Welcome

I am an interim professor of International Political Studies at Witten/Herdecke University. Previously, I held positions at the University of Konstanz, the University of Mannheim, and the University of Bamberg.

My research focuses on the interplay of international and domestic politics in established democracies. I am most interested in how decision makers and the public interact. Does the general public have real policy demands that politicians are prudent to heed? How do international events and elite communication shape public opinion and behavior? How do political values and identities influence political views toward policy issues—ranging from immigration to, free trade, European integration and the use of military force? What electoral incentives does this in turn creates for political parties? In times of increasing challenges to national and international orders, research into these questions is essential to understand democratic politics and the prospects of democratic survival.

I have (co-)authored two books and numerous articles on these and other topics, which have been published in outlets such as the British Journal of Political Science, Comparative Political Studies, European Journal of Political Research, International Affairs, Journal of Communication, Journal of Conflict Resolution, Journal of European Public Policy, Political Psychology, and Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.

Currently, I collaborate with researchers from nine European countries to examine the dynamic relationship between elites and masses in policy-making about common defence in the multi-level European system. This project (Fighting together, moving apart? European common defence and shared security in an age of Brexit and Trump) is funded by the Volkswagen Stiftung. For more information about the project, visit the project homepage.

On these pages, you find information about my research, publications (with links to the reproduction files), and my CV. See also my Google Scholar page.