Projects
I am currently involved in the following projects:
1. Euroscepticism
2. Far right politics and populism
3. Emotions in politics
4. Representation
5. Distrust, conspiracies and Covid-19
1. Euroscepticism
2. Far right politics and populism
3. Emotions in politics
4. Representation
5. Distrust, conspiracies and Covid-19
1. Euroscepticism
I recently completed an ESRC-funded project entitled 'Euroscepticism: dimensions, causes and consequences in times of crisis' (2016-2019)
Project summary
The European Union (EU) is currently under serious stress. It has come under the greatest challenge since the early stages of integration in the 1950s. The Eurozone crisis has revealed the need for income redistribution across EU member states, placing a severe strain on EU solidarity. Europe has been divided between countries inside and outside the Eurozone and between creditor and debtor countries. This has triggered growing opposition to the European project. Euroscepticism has now become a buzzword. Trends in public opinion have substantively deteriorated in the wake of the crisis and Eurosceptic parties from both the right and the left of the political spectrum have been gathering strength in several countries. However, little is known about the changing nature of Euroscepticism in times of severe economic and political crisis, and whether the tools and frameworks that we have developed to study Euroscepticism prior to the crisis are also applicable in a period when the very premise of European unity is under threat.
For more info: https://euroscepticism.org/
Co-authors: Dan Keith, Liisa Talving
Selected publications:
(2020) Brexit and the 2019 EP Election in the UK. Journal of Common Market Studies, 58(S1): 80-90.
(2020) Poor versus rich countries: a gap in public attitudes towards fiscal solidarity in the EU. West European Politics, 43(4): 919-943. (with Liisa Talving)
(2019) Opportunity or threat? Public attitudes towards EU freedom of Movement. Journal of European Public Policy, 26(3): 805-823. (with Liisa Talving)
(2019) British public opinion on Brexit: Controversies and contradictions. European Political Science, 18(1): 134-142. (with Liisa Talving)
(2019) Negotiation versus Brexit: The question of the UK’s constitutional relationship with the EU. Journal of Common Market Studies, 57(3): 486-501. (with Dan Keith)
(2018) The party politics of Euroscepticism in times of crisis: the case of Greece. Politics, 38(3): 311–326.
Additional related funding:
(2015) ‘The impact of Euroscepticism on UK national politics’, ESRC UK in a Changing Europe Initiative Commissioning Fund Application.
2. Far right politics and populism
I examine the strategic behaviour of far right parties, their impact on party competition, and the reasons behind their popular support.
Co-authors: Theofanis Exadaktlylos, Daphne Halikiopoulou, Steven Mock, Kyriaki Nanou
Selected publications:
(2018) Far right parties and Euroscepticism: patterns of opposition.
London: ECPR press/Rowman & Littlefield.
(2018) Breaching the social contract: crises of democratic representation and patterns of extreme right-wing party support. Government and Opposition, 53(1): 26-50. (with Daphne Halikiopoulou)
(2013) The civic Zeitgeist: nationalism and liberal values in the European radical right. Nations and Nationalism, 19(1): 107-127. (with Daphne Halikiopoulou and Steven Mock)
(2015) The Golden Dawn’s ‘nationalist solution’: Explaining the rise of the far right in Greece. New York: Palgrave McMillan (with Daphne Halikiopoulou)
(2014) Greece in crisis: austerity, populism and the politics of blame. Journal of Common Market Studies, 52(2): 388–402. (with Daphne Halikiopoulou and Theofanis Exadaktylos)
(2012) The paradox of nationalism: the common denominator of radical right and radical left Euroscepticism. European Journal of Political Research, 51(4): 504-539. (with Daphne Halikiopoulou and Kyriaki Nanou)
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Related funding:
(2015) ‘Radicalising the Mainstream? The Rise of the Golden Dawn and its Impact on Greek Party Politics’. Hellenic Observatory National Bank of Greece Research Tender 2-NBG2-2014. 1/01/2015-31/12/2015. (with Daphne Halikiopoulou and Kyriaki Nanou)
(2014 – 2015) ‘Radical right-wing parties and Euroscepticism: issue salience in MEP speeches’, British Academy/Leverhulme Small Research Grants.
Co-authors: Theofanis Exadaktlylos, Daphne Halikiopoulou, Steven Mock, Kyriaki Nanou
Selected publications:
(2018) Far right parties and Euroscepticism: patterns of opposition.
London: ECPR press/Rowman & Littlefield.
