do your PhD with @heikekluever.bsky.social and me! We offer great conditions, a supportive team, and lots of room to develop your own ideas. Any questions? Please, do reach out!
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Markus Kollberg @markuskollberg.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
@fabioellger.bsky.social and I are organizing an open panel on the crisis of conservative and christian democratic parties at next year's meeting of the German political science association (DVPW). We are looking forward to interesting submissions!
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Fabio Ellger @fabioellger.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
📣 CFP | DVPW 2027 Leipzig I’m organizing two open panels: 1) Incumbency Disadvantage as the New Normal? w/ Sebastian Bukow 2) Center Right Parties and the Radical Right w/ @markuskollberg.bsky.social Papers, preprints & PAPs welcome in German or English. Message us if interested!
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Nils Weidmann @nilsweidmann.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
We have a 2-year postdoc position available in a new SNSF/DFG-funded project on nationalist mobilization. More details here: stellen.uni-konstanz.de/jobposting/5.... Please share widely!
stellen.uni-konstanz.de
Postdoctoral Position in Computational Social Science
Deadline: 04.10.2026
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Markus Kollberg @markuskollberg.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
New working paper on dynamic group identities and electoral behavior! ⬇️⬇️⬇️
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Markus Kollberg @markuskollberg.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Thanks! I test the "rhetorical accommodation" for three different issues - immigration, inflation, war in Ukraine - and the effects look extremely similar for all of them.
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Heike Klüver @heikekluever.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Interested in a PolSci PostDoc @ Berlin? 4 more days left to apply! 👇
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Nils Steiner @nilssteiner.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
We are hiring a postdoc in Comparative Politics at JGU Mainz! Join our friendly and productive team, led by Armin Schäfer (@arminschaefer.bsky.social). • Full-time position • Five-year contract (!) • Start: from 1 October Apply by 22 August: stellenboerse.uni-mainz.de/jgu/job/56328 Please share!
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Markus Kollberg @markuskollberg.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
Do young voters care about different issues than old voters? New evidence from a nice pairwise-comparison experiment by @indubioproreto.bsky.social ⏬
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Giorgio Malet @giorgiomalet.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
We did it again! A year after our first workshop, @jellekoedam.bsky.social, @tinepaulsen.bsky.social, @nicolaiberk.bsky.social, and I welcomed another fantastic group of researchers to Zurich. Two days of thoughtful discussions, new connections, and lots of fun... 🏊 Thanks to everyone who joined!
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Reto Mitteregger @indubioproreto.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Zusammen mit TTRex habe ich einen Beitrag zum Narrativ der "AfD als Partei der jungen Männer“ geschrieben; weswegen Differenzierung hier relevant ist und welche anderen Gruppen und Erklärungsmuster (zu) häufig vernachlässigt werden: thinktank-rechtsextremismus.campact.de/wp-content/u...
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Markus Kollberg @markuskollberg.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
Come and join us in Berlin! If you have any questions about what it's like to be a post-doc here in Berlin, do not hesitate to reach out!
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Will Lowe @conjugateprior.org · 07/07/2026
Whether or not radicalization is a good replacement, the political science concept of polarization is normatively dubious, descriptively thin and causally... eh, let's not even go there. I know you just got a big grant to study it but I'm sure they'll let you spend the money on something more useful
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Ronja Sczepanski @ronjasczepanski.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
„Working class support for X is up by Y%“. What does this information do to polarization between groups? In a new paper w/ Geoffrey Evans: Perceived working-class alignment with pro/anti camps on immigration & environment shifts identification and sympathy doi.org/10.1080/0140...
doi.org
Perceived class positions and opinion-based polarisation: experimental evidence from the UK
Class divisions over emerging policy issues are well-documented, yet the mechanisms driving these divisions remain underexplored. This article argues that perceptions of how the working class posit...
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Markus Kollberg @markuskollberg.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
Yes, @heikekluever.bsky.social presented on how mainstream parties can set issues that they benefit from on the political agenda and @florianfoos.bsky.social on how to mobilize progressive voters. You can find their papers on their websites I believe but also happy to send them over.
