All Tomorrow's Parties: What Central and Eastern Europe Teaches Us About Party Politics If you've got spare screentime now that the World Cup is over, the recording of my UCL inaugural lecture is now available online: blogs.ucl.ac.uk/ssees/2026/0...
Allan Sikk
@allansikk.bsky.social
Parties, candidates, elections, democracy. Prof of Comparative Politics, UCL SSEES. http://tiny.cc/partypeople Co-PI on http://instapartyproject.com
It was a real privilege to deliver my UCL inaugural lecture last night. Thank you to everyone who came, and to those who sent kind messages. A recording will be online soon.
Local election day in London. Let's see how the encounter between the first-past-the-post system (in multi-member wards) and a volatile five-party system goes.
On Wed 13 May at 6pm, I will deliver my UCL Inaugural Lecture "All Tomorrow's Parties: What Central and Eastern Europe Teaches Us About Party Politics" followed by a drinks reception. Free & open to all. If you are in London, I'd be delighted to see you there! www.ucl.ac.uk/arts-humanit...
All Tomorrow’s Parties: What Central and Eastern Europe Teaches Us About Party Politics
Please join us for Professor Allan Sikk's Inaugural Lecture
ucl.ac.uk
We find all types of party switchers less likely to run again vs non-switchers. If seeking reelection, switching is bad for all (newly independent, splits, etc.) except defectors to other parties who can benefit from high list positions w/ new party even if their personal popularity drops. See 👇
Allan Sikk@allansikk.bsky.social · 7mo agoDoes party switching pay off for MPs? Not really, but... For details see our #instaparty paper w @sonagolder.bsky.social, @ibenskasr.bsky.social & @paulinasl.bsky.social just out in @electoralstudies.bsky.social. doi.org/10.1016/j.el...
Does party switching pay off for MPs? Not really, but... For details see our #instaparty paper w @sonagolder.bsky.social, @ibenskasr.bsky.social & @paulinasl.bsky.social just out in @electoralstudies.bsky.social. doi.org/10.1016/j.el...
If you are in Vancouver this week, do come along to Instaparty presentations @apsa.bsky.social 2025! instapartyproject.com @ibenskasr.bsky.social @sonagolder.bsky.social @paulinasl.bsky.social
Excited to join #IPSA in Seoul to present "Parliamentary Switching & Electoral Party Evolution" and co-present "Gender & Parliamentary Party Switching" with @sonagolder.bsky.social co-authored by: @ibenskasr.bsky.social & @paulinasl.bsky.social. instapartyproject.com in full swing! Panel links ⬇️
A teaching opportunity for political science PhD students in the London area - come and work with me or my colleagues! www.ucl.ac.uk/pg-teaching-...
PGTA - School of Slavonic and East European Studies
The School of Slavonic and East European Studies are looking for PGTAs. Start date: 15 September 2025. Deadline to apply: 12am (midnight), Sunday 6th July 2025.
ucl.ac.uk
Excited to share this INSTAPARTY project paper co-authored w Raimondas Ibenskas, Paulina Sałek-Lipcean and Sona Golder in Legislative Studies Quarterly: Independents in Parliament: Temporary Status or Final Destination? Available open access: doi.org/10.1111/lsq.... instapartyproject.com
Independents in Parliament: Temporary Status or Final Destination?
Political parties are essential for structuring parliamentary decision-making in democracies. However, in some countries, as many as 10% of legislators experience spells outside of parliamentary part....
doi.org
🌟 New article 🇱🇹🇵🇱🇷🇴 👥 @ibenskasr.bsky.social @paulinasl.bsky.social @sonagolder.bsky.social @allansikk.bsky.social 👉 Independents in Parliament: Temporary Status or Final Destination? 📗 Open access in: Legislative Studies Quarterly 🔗 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Independents in Parliament: Temporary Status or Final Destination?
Political parties are essential for structuring parliamentary decision-making in democracies. However, in some countries, as many as 10% of legislators experience spells outside of parliamentary part....
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
My short post on Baltic security for the @uclei.bsky.social series "A Changing Geopolitical Order" ucleuropeblog.com/2025/04/01/u...
Unplug and Push Off: View from the Baltics
The Baltic States’ strive to distance themselves from Russia has gained ever more traction since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, writes Alan Sikk. However, with increasing concerns about gre…
ucleuropeblog.com
Five days to go!
Allan Sikk@allansikk.bsky.social · last yr.Very excited to share the full programme of the 11th Baltic Symposium 2025: Standing Strong 31/3/25, 9:30–17:00. The keynote speech will be delivered by H.E. Toomas Hendrik Ilves, Former President of Estonia (2006-16). Info & booking: www.ucl.ac.uk/ssees/events... @uclssees.bsky.social
Kui raskusi "mehitamisega" vaadakem põhja ja lääne poole. RK komme et komisjone juhivad vaid koal esindajad erineb enamuse 🇪🇺 demokraatiate (eriti Põhjamaade) omast kus toolid jagatakse võrdeliselt kõigi parteide vahel. Rääkisin sellest hiljuti Eesti Õigusteadlaste Päevadel: uttv.ee/naita?id=35943
Koalitsioonile teeb peavalu riigikogu komisjonide mehitamine
Loodavas valitsusliidus on uute ministrite leidmisest kriitilisem probleem riigikogu komisjonide mehitamine, mis peavad paika saama juba järgmisel nädalal, ütles Erakonna Eesti 200 koalitsiooniläbirää...
err.ee
Very excited to share the full programme of the 11th Baltic Symposium 2025: Standing Strong 31/3/25, 9:30–17:00. The keynote speech will be delivered by H.E. Toomas Hendrik Ilves, Former President of Estonia (2006-16). Info & booking: www.ucl.ac.uk/ssees/events... @uclssees.bsky.social
New Swingometer! With the new Lab govt expected to consider reforms to voting rights, I have revisited & updated analysis I did a few years ago looking at migrants' voting rights. Tl;dr: There is overwhelming public support for enfranchising settled migrants open.substack.com/pub/swingome...