(2018) Breaching the social contract: crises of democratic representation and patterns of extreme right-wing party support. Government and Opposition, 53(1): 26-50. (with Daphne Halikiopoulou)
(2013) The civic Zeitgeist: nationalism and liberal values in the European radical right. Nations and Nationalism, 19(1): 107-127. (with Daphne Halikiopoulou and Steven Mock)
(2015) The Golden Dawn’s ‘nationalist solution’: Explaining the rise of the far right in Greece. New York: Palgrave McMillan (with Daphne Halikiopoulou)
(2014) Greece in crisis: austerity, populism and the politics of blame. Journal of Common Market Studies, 52(2): 388–402. (with Daphne Halikiopoulou and Theofanis Exadaktylos)
(2012) The paradox of nationalism: the common denominator of radical right and radical left Euroscepticism. European Journal of Political Research, 51(4): 504-539. (with Daphne Halikiopoulou and Kyriaki Nanou)
***
Related funding:
(2015) ‘Radicalising the Mainstream? The Rise of the Golden Dawn and its Impact on Greek Party Politics’. Hellenic Observatory National Bank of Greece Research Tender 2-NBG2-2014. 1/01/2015-31/12/2015. (with Daphne Halikiopoulou and Kyriaki Nanou)
(2014 – 2015) ‘Radical right-wing parties and Euroscepticism: issue salience in MEP speeches’, British Academy/Leverhulme Small Research Grants.
3. Emotions in politics
I am interested in the emotional underpinnings of political behaviour, specifically the attitudinal and behavioural effects of emotions, including anger, fear and enthusiasm.
Co-authors: Cengiz Erisen, Markus Wagner
Selected publications:
(2020) Emotional reactions to immigration and support for EU cooperation on immigration and terrorism. Journal of European Public Policy, 27(6): 795-813. (with Cengiz Erisen and Cigdem Kentmen-Cin)
(2017) Fear, anger and enthusiasm about the EU: Effects of emotional reactions on public preferences towards European integration. European Union Politics, 18(3): 382–405. (with Markus Wagner)
Co-authors: Cengiz Erisen, Markus Wagner
Selected publications:
(2020) Emotional reactions to immigration and support for EU cooperation on immigration and terrorism. Journal of European Public Policy, 27(6): 795-813. (with Cengiz Erisen and Cigdem Kentmen-Cin)
(2017) Fear, anger and enthusiasm about the EU: Effects of emotional reactions on public preferences towards European integration. European Union Politics, 18(3): 382–405. (with Markus Wagner)
4. Representation
Drawing upon questions that relate to increasing voter disillusionment with politics, this strand of my work seeks to identify and explain variation in opinion congruence between elites and their voters on the left-right, the pro-anti-EU dimensions, and specific policies.
Co-authors: Katjana Gattermann
Selected publications:
(forthcoming) Does politicisation matter for EU representation? A comparison of four European Parliament elections. Journal of Common Market Studies (with Katjana Gattermann)
(2013) Matching policy preferences: the linkage between voters and MEPs. Journal of European Public Policy, 20(40): 606-625. (with Katjana Gattermann)
Co-authors: Katjana Gattermann
Selected publications:
(forthcoming) Does politicisation matter for EU representation? A comparison of four European Parliament elections. Journal of Common Market Studies (with Katjana Gattermann)
(2013) Matching policy preferences: the linkage between voters and MEPs. Journal of European Public Policy, 20(40): 606-625. (with Katjana Gattermann)
5. Distrust, Conspiracies, and the Political Challenges of Coping with COVID-19
Funder: British Academy / Leverhulme Small Research Grants
with Florian Stoeckel (PI) and Jason Reifler (CoI), University of Exeter
2020-2021
Project summary
Do anti-establishment sentiments and distrust in elites and experts limit the ability of governments to
effectively deal with COVID-19? This project proposes an ambitious package of work of representative surveys
in the UK, Germany, and Italy to accomplish three specific objectives: 1) Measure anti-establishment
sentiment and distrust across multiple domains (e.g., politics and health) and examine how these beliefs
correlate with attitudes and beliefs about the coronavirus crisis and government response to it. 2) Understand
how citizens process COVID-19-related misinformation. 3) Test the effectiveness of interventions designed to
debunk misperceptions about the pandemic. We will use representative surveys with embedded experiments
in the UK, Germany and Italy that will also allow us to consider the role of country context. Our findings will
have important implications for policy responses to public health crises. They will also advance our theoretical
understanding of misperceptions and the conditions under which they can be corrected.
with Florian Stoeckel (PI) and Jason Reifler (CoI), University of Exeter
2020-2021
Project summary
Do anti-establishment sentiments and distrust in elites and experts limit the ability of governments to
effectively deal with COVID-19? This project proposes an ambitious package of work of representative surveys
in the UK, Germany, and Italy to accomplish three specific objectives: 1) Measure anti-establishment
sentiment and distrust across multiple domains (e.g., politics and health) and examine how these beliefs
correlate with attitudes and beliefs about the coronavirus crisis and government response to it. 2) Understand
how citizens process COVID-19-related misinformation. 3) Test the effectiveness of interventions designed to
debunk misperceptions about the pandemic. We will use representative surveys with embedded experiments
in the UK, Germany and Italy that will also allow us to consider the role of country context. Our findings will
have important implications for policy responses to public health crises. They will also advance our theoretical
understanding of misperceptions and the conditions under which they can be corrected.
