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EPOP

@psaepop.bsky.social

Political Studies Association Specialist Group on Elections, Public Opinion and Parties Website: https://www.psa.ac.uk/specialist-groups/epop

32 Posts1997 Follower 337 Folgt

Joe Phillips @polpsychjoe.bsky.social · 4d ago

Out now at JEPOP with Kal Munis and Brendan Szendro! How do we best characterise regional resentment in England? And which forms of it are politically consequential? 🧵 www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Place resentment in England: measurement and effects

Despite globalization, geographic attachments remain alive and well and animate the politics of many democracies. While such divides stem partially from the relative proportions of different types ...

tandfonline.com

Will Allen @williamlallen.bsky.social · 2w ago

Are you an early-career scholar (self defined) and going to @psaepop.bsky.social #epop2026 in Liverpool? I’m happy to arrange a few coffee chats (on me) about the job market, publishing, applying for grants, or research on (visual) political communication or political behaviour. Just email me!

Political Studies @polstudies.bsky.social · 3w ago

Do early elections give governments a financial campaign advantage? Lasse Aaskoven examines UK candidate spending, arguing governing parties outspend rivals in snap elections because they can better prepare. Read more: buff.ly/aAv0qhy @polstudiesassoc.bsky.social #polsky #polsci #ElectoralPolitics

Abstract
In many parliamentary democracies, incumbents can call early elections. This is thought to provide incumbent governments with an advantage due to the ability to time elections to favorable economic conditions. This article explores an additional incumbency advantage of early elections. Due to information asymmetry about election timing, government parties can better plan fundraising and campaign spending in early elections years compared to nongovernment parties giving government parties a relative financial advantage. This argument is tested on campaign-spending data from British parliamentary candidates 1950–2019. The results supports the argument. Government party candidates gain a relative financial advantage in early elections years compared to scheduled election years. The effect is found only for non-incumbent candidates and may have been eliminated by the Fixed-term Parliaments Act of 2011, which removed government election-calling power. The results suggest that government election-calling power provides incumbent parties with a relative financial advantage.

Brett Bessen @brettbessen.bsky.social · 3w ago

Happy to share my new article, "Social Retrospection," just published with @psaepop.bsky.social Looking at Lula's first term, I show that peer-to-peer conversation shapes how voters evaluate incumbents and which candidates they support. tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

@subhasish75.bsky.social · 4w ago

On behalf of my co-authors happy to share about our new article, "COVID-19 and performance voting: evidence from the 2021 state assembly elections in India" in the Journal of Elections, Public Opinion and Parties @psaepop.bsky.social

Ben Worthy @benworthy.bsky.social · last mo.

1. Why has the UK become a ruthless machine for ditching prime ministers? Weak leaders are only part of the story. Restless MPs and volatile voters have made Downing Street harder to survive www.aljazeera.com/opinions/202...

Why Britain devours its prime ministers

Weak leaders are only part of the story. Restless MPs and volatile voters have made Downing Street harder to survive.

aljazeera.com

Political Studies @polstudies.bsky.social · last mo.

Do UK voters see a trade-off between electoral integrity and turnout? Jeffrey A. Karp argues that beliefs about fraud and ideology, not turnout concerns, best predict support for photo ID. Read OPEN ACCESS: buff.ly/NKkJayW @polstudiesassoc.bsky.social @uoypolitics.bsky.social @sagepub.com #polsky

Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.

buff.ly

Political Studies @polstudies.bsky.social · last mo.

Do youth wings produce the party members parties want? Niklas Bolin et al examine 5,000+ members, showing active participation matters more than time served. Read OPEN ACCESS: buff.ly/Mphqpok @polstudiesassoc.bsky.social #polsky #polsci #PoliticalParties

The added value of youth wings: Do they nurture the members their parties want? - Niklas Bolin, Duncan McDonnell, Sofia Ammassari, Annika Werner, Marco Valbruzzi, Reinhard Heinisch, Ann-Cathrine Jungar, Carsten Wegscheider, 2026

Political parties expect youth wings to recruit and socialize young people into the norms and values of the party, nurturing aligned future grassroots members, ...

doi.org

EPOP @psaepop.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Registration for #EPOP2026 in Liverpool (17-19 September) is now open!! The deadline to sign-up is 5 August, with early bird rates available until mid-July. For full information, please see the conference website: www.liverpool.ac.uk/politics/eve...