Nic O Nas Bez Nas
Why settled migrants deserve voting rights
open.substack.com
Greatly enjoyed the Annual Lithuanian Pol Sci Conference last week: great panels & stimulating chats w colleagues after my keynote. Special thanks to Gražina for a wonderful walk in the Old Town - you're not only an excellent teacher & generous colleague, but also a 1st class tour guide!
Small but sweet @uclssees.bsky.social reunion with Vilius Mackinis and Gražina Bielousova at the Annual Lithuanian Political Science Conference! 🙂
The results of the first round of the Romanian presidential election were shocking. For the first time since 1989, neither of the candidates from the two largest parties qualified for the run-off and an ultra-nationalist won. What to expect from the parliamentary elections taking place tomorrow?
Honoured to be invited to give a keynote speech about political parties and their people at the Annual Lithuanian Political Science Conference next week. Looking forward to wintry Vilnius! 🙂 www.tspmi.vu.lt/en/conferenc...
Annual Lithuanian Political Science Conference "The Year of Elections: Lithuania, Europe, the World"
Annual Lithuanian Political Science Conference "The Echoes of Polycrisis in Lithuania and the World" will be held on November 30 – December 1, 2023.
tspmi.vu.lt
🗳️ Have you been following today's presidential election in #Romania? Check out the comments below for excellent & relevant publications below 👇 🇷🇴 @andreapirro.bsky.social
We're new here. In case you don't know who we are, here's an intro: www.youtube.com/watch?v=BD0G...
UCL SSEES
YouTube video by UCLSSEES
youtube.com
Here is my Guardian piece. I would have used the title: “Why Trump 2.0 will be nothing like Trump 1.0” www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Will Donald Trump destroy US democracy? Unlikely | Cas Mudde
The US system is complex, rigid and set up to prevent tyranny. Still, marginalized groups will face an even more hostile state
theguardian.com
A fire alarm delayed Baltic independence by a week. But it was a real pleasure yesterday to have Paris Chen (U of Birmingham, f: UCL SSEES PhD) with us for another week of Baltic Politics & Society seminars! Always great to chat in Estonian with my Taiwanese friend, too. 🙂
Meie arutelu Õigusteadlaste Päevadel nüüd Tartu Ülikooli TVs nähtaval. Head vaatamist! uttv.ee/naita?id=35943
uttv.ee
Allan Sikk@allansikk.bsky.social · 2y agoExcited to have participated in the excellent Estonian Legal Scholars Conference and share my thoughts on how to improve Estonian parliamentarism (further). Really enjoyed seeing so many old and new colleagues and friends in beautiful Tartu!
Upcoming electoral reform in Estonia 🚨. This is (mostly) about the bulging 🚗🚘🚙belt around Tallinn. 15/101 MPs were elected from a single district there in 2023. The D is v large compared to others but not as large as Uusimaa (19% MPs) in Finland with a similar el system. news.err.ee/1609477637/r...
Riigikogu committee keen to examine potential electoral districts reform
The Riigikogu's Constitutional Committee is awaiting the findings of research from the University of Tartu on potential electoral reform in Estonia – including redrawing electoral district boundaries.
news.err.ee
I was honored to comment on such a great book. Well done, Allan and Philipp.
PD Dr Philipp Köker@philippkoeker.bsky.social · 2y agoMany thanks to @zeynsom.bsky.social for this wonderful review of @allansikk.bsky.social's and my book "Party People: Candidates and Party Evolution" (OUP 2023) in European Political Science! Read the full review here 👉 doi.org/10.1057/s413... More about the book here 👉 doi.org/10.1093/oso/...
![[…] Party People makes important contributions to the political parties and party systems literature with a new measure of party change, an original party-candidates dataset that covers a long period across nine CEE democracies, and in-depth discussions of different parties/party systems in CEE. And, the contributions and implications of Party People are not unique to CEE. The convincing argument for studying candidate changes to better understand party change is generalizable to all other democracies with political parties and elections and makes this book a must-read for all political party scholars.
Zeynep Somer-Topcu, The University of Texas at Austin
European Political Science](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:ttvh7f4fbf3wain75o2k2p4k/bafkreidw4vhsse2l7afwboq7fll5vlcwaea352d2jl4d6qvksa7cadj7la)
Many thanks to @zeynsom.bsky.social for this wonderful review of @allansikk.bsky.social's and my book "Party People: Candidates and Party Evolution" (OUP 2023) in European Political Science! Read the full review here 👉 doi.org/10.1057/s413... More about the book here 👉 doi.org/10.1093/oso/...
Excited to have participated in the excellent Estonian Legal Scholars Conference and share my thoughts on how to improve Estonian parliamentarism (further). Really enjoyed seeing so many old and new colleagues and friends in beautiful Tartu!
