Reposted by Semih ÇakırMiriam Sorace @miriamsorace.bsky.social · 15/09/2026Delighted to be co-chairing the Electoral and Voting Behaviour section @epssnet.bsky.social with the brilliant @carolinaplescia.bsky.social! We welcome papers on the themes below. Have an idea for a Roundtable or Authors Meet Critics session? Contact us! ⏰ 13 Nov. 2026 👉 Call: shorturl.at/CB8Lr 13812
Reposted by Semih ÇakırAlina Vranceanu @alinavranceanu.bsky.social · 17/09/2026📢 Call for expressions of interest for a 4-years PhD position within my research project ‘Minority rights in an age of immigration: democracy, deservingness and elite influences’. ⏳ Deadline: 9 October. Questions welcome! 0710
Reposted by Semih ÇakırRuth Dassonneville @rdassonneville.bsky.social · 18/09/2026‼️ A new paper with Patrick Fournier and @zeynsom.bsky.social is now out in @wepsocial.bsky.social! We examine citizens’ perceptions of parties that combine left/progressive stances on some issues with right/conservative stances on other issues - which we refer to as ideological inconsistency. 🧵tandfonline.comVoters’ perceptions of ideologically inconsistent partiesThere is a growing consensus in party politics that new fault lines are emerging, and scholars increasingly characterise competition as multidimensional. In a multidimensional space, parties can ad... 16319
Reposted by Semih ÇakırEuropean Journal of Political Research @ejprjournal.bsky.social · 10/08/202665:3 🐟️ Who speaks🔉for Europe? 🌍 @mascakir.bsky.social finds that with low turnout, regular voters dominate but could boosting participation could reduce bias in #PolicyRepresentation?buff.lyDo voters and non-voters differ in their policy preferences? | European Journal of Political Research | Cambridge CoreDo voters and non-voters differ in their policy preferences? - Volume 65 Issue 3 055
Reposted by Semih ÇakırRuth Dassonneville @rdassonneville.bsky.social · 19/06/2026Had a *great* time talking with @mascakir.bsky.social about our @cpsjournal.bsky.social paper on the behaviour of young voters! 162
Semih Çakır @mascakir.bsky.social · 18/06/2026🎙️ New Reasonably Political Podcast episode! @rdassonneville.bsky.social explains why younger voters are more likely to support left-wing parties in some elections, but not others, and how political parties shape age divides at the ballot box. Tune in for more👇 www.buzzsprout.com/2608748/epis... 080
Reposted by Semih ÇakırChristina Gahn @christinagahn.bsky.social · 09/06/2026Excited to share our new paper in @thejop.bsky.social with @krausewe.bsky.social! Parties polling just below an electoral threshold are far less likely to clear it: a self-fulfilling prophecy that diminishes when polls communicate uncertainty. 🗳️📊 www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/... 57118
Reposted by Semih ÇakırDieter Stiers @dieterstiers.bsky.social · 11/06/2026🚨New publication (with Shane Singh) in @poqjournal.bsky.social! Proponents of compulsory voting often claim that obligatory turnout will increase citizens' political involvement, equalising levels of democratic attitudes and political engagement in the electorate. But does it? 👇academic.oup.comDoes Compulsory Voting Improve Democratic Attitudes and Engagement? Quasi-Experimental Evidence from BelgiumAbstract. For over a century, scholars, policymakers, and advocates have argued that compulsory voting not only boosts turnout but also promotes prodemocra 12310
Reposted by Semih ÇakırRuth Dassonneville @rdassonneville.bsky.social · 26/05/2026‼️ New paper with Ian McAllister (ANU) out at @respol.bsky.social. We use @ess-survey.bsky.social data to study over-time changes in the association between education and left-right self-placements. 13212
Semih Çakır @mascakir.bsky.social · 19/05/2026🎙️ The second episode of the Reasonably Political Podcast is now out! Authentic or Scripted? Why Do Some Politicians Seem More “Real” Than Others and Why Does It Matter? I discuss political authenticity with John Kenny (@johnkenny.bsky.social). 🎧 Listen here: www.buzzsprout.com/2608748/epis... 073
Reposted by Semih ÇakırOmar Wasow @owasow.bsky.social · 06/05/2026“Writing is hard.” Thrilled to share that this simple idea led to a new paper in Political Analysis! Where most text methods focus on content, I test if expression is also effortful action. I find simple measures like character counts reveal attitudes and predict voting. cup.org/4cUmoXi 1/ 11446108
Reposted by Semih ÇakırPeter Luca Versteegen @versteegenluca.bsky.social · 28/04/2026🚨 Western democracies are often described as polarized. @katharinalawall.bsky.social, @mtsakiris.bsky.social + I study how polarization actually feels. Now published in @ejprjournal.bsky.social, we asked citizens in 5 European countries to report their emotions ⬇️ www.cambridge.org/core/journal... 14619
