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...

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 👇

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-...

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

🌟 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/...

My short post on Baltic security for the @uclei.bsky.social series "A Changing Geopolitical Order" ucleuropeblog.com/2025/04/01/u...

Five days to go!

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

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...

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...

🗳️ 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...

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...

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

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...

I was honored to comment on such a great book. Well done, Allan and Philipp.

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!

Primer on ranked choice voting by @aeggers.bsky.social and @laurenbouton.bsky.social effectivegov.uchicago.edu/primers/rank...

Back in London, still feeling 💡 by the feedback from critics and the audience at #APSA2024. Huge thanks to everyone for joining us!

Switching to party switching mode in INSTAPARTY (instapartyproject.com) style tomorrow. Two papers on party switching on Sat at #apsa2024: w/ @sonagolder.bsky.social co-authored w/ @ibenskasr.bsky.social & @paulinasl.bsky.social) at 8am & 2pm.

Fantastic round table at #APSA2024 with @philippkoeker.bsky.social and @allansikk.bsky.social presenting their new book on #PartyPeople and party evolution. Check out their book at the OUP Politics booth in the exhibition hall!

Are you at #APSA2024 and want to hear more about #PartyPeople and party evolution? Then come to @allansikk.bsky.social and my “Authors Meet Critics“ roundtable today at 4pm (more info here 👉 bit.ly/pp_apsa2024) or check out our book at the OUP Politics booth in the exhibition hall!

Happening today!

I'm presenting two papers on Sat at #APSA2024 w/ @allansikk.bsky.social (co-authored w/ @ibenskasr.bsky.social & @paulinasl.bsky.social) from our Instaparty project (instapartyproject.com). But first I'm looking forward to this panel for Allan & @philippkoeker.bsky.social's new book on parties!

Already this Thursday in Philadelphia: Authors Meet Critics @apsa.bsky.social panel Party People: Candidates and Party Evolution (Sikk & @philippkoeker.bsky.social, Oxford University Press), 4pm on 5/9. W @pkostad.bsky.social, Tom Mustillo & Jae-Jae Spoon. Chair: Susan Scarrow bit.ly/pp_apsa2024

Going to #APSA2024 in Philly? Consider joining Authors Meet Critics panel on our Party People: Candidates and Party Evolution @allansikk.bsky.social & @philippkoeker.bsky.social (OUP 2023), 4pm on 5/9. With Jae-Jae Spoon, @pkostad.bsky.social, Tom Mustillo, chair: Susan Scarrow. bit.ly/pp_apsa2024

Some personal professional news. I can't quite believe that I've been promoted to a Prof of Comparative Politics at UCL. This wouldn't have been possible wo the support of my family & friends & the 💎colleagues at UCL & beyond. Thank you all! bit.ly/uclprom2024

Here we talk about political parties new and old, of the past and the future, in the East and the West. I believe much of it is also very relevant for the forthcoming elections in France and the UK.

Fantastic to be back in Bergen to see colleagues from @sampol.bsky.social and enjoy a productive NoPSA annual congress. Beautiful weather, great social events, excellent political science… Thanks to the participants of the Conflict in Parliamentary Parties workshop!

Listen now to the new episode of #TalkingEurope, the podcast of the European Institute at University College London! @allansikk.bsky.social and I discuss our new book, "Party People: Candidates and Party Evolution" with Claudia Sternberg --> www.ucl.ac.uk/european-ins...

Our book "Party People" (OUP, @ecpr.bsky.social ) matters beyond Central and Eastern Europe. For more see tiny.cc/partypeople and join us for a talk on 1 May: tiny.cc/partypeople_...

🎧🔊Our 'Party People: Candidates and Party Evolution' can now also be enjoyed as an #audiobook, expertly narrated by @davidmarantz.bsky.social🔊🎧 tiny.cc/partypeopleaudio @philippkoeker.bsky.social @ecpr.bsky.social Also, please join us for the book talk on 1/5 in London: tiny.cc/partypeople_launch

We were really excited to talk about our book to Tim Haughton and share our ideas in the podcast! For an in-person book talk, join us on 1 May in London! tiny.cc/partypeople_...

If in London on 1 May, join @philippkoeker.bsky.social & me for an in-person launch of "Party People" at UCL SSEES with @zeynsom.bsky.social as discussant! We can't guarantee sunshine but plenty of yellow slides! More info & reg: tiny.cc/partypeople_... @ecpr.bsky.social

Attn polisky scholars of parties, parliaments & political behavior: Raimondas Ibenskas & I are organizing a workshop on conflict in parliamentary parties @ the June 2024 Nordic PolSci conf. in Bergen. Submit proposals to @ibenskasr.bsky.social & @sonagolder.bsky.social by 15 Dec! www.nopsa2024.no

Brilliant conveners, excellent workshop, beautiful Bergen. Apply now! 🙂

Happy to make my inaugural post on Bluesky one to promote Sarah's new OUP ECPR @ecpr.bsky.social book! Great work and happy to see it in print!

Publication day🚨Parties and party systems change and so must our understanding of them. "Party People" with @allansikk.bsky.social (Oxford University Press, @ecpr.bsky.social) out now as 📖, soon to follow on Oxford Scholarship Online 💻 tiny.cc/partypeople #partypeople #evolution #candidates