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Florian Foos @florianfoos.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
Thanks a lot for the engaging discussion and for inviting me, @humboldt-govlab.bsky.social, @heikekluever.bsky.social & @markuskollberg.bsky.social! Always good to exchange perspectives with political practitioners. Great panel and audience questions!
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Markus Kollberg @markuskollberg.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
I had a great time chairing our panel discussion about the challenges that mainstream-right and social-democratic parties face in the current political landscape! Thanks so much to everyone who came along!
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Markus Kollberg @markuskollberg.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
Thanks so much your presentation, Florian!
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Markus Kollberg @markuskollberg.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
Genau 100 Tage vor der Wahl in Sachsen-Anhalt diskutieren wir @humboldt-govlab.bsky.social die Herausforderungen & Chancen für Volksparteien im Wahljahr 2026. Freitag, 29. Mai 2026 - 14:00-16:00, Senatssaal @humboldtuni.bsky.social Jetzt noch anmelden unter: umfrage.hu-berlin.de/index.php/22...
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Jochen Müller @jocmuel.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
🚨 Job alert! 🚨 Predoc position on foreign and security policy attitudes in the Baltic Sea region (3.5 yrs, 65%) Research on democratic resilience and societal responses to security crises. Open to different approaches and interests. Deadline: 30 June 2026 🔗 www.uni-greifswald.de/en/universit...
uni-greifswald.de
Wissenschaftliche*r Mitarbeiter*in - Interdisziplinäres Forschungszentrum Ostseeraum (IFZO) 26/ES12
Stellenausschreibung Institut für Politik- und Kommunikationswissenschaft
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Martin Gross @martingross.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
🚨Stellenausschreibung🚨 Postdoc-Stelle im Bereich „Politisches System Deutschlands und der EU“ (100%, 3 Jahre), Uni Oldenburg Bewerbungsfrist: 9.6.2026 Bei Fragen gerne per E-Mail bei mir melden. Gerne teilen! 🙂 uol.de/job/wissensc...
uol.de
Wissenschaftliche*r Mitarbeiter*in im Bereich „Politisches System Deutschlands und der EU“ zur Habilitation // Universität Oldenburg
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Humboldt GovLab @humboldt-govlab.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
Join us for a panel on party strategies in Germany’s 2026 super election year! 🗓️ 29 May 2026, 2–4 PM 📍 Senatssaal, HU Berlin 💬 Research insights + roundtable with guests from politics and civil society. Reception & networking afterwards. 🗣️ In German More info & sign-up: hu-govlab.de/events/
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Lukas Haffert @lhaffert.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
I am looking for a postdoc to join my team at the University of Bremen. 5-year-contract, top-up to 100% possible for most of the contract period. Apply by 04 May 2026. If you have questions about the position, send me an email! www.uni-bremen.de/en/universit...
uni-bremen.de
Job Vacancies - Universität Bremen
Offene Stellen
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Korinna Lindemann @korinlind.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
Very happy to share that our paper "Political socialization and immigrants' support for progressive politics: the case of green parties" with @antvalentim.bsky.social is now published in @psrm.bsky.social! Link to paper: doi.org/10.1017/psrm... Short summary in 🧵below: (1/5)
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European Journal of Political Research @ejprjournal.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
🌀 💡 Coalition politics in the spotlight 🗳️ @jochemvanagt.bsky.social & @markuskollberg.bsky.social (@ecprpovb.bsky.social) show that coalition governments bring voters of different parties closer together only if people believe those coalitions are doing a 👍 good job. ➡️ bit.ly/4k0lKs3
bit.ly
Coalition governments reduce partisan animosity — but only if they perform well
Jochem Vanagt and Markus Kollberg show that coalition governments bring voters of different parties closer together only if people believe those coalitions are doing a good job. When voters think…
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Benjamin Lauderdale @benlauderdale.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
Nick Vivyan, Chris Hanretty (@chanret.bsky.social) and I have a new book out: “Idiosyncratic Issue Opinion and Political Choice”. The core of the book is making the argument that citizens’ views about political issues neither reduce to an ideological orientation nor to a lack of substance. (1/10)
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Alba Huidobro @albahuidobro.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
🚨New publication! Thrilled to finally see this paper out in @psrm.bsky.social 🎉 📊I study how gender shapes coalition preferences among politicians. Turns out mayors prefer forming governments with women-led parties, perceiving them as better communicators and more competent governors.
