"Young people who were studying humanities subjects in school, namely history and art, became more likely to support more socially liberal parties. Those studying a technical subject, such as design and technology, became more supportive of more radical right parties."

In this piece, @nspmartin.bsky.social, @rolandkappe.bsky.social and I summarise our @wepsocial.bsky.social paper, finding that GCSE choices inform political party support into later life

Greens ahead in Baden-Württemberg state election in 🇩🇪 according to both exit polls 1/2

Our @wepsocial.bsky.social paper (with @nspmartin.bsky.social and @rolandkappe.bsky.social) on the effects of school subjects on political party support is the focus of @jkirkup.bsky.social's @thetimes.com piece today

Interesting column discussing the implications of our work on school subjects and party choice among teenagers 📊👩‍🏫@ralphscott.bsky.social @rolandkappe.bsky.social www.thetimes.com/comment/colu... I wonder if the hype about humanities in an AI-era labour market will swing things back the other way

8/ Education anchors contemporary cleavage politics, but what *kind* of education? @nspmartin.bsky.social @ralphscott.bsky.social ‬ and @rolandkappe.bsky.social show the specific subjects British adolescents take in secondary school shape their voting behavior as adults. bsky.app/profile/ralp...

@dpzollinger.bsky.social and I are thrilled "Cleavage Politics in Western Democracies" is out as an SI at @wepsocial.bsky.social! Its papers explore the foundations of the cleavage pitting new left against radical right parties, and how it compares to the classic cleavages of Lipset & Rokkan: 🧵⬇️

📣 NEW PAPER ALERT! 🚨 "School subject choices in adolescence affect political party support" Just published in @wepsocial.bsky.social with @nspmartin.bsky.social and @rolandkappe.bsky.social. doi.org/10.1080/0140... 🧵👇

Online first: "School subject choices in adolescence affect political party support" by @nspmartin.bsky.social @ralphscott.bsky.social & @rolandkappe.bsky.social doi.org/10.1080/0140... Part of the Special Issue "Cleavage Politics in Western Democracies"

1.3K followers & counting. Thank you all for your incredible support! The EPSS journey is just getting started & we couldn’t do it without you. Thank you for so many of you who already joined EPSS! If you haven't already, please join: epssnet.org/sign-up/#join Let’s do this together.

Political volatility has been taking us by surprise for a while now. Here’s little exercise to illustrate. Rewind two years and take a look at where the polls were, what people expected, and what they failed to anticipate. You have to go back a while before politics is predictable even 2 yrs out 1/

How good were the German election forecasts? @zweitstimme.bsky.social team already posted an evaluation of their prediction online here (in German): zweitstimme.org/posts/blog/e... #bundestagswahl #btw2025

Fantastic thread by @anjaneundorf.bsky.social explaining that German election map #btw25

In just one week, Germany will head to the polls for one of its most crucial elections in decades. At @zeitonline.bsky.social, we analyze the results of all federal elections since 1949 within current constituencies. Use our interactive tool to explore trends over time! www.zeit.de/politik/deut...

The final vote fails despite the AfD voting with FDP & CDU. Results aren’t online yet, but looks like a substantial intra-party rebellion this time around. Thanks to everyone who wrote to their MP, went out in cold temperatures, spoke out etc. Pressure does work! Concede nothing.

With the joint majority of AfD and CDU, the "firewall" (Brandmauer) is becoming a central issue in the Bundestag election campaign. In a new study (with @christinajuen.bsky.social & @martingross.bsky.social), we examine how voters react to CDU candidates' varying positions on issues & firewall. 🧵

Wow, Merkel directly criticises Merz for his vote with AfD support. www.spiegel.de/politik/deut...

Historic day in Germany where the CDU passes a motion with the support of the far-right AfD - violating the post-war cordon sanitaire. The actual motion is largely symbolic, but the measures demanded such as permanent border controls would likely break European law.

Die Zeit, a prominent German publication, titles its article: 'A Hitler salute is a Hitler salute is a Hitler salute.'

Pretty much exactly 80 years after the liberation of Auschwitz, the richest man in the world uses the Nazi salute at the inauguration of his close ally as US president. What should rationally not be surprising is still so deeply shocking and simply difficult to comprehend.

Clissold Park in all its frosty beauty this morning ❄️

Do radical right parties need to detach themselves from the legacy of right-wing authoritarian regimes to be successful? It would appear not, or not anymore. New work with @anjaneundorf.bsky.social now forthcoming at @thejop.bsky.social. A couple of thoughts 👇

The Christian Democrats are currently favoured to become the strongest party in the next German parliament. The estimated policy position the CDU’s basic programme, which the party adopted in May 2024, indicates that the CDU moved to the right on economic and societal issues. 1/2

Spot on. Comprehensive pedestrianisation should be far higher up the agenda in our cities than it is. Nearly wherever cars go, cities get worse. Nearly wherever they’re removed, those urban spaces flourish.

🗳️ Some thoughts on the 1st round of the 🇷🇴 #RomanianPresidentialElections as it now seems clear that the dark horse cand. Georgescu (no party, far-right) and Lasconi (USR, center-right, cult. progressive) will fight it out in the 2nd round (although PSD will prob appeal & there might be a recount) 🧵

Timely joining bsky on the date "Bringing War Back In" was published worldwide with Cambridge UP. Check it out if you are interested in how war makes states also in its aftermath, and how the wars of a distant past explain the variation of state capacity within Latin America until today.

A lot of wealthy people in America are about to learn a bitter lesson in how autocracy operates The winners circle in an illiberal regime is small & capricious and *you* are almost certainly not in it

🚨 CfA: MZES-DVPW Conference "Methods of Political Science" 🗓️ Mannheim, Mar 27-28, 2025 ⏰ Deadline: Dec 16, 2024 🔗Apply via sosci.sowi.uni-mannheim.de/mzes-dvpw-me... @gessler.bsky.social, @aleininger.bsky.social, @hannahrajski.bsky.social, Oliver Rittmann & I look forward to your submissions!

Well, hello BlueSky! Looks like everyone is here now! Only downside: the decline of twitter was an effective tool in keeping my social media use in check 😅