Semih Çakır @mascakir.bsky.social · 08/04/2026First episode is out with Philippe Mongrain from @voxpoplabs.bsky.social Should politicians follow public opinion or lead? And are politicians and citizens on the same page on this question? 2/2 🧵 🎧You can listen here: open.spotify.com/episode/7vSD...open.spotify.comShould Politicians Follow Public Opinion or Lead? Are Citizens and Politicians on the Same Page? 040
Semih Çakır @mascakir.bsky.social · 08/04/2026🎙️ Excited to share a new podcast project: Reasonably Political! The goal is to make political science more accessible and connect research to real-world debates. 1/2 🧵 130
Semih Çakır @mascakir.bsky.social · 07/04/2026❗Citizens are most “well informed” when the information environment is richest, during campaigns. This is encouraging, but many key democratic processes (e.g., accountability, responsiveness, political participation) happen *between* elections. Yet this is precisely when citizens tune out. 130
Semih Çakır @mascakir.bsky.social · 07/04/2026Using CSES (@cses.bsky.social) data across 21 democracies + BES panel data (@britishelectionstudy.com), we show: 📉 Accuracy declines after elections. 📈 Accuracy increases as elections approach. 💡 Driven by people becoming less informed (forgetting), not by updating to new party positions. 150
Semih Çakır @mascakir.bsky.social · 07/04/2026When the environment cools down, citizens tune out. Information declines, associations become less accessible, and perceptual accuracy decreases. 140
Semih Çakır @mascakir.bsky.social · 07/04/2026Most evidence on this comes from election periods. We argue this gives a misleading picture. Elections create a "hot" information environment: more information, more exposure, more attention, and greater accessibility of ideological associations --> higher perceptual accuracy. 130
Semih Çakır @mascakir.bsky.social · 07/04/2026🚨 New paper with great co-authors (@oguzhan-alkan.bsky.social @rdassonneville.bsky.social @zeynsom.bsky.social) in Political Behavior! How well do citizens perceive where parties stand? 🤔 Open access: rdcu.be/fb83Z 25818
Semih Çakır @mascakir.bsky.social · 02/03/2026TLDR: Good news: Voters and non-voters are usually more similar than we assume. Differences between them are relatively rare. Bad news: When they do differ, low turnout can amplify these differences and elections can end up reflecting regular voters more than citizens at large. 2/2 010
Semih Çakır @mascakir.bsky.social · 02/03/2026🚨New blog post 🚨 If fewer people vote, do elections still represent what policies citizens want? I summarize research using data from 29 European democracies on whether voters and non-voters actually differ in their policy preferences and when turnout matters for representation. 1/2semihcakir.comDoes Low Voter Turnout Matter? Evidence from Europe |Voters and non-voters in European democracies often hold similar views. But when gaps emerge, they are not trivial and their impact depends on turnout. 163
Reposted by Semih ÇakırAlessandro Nai @alessandronai.bsky.social · 10/12/2025After 3 years and 5,322 emails (and counting) our Encyclopedia of Political Communication is finally out at @elgarpublishing.bsky.social 📚 Three volumes ⭐ 431 entries 🎓 581 wonderful authors from across the world A very short 🧵 718362
Reposted by Semih ÇakırJakob Kasper @jakobkas.bsky.social · 01/12/2025Excited to share a new preprint with @bnbakker.bsky.social, @ylelkes.bsky.social & @gijsschumacher.bsky.social! doi.org/10.31234/osf... Affective polarization research focuses almost exclusively on valence, despite affect having at least two core dimensions. We show that emotional arousal matters!doi.orgOSF 1238
Reposted by Semih ÇakırDylan Paltra @dpltr22.bsky.social · 01/12/2025🚨Publication Alert! My first first-author publication with @msaeltzer.bsky.social and @pluggedchris.bsky.social is out in @polbehavior.bsky.social, which began as my bachelor's thesis. We study how party polarization shapes affective polarization—with a particularly important role of the AfD. (1/7)🧵 78619
Reposted by Semih ÇakırEuropean Journal of Political Research @ejprjournal.bsky.social · 27/11/2025Who speaks🔉for Europe? 🌍 @mascakir.bsky.social finds that with low turnout, regular voters dominate but could boosting participation could reduce bias in #PolicyRepresentation?buff.lyDo voters and non-voters differ in their policy preferences? | European Journal of Political Research | Cambridge CoreDo voters and non-voters differ in their policy preferences? 073
