Research team
Expertise
My research focuses on political representation and democracy in European democracies, with a particular interest in the dynamic between political elites and citizens. I examine how political parties act strategically and how citizens respond in terms of their attitudes and behaviour. One key area of expertise is political representation in the European Union. I study how challenger parties influence the strategies of mainstream parties and how citizens respond to European integration and solidarity, particularly during times of crisis. I also specialize in understanding and measuring populism and support for democracy. I co-developed the Populism and Political Parties Expert Survey (POPPA), which is widely used in party-based populism research. I further analyse how populist attitudes among citizens relate to support for democratic principles and policy preferences, including support for climate action. Another central theme in my work is how unmet expectations of democratic institutions lead to political distrust and dissatisfaction. I examine how voters respond to party policy change and how perceptions of bias in institutions like the judiciary and the media affect trust. Recently, I have started a new research agenda on political disinformation and deception, studying how lies and manipulation affect democratic trust and institutional legitimacy.
Deception in Democracy: Political Lying Accusations and Their Effects on Democratic Citizenship (DEMO-LIES).
Abstract
In today's age of 'misinformation', politicians are frequently accused of bending the truth to their advantage. As citizens rely on accurate and accessible information to meaningfully engage with politics, political lying violates the contract between citizens and their elected representatives. Political lying accusations therefore have the potential to erode citizens' trust in and commitment to representative democracy as a system of governance. While political lying accusations may be as old as politics itself, we know little about when accusations of political lying take root, how accusations of political deception are perceived by citizens, and what their effects are on citizens' democratic citizenship. To shed light on the issue of political lying accusations and itsimplicationsfor democratic citizenship this project: (1) describes the historical trends in political lying accusations; (2) identifies the conditions under which politicians accused one another of deception, and characterizes the attributes of both the accused and accusers of political lying; (3) studies citizens' perceptions of accusations of political deception by exploring the individual and contextual factors that influence these perceptions; (4) investigates the consequences for democratic citizenship by examining how exposure to lying accusations affects citizens' trust in democracy, their support for liberal democracy as a system of governance, as well as their active engagement with politics. The empirical analyses focus on 20 European countries and rely on an integrated multi-method approach including automated text analysis, qualitative interviews, observational and experimental surveys, and longitudinal survey evidence. By addressing these critical knowledge gaps, this project will provide invaluable insights into the dynamics of political deception and its consequences for democratic citizenship.Researcher(s)
- Promoter: Meijers Maurits
Research team(s)
Project type(s)
- Research Project