EPOP @psaepop.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Political Studies @polstudies.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Should political parties pick their parliamentary candidates by lottery among members? William Bosworth, Keith Dowding & Adriano Giuliani examine sortition within parties as a guard against elite capture while preserving deliberation. Read OPEN ACCESS: buff.ly/BLRVnZO @polstudiesassoc.bsky.social

Abstract
We argue political parties should select their parliamentary candidates by way of a lottery among their members. Alternatives such as party primaries, caucus votes, and elite selection create entry points for elite manipulation of the electoral process. While sortition for selecting parliaments directly has been said to control for elite capture, it is also likely to dissolve political parties and established voting blocs within parliament. This would undermine the democratic ideal of political parties, including their role in producing and implementing comprehensible legislative agendas. Sortition within parties, however, will not have that effect. Rather it promotes the democratic ideal by guarding against elite capture and stimulating internal deliberation in a feasible way. Voting will still weed out poor candidates in the general election. Party members should also be able to vote to retain successful lottery winners for subsequent elections to incentivize good performance and party discipline in parliament. We discuss the limited use of insaculación by the Mexican political party Morena as provisional evidence for the feasibility of our proposal.

Political Studies @polstudies.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Is it rational to expect to win elections? @mbarnfield.bsky.social argues so-called "wishful thinking" about election outcomes is part of how voters make rational sense of their role in democracies. Read OPEN ACCESS: buff.ly/IbHauRb @polstudiesassoc.bsky.social @uoypolitics.bsky.social @sagepub.com

Abstract
It is well established in political science that those who favour an election outcome tend to say it has a higher chance of success than those who oppose it. This tendency towards so-called ‘wishful thinking’ is often treated as a problem for democracy because it shows that voters are, as the term suggests, irrational. In this article, I make the case that partisan electoral expectations are significant not because they demonstrate widespread irrationality, but because they show how voters make sense of their role in democracies. I provide an alternative account of partisan electoral expectations as following a principle of electoral hope. On this account, partisan electoral expectations are rational in a practical, if not necessarily theoretical, sense.

Ceri Fowler @cerifowler.bsky.social · 2mo ago

New from me and @louiseluxton.bsky.social : a little taste of our new project/paper in development looking at splits on the left & gender. Big thanks to @psaepop.bsky.social for giving us the opportunity to collect some new data! @theconversation.com theconversation.com/the-leftwing...

The leftwing vote is splitting – we looked at who is moving to the Greens and what they care about

The findings could have serious consequences for Labour.

theconversation.com

Israel Sergio Waismel-Manor @israelwaismelmanor.bsky.social · 2mo ago

If you ever felt like you are too tired to vote/protest/post a political meme, this paper is for you. @yaelrkaplan.bsky.social , Aleksander Ksiazkiewicz and I found some interesting findings, that counter some prior research. Check out the latest JEPOP volume: lnkd.in/gCkEicny

Alessandro Nai @alessandronai.bsky.social · 2mo ago

New piece out at @jepopy.bsky.social with the wonderful @cvargiu.bsky.social & Diego Garzia We use an experiment to test whether musical preferences and political attitudes influence each other. We find effects in both ways! Paper ungated: tinyurl.com/rpau9eyb Open data: osf.io/7vqgn

Chris Hanretty @chanret.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Looking at this 2005 paper by Shaun Bowler, @davidfarrell-ucd.bsky.social and Robin Pettitt doi.org/10.1080/1368.... Back then experts preferred MMP. Would the results be the same today?

Expert opinion on electoral systems: So which electoral system is “best”?

Electoral systems are now much more prone to reform than 10–20 years ago, and as a consequence electoral system specialists are developing a useful sideline in advising on electoral system design ...

doi.org

Ruth Dassonneville @rdassonneville.bsky.social · 3mo ago

🚨 I'm recruiting a PhD student for a new project on Parties' social group ownership, based in the @vd-researchgroup.bsky.social research group at KU Leuven! Deadline for applying is 26 June, estimated starting date is 1 Oct 2026. All info is here 👉 www.kuleuven.be/personeel/jo... Share widely!

1 doctoraatspositie in kiesgedrag

1 PhD position to research how parties build connections with social groups

kuleuven.be

Institute for Government @instituteforgovernment.org.uk · 3mo ago

EVENT | What does the elections bill mean for the next general election? 📅Today, 12:30-13:30 Join us today as we discuss how lowering the voting age to 16 and restricting political donations could impact how elections are run.