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Francesco Raffaelli @fraraffaelli.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
🚨Happy to finally see this out in the @ejprjournal.bsky.social (with @leonardocarella.bsky.social) ⁉️ Does growing up when immigration is salient make people vote for parties they agree with on immigration *for the rest of their lives*? doi.org/10.1017/S147...
doi.org
From context to congruence: Immigration salience and voter socialization | European Journal of Political Research | Cambridge Core
From context to congruence: Immigration salience and voter socialization
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Jochem Vanagt @jochemvanagt.bsky.social · 26/01/2026
PhD successfully defended! "Beyond the Two-Party Divide" examines how affective polarization works in Europe, and when it matters for democracy. Short answer: Europe's multiparty systems have particularly good "safeguards" to prevent polarization from spiraling out of control like in the U.S.
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Markus Kollberg @markuskollberg.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
Congratulations, Dr. Vanagt! What a fantastic achievement 🥳🎉
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Francesco Raffaelli @fraraffaelli.bsky.social · 12/01/2026
On my way to Florence, where I will be presenting at the EUI's PBC @behaviour-eui.bsky.social a project co-authored w/ @leonardocarella.bsky.social We show that (anti-immigration) 🇬🇧🇮🇹 people 'update' their social identity when primed with narratives pitting immigrants against other social groups
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Laurenz Ennser-Jedenastik @laurenzennser.bsky.social · 07/01/2026
We (@stawi-univie.bsky.social) are hiring a PhD researcher: - focus: representation, party competition, pol behavior, pol institutions, pol econ, or related - 4 years, starting 1 Oct 26 - 30h/week, incl some teaching - deadline: 28 Jan 26 jobs.univie.ac.at/job/Universi...
jobs.univie.ac.at
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Felix Haass @felixhaass.bsky.social · 06/01/2026
🚨Job alert! 🚨 I'm advertising a PhD position (66%) in Comparative Politics at HU Berlin. Ideal candidates combine a research interest in autocratic politics, conflict, and/or political violence with strong quantitative methods skills. ⏳ 4 (+2) years | 🗓 DL 16.01; Start March/April 26 More info:
hu-berlin.de
Research fellow (m/f/d) in the field of “contentious politics/political violence/autocratic politics” - Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
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Alexander Wuttke @kunkakom.bsky.social · 06/01/2026
🧵 PhD position (75%) in Political Behavior / Political Communication / CSS 📍 LMU Munich | ⏳ 3 years | 🗓 start March–May 2026 We’re hiring for DemocraGPT, a @bidt.bsky.social-funded project developing an AI-based training for difficult conversations in times of growing polarization
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Markus Kollberg @markuskollberg.bsky.social · 11/12/2025
Super creative and important framing experiment! Go check it out ⬇️⬇️⬇️
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Tarik Abou-Chadi @tabouchadi.bsky.social · 08/12/2025
Nächste Woche diskutiere ich bei der Schwarzkopf-Stiftung Junges Europa wie die radikale Rechte in Europa die Demokratie bedroht. Man kann sich noch weiterhin zur Veranstaltung anmelden.
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Denis Cohen @denis-cohen.bsky.social · 24/11/2025
⏰ Two weeks left to apply for SekMethoden 2026 — the annual meeting of the DVPW Section "Methods of Political Science"! ⬇️ See below for the CfP and link to the application portal. @gessler.bsky.social @lukrudolph.bsky.social @donyhu.bsky.social @dvpw.bsky.social
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theresa gessler @gessler.bsky.social · 01/12/2025
We're looking for a colleague (postdoc) 📢 @politikuhh.bsky.social 3+3 years Doing your own research while teaching 2.5 courses per semester Research agenda with links to our team (democracy, digital politics, political competition/behaviour) DL 🗓️ 05/01 stellen.uni-hamburg.de/jobposting/6...
stellen.uni-hamburg.de
Research Associate (Postdoc) Political Science § 28 Subsection 2 HmbHG
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