Reposted by Semih ÇakırIsabelle Guinaudeau @iguinaudeau.bsky.social · 24/11/2025With @elisadeisshelbig.bsky.social, @theresmatthiess.bsky.social, we are designing a survey experiment with low-income Germans 🇩🇪 Survey folks: any tips on reliable institutes, good practices, or any useful approach for harder-to-reach groups? We are really grateful for any hint or experience 🙏 21212
Reposted by Semih ÇakırFlorian Foos @florianfoos.bsky.social · 24/11/2025We have a new tenure-track job in @lsegovernment.bsky.social at AP level (empirical political science, open subfield): jobs.lse.ac.uk/Vacancies/W/... Please apply and share with colleagues who might be interested!jobs.lse.ac.ukAssistant Professor in Political ScienceAssistant Professor in Political Science, , <p style="text-align: center;"><em><span>LSE is committed to building a diverse, equitable and truly inclusive university</span></em></p> <p style="text-ali... 06544
Semih Çakır @mascakir.bsky.social · 19/11/2025Congratulations! 🎉 Looking forward to the outputs already! 111
Semih Çakır @mascakir.bsky.social · 19/11/2025Full article (OPEN ACCESS):cambridge.orgDo voters and non-voters differ in their policy preferences? | European Journal of Political Research | Cambridge CoreDo voters and non-voters differ in their policy preferences? 060
Semih Çakır @mascakir.bsky.social · 19/11/2025So what's the takeaway? ✅Good news: Voters and non-voters usually share similar policy preferences. ⚠️Bad news: When turnout is low, even small differences can introduce bias. 🗳️Overall: Low turnout isn't always a disaster for this specific question, but it is far from ideal. 10/10 150
Semih Çakır @mascakir.bsky.social · 19/11/2025When turnout is low, the electorate reflects regular voters' preferences. Higher turnout brings peripheral voters into the mix and reduces this bias. Perpetual non-voters also differ, but they are usually a smaller group, so they introduce less bias overall. 9/10 130
Semih Çakır @mascakir.bsky.social · 19/11/2025Moreover, using panel data from the UK (@britishelectionstudy.com), I examine policy preferences of three voter types: 1️⃣Regular voters: they vote consistently 2️⃣Peripheral voters: they vote intermittently 3️⃣Perpetual non-voters: they almost never vote They differ in their policy preferences. 8/10 130
Semih Çakır @mascakir.bsky.social · 19/11/2025Bias that disparities induce ultimately depends on turnout level. Biases are stronger when turnout is lower. This is also why compulsory voting might make sense! 7/10 150
Semih Çakır @mascakir.bsky.social · 19/11/2025Nevertheless, when differences *do* emerge, they are not trivial. Using Cohen's d, most significant differences (in black) can be considered small but meaningful. 6/10 230
Semih Çakır @mascakir.bsky.social · 19/11/2025But, here's the thing: Disparities are not the norm. At the survey level, voters and non-voters usually hold similar policy views. Most differences are sporadic and do not reach statistical significance. 5/10 140
Semih Çakır @mascakir.bsky.social · 19/11/2025In the pooled analysis, voters are: 🔵 more right-wing 🔵 less in favour of redistribution 🔵 more supportive of state intervention and spending 🔵 less supportive of same-sex marriage 🔵 more restrictive on immigration 🔵 more willing to restrict privacy rights to combat crimes 🔵 more pro-Europe 4/10 141
Semih Çakır @mascakir.bsky.social · 19/11/2025Using data from 29 European democracies, I examine differences across the left-right spectrum, economic issues (redistribution, state intervention, spending), social issues (immigration, same-sex marriage, environment, and civil liberties), and European integration. 3/10 140
Semih Çakır @mascakir.bsky.social · 19/11/2025First, why do we care? Turnout has declined across democracies. If voters and non-voters have different policy preferences, then low turnout means elections may not accurately represent what the broader public wants. This would be problematic for representation. 2/10 140
Semih Çakır @mascakir.bsky.social · 19/11/2025Do policy preferences of voters and non-voters differ in European democracies? My new article in @ejprjournal.bsky.social finds: Yes, sometimes, but this is not the norm. Let's break it down. 🧵 1/10 28427
Reposted by Semih ÇakırLaurenz Ennser-Jedenastik @laurenzennser.bsky.social · 29/10/2025🚨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. 110749
Semih Çakır @mascakir.bsky.social · 15/09/2025@johnkenny.bsky.social @fdelacuesta.bsky.social @alexanderdalheimer.bsky.social @beatrizlasherasmas.bsky.social @christinagahn.bsky.social @bseisl.bsky.social @elenaheinz.bsky.social @martav.bsky.social @frawin.bsky.social 100
Semih Çakır @mascakir.bsky.social · 15/09/2025Proof that political scientists do leave the conference center. Granville Island, Vancouver - APSA 2025 🇨🇦🍁 1365