Lawrence McKay @lawrencemckay.bsky.social · 3mo ago

⏰ CALL FOR PAPERS - EPSS PRE-CONFERENCE WORKSHOP ON PLACE, POLITICS AND EVIDENCE-BASED POLICY ⏰ Submit by Weds 20 May! For all those interested in politics of geographic divides and keen to explore impact potential of their work. More info/submit here: shorturl.at/xS0iS @twanhuijsmans.bsky.social

EPSS pre-conference: “Place, Politics, and Evidence-Based Policy”

In this pre-conference workshop we bring together researchers who study the role of place in politics, and we want to focus particularly on how we (can) make impact on policies and public debates with...

shorturl.at

Brendan Nyhan @brendannyhan.bsky.social · 3mo ago

New in JEPOP from @mathieulavigne.bsky.social: "The findings suggest that combatting misinformation has become a negatively valenced concept on the right and highlight how the politicization of misinformation debates can influence our ability to respond to it" www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Jane Green @profjanegreen.bsky.social · 3mo ago

I am on my way to Downing Street for ITV Evening News, happily with @martamiori.bsky.social. Living the @psaepop.bsky.social dream, guys! 😎😎

Pavlos Vasilopoulos @pavlosvas1.bsky.social · 3mo ago

We're hosting the 2nd Workshop for Elections, Public Opinion and Parties (EPOP) scholars based in the North of the UK. 🏛️University of York, 8-9 June 2026. 🚨 Submission deadline extended to 10/5- Please share! cc @psaepop.bsky.social @polstudiesassoc.bsky.social docs.google.com/document/d/1...

Call for papers- Inequality, Authoritarianism, and the Future of Liberal Democracy

Call for papers: Inequality, Authoritarianism, and the Future of Liberal Democracy University of York, 8-9 June 2026 The workshop, supported by the Elections, Public Opinion and Parties’ (EPOP) Anth...

docs.google.com

EPOP @psaepop.bsky.social · 3mo ago

There is still time to submit an abstract for our forthcoming conference in Liverpool. Full details are below.

EPOP@psaepop.bsky.social · 3mo ago

🚨Call for papers for #EPOP2026 extended🚨 For those who missed out, the new deadline for abstracts is now 11 May. We are looking forward to what is shaping up to be a fantastic conference in Liverpool! Submit here: www.liverpool.ac.uk/politics/eve... @polstudiesassoc.bsky.social

Steve Fisher @stevefisher.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Thanks to @profjanegreen.bsky.social, John Curtice, @stephenkb.bsky.social and @benlake.bsky.social for their excellent insights into politics and public opinion before the elections next week. Recording of an event @trinityoxford.bsky.social on 28 April 2026: youtu.be/fxbPYKJCW8U?...

The state of the union: England, Scotland and Wales go to the polls

YouTube video by Trinity College Oxford

youtu.be

Lucas Paulo da Silva @lucas-p-dasilva.bsky.social · 3mo ago

My paper has now been published in Volume 36 of the Journal of Elections, Public Opinion and Parties! 📰 This paper looks at how #parties shape #public #opinion beyond their direct partisans, extending work by Slothuus and Bisgaard (2021). (see more below 👇)

EPOP @psaepop.bsky.social · 3mo ago

James David Griffiths @jamesdgriffiths.bsky.social · 3mo ago

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 New Blog 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 The Senedd election is just over a week away, and the polls suggest Labour might lose in Wales for the first time in a over century! So, I've written a quick overview on the blocs structuring Welsh politics, and what people think of Labour: blogs.cardiff.ac.uk/thinking-wal...

Issues, Accountability, and Labour’s Declining Support in Wales

Showcasing current research, comments and analysis on the law, politics, history, culture, government and political economy of Wales from the Wales Governance Centre.

blogs.cardiff.ac.uk

EPOP @psaepop.bsky.social · 3mo ago

EPOP @psaepop.bsky.social · 4mo ago

🚨Final reminder🚨 This coming Sunday is the deadline to submit to #EPOP2026. Further details and the application form can be found on the conference website: www.liverpool.ac.uk/politics/eve...

EPOP 2026 | Department of Politics | University of Liverpool

liverpool.ac.uk

EPOP@psaepop.bsky.social · 5mo ago

The call for papers for #EPOP2026 in Liverpool (17–19 September) is now open! We welcome submissions across all areas of research on elections, public opinion and parties. Deadline: 26 April Submit your proposals here: www.liverpool.ac.uk/politics/eve... @polstudiesassoc.bsky.social

Newcastle University Politics @nclpolitics.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Our Prof Alistair Clark examines the administration and integrity of devolved elections in Scotland and Wales for @acadsocsciences.bsky.social. While both countries have often led the way in running elections, more transparency is needed on election donations and spending @newcastleuni.bsky.social

Elections in Scotland and Wales: Leading the Way for Two Decades, but Work Needed on Transparency – Academy of Social Sciences

acss.org.uk