Eindelijk...

❓To what extent is political trust socialised vs evaluative? Today I presented new research with @lindestals.bsky.social at the Belgian State of the Federation Conference. Two key findings: 👪 Trusting parents have trusting children 📰 Adolescents are (almost) as evaluative as their parents.

Workshop: Support for democracy and its institutions On 11-12 June, the annual Dutch-Flemish Political Science Conference takes place in Ghent. We organize an panel on support for democracy and its institutions. Submit your paper proposal before March 15th! politicologenetmaal.eu/workshops-20...

Just got #rejected for a Horizon Europe proposal. This stings for several reasons (here's a long'ish rant) with ideas for how to improve our current academic funding system (1/)

✍️ Nieuwe column over de politiek achter stijgende vermogensongelijkheid visie.net/de-gids-arti...

The Prime Minister of Belgium speaks:

Do generous welfare policies foster political trust? Matthijs Gillissen, @silkegoubin.bsky.social & Anna Ruelens examine the long-term effects of welfare generosity on trust in political institutions. Read more: buff.ly/KrWGJzx @polstudiesassoc.bsky.social @uoypolitics.bsky.social @sagepub.com

Leuke site - wat is de achtergrond van regeringsleden? bv. voor België - waar zijn ze geboren? Waar hebben ze gestudeerd? Komen ze uit een politieke familie? Uit welke SES klasse komen ze?

X is the megaphone of 21st century fascism and authoritariansim. It has poisoned public debate. It is a tool for bullying, abuse, and assault. X needs to disappear from our discourse. When people and institutions post there, it gives X credibility. It keeps it relevant. It's time to stop.

Last day to submit your paper(s)!

Sneeuw in Brussel. En in elke metrotunnel en elk portiek liggen mensen.

⚠️Deadline approaching soon to submit your paper to our Section on economic inequality perceptions and preferences @ecpr.bsky.social's General Conference! 📆Deadline 9 January

📢 The Voting & Democracy Research Group is thrilled to invite you to a book talk by Professor Natasha Wunsch on her recent publication, “Democratic Commitment: Why Citizens Tolerate Democratic Backsliding”. 🗓️ 20 January 2026 at 2:00 p.m. in room FSW 03.155. 📝 Registration: lnkd.in/dQGFXSiJ

Starting the new year with a new #openaccess #publication! In our article, we explore why citizens oppose taxes while simultaneously demanding more redistributive social policies, aka want "something for nothing". @olivierjacques.bsky.social @staffankumlin.bsky.social @dweisstanner.bsky.social

🎁 Just got pre-Christmas academic gift from @electoralstudies.bsky.social. In our research note, Chloé de Grauwe and I document income-based differences in #economic voting. In a nutshell: the rich punish governments (somewhat) more for perceived economic downturns. Free author copy 👇

Don't generate your reference list with AI. It's really that simple! retractionwatch.com/2025/12/19/w... (ps: use Zotero, EndNote, Mendeley, do it manually...)

Immigration salience has less to do with aggregate Immigration numbers than - visibility of boats & asylum > visas - general vibes about integration - elite cues from media & political discourse in shaping public perceptions This is more true when immigration is falling then when it is rising

I think this post nails the actual problem, for researchers at least—AI hallucinations would simply not be a problem in academic work if we’d not normalized citation-as-signaling rather than actual engagement—you can only cite a fake paper if you’re not in the habit of reading the papers you cite

📣 Call for #ecprgc26 Papers 💰 Exploring the Intricacies of Citizens' Economic Inequality Perceptions and Their Redistributive Correlates: Ill-Informed, Attitudinally Incoherent, or Predictably Irrational? 🪑 Sonja Zmerli & @silkegoubin.bsky.social ⌛ New deadline: 9 Jan buff.ly/XqoHXqe #Polisky

Our paper on how the higher educated are more able to vote correctly just got a volume and issue number. Do check it out! link.springer.com/article/10.1... @dieterstiers.bsky.social @marchooghe.bsky.social and Richard Lau

🚨Working on economic inequality perceptions and support for redistribution? Sonja Zmerli and I are coordinating a Section about perceived economic inequality at the next @ecpr.bsky.social's General Conference. 👉 Do consider submit your paper! ecpr.eu/Events/Event... @vd-researchgroup.bsky.social

@casmudde.bsky.social read the US National Security Strategy: "the current US government believes that its national security is best served by the destruction of liberal democracy in Europe. In other words, the US is not (just) an unwilling ally, it is a willing adversary."

If a drug was having this societal effect it would be banned within a week. Across the world, politicians are - through their inaction - completely abdicating their responsibilities to civil democratic discourse.

We need to talk about this A LOT in Europe. Such a shocking illustration of how we are getting colonized by the Americans. Let's spread this widely so it helps galvanize public opinion.

Een ellendige novemberavond, met een motregen die de dappersten van de straat veegt.

Do policy preferences of voters and non-voters differ in European democracies? My new article in @ejprjournal.bsky.social finds: Yes, sometimes, but this is not the norm. Let's break it down. 🧵 1/10

🚨Working on economic inequality perceptions and support for redistribution? Sonja Zmerli and I are coordinating a Section about perceived economic inequality at the next @ecpr.bsky.social's General Conference. 👉 Do consider submit your paper! ecpr.eu/Events/Event... @vd-researchgroup.bsky.social

📝 Nieuwe #column geschreven over democratic backsliding in de VS: de VS zijn géén volwaardige liberale democratie meer onder Trump II.

Academic publishing can be a #slow business: (finally) got a paper accepted today! In between the initial journal submission (rejects, and an R&R), I basically got #two kids...😄 #academichatter #momademia

Ooit vatte een collega van me het als volgt samen "Je moet al een moord plegen om ontslagen te kunnen worden als prof". Waarom zijn we zo verbaasd - deze Pano-reportage had vooral nog veel meer lijken uit de kast kunnen halen... Soit, voor meer nuance 👇

📢 last day to submit your abstract to be part of our #PoliticalTrust panels at @epssnet.bsky.social You'll be in good company 😎 @annakern.bsky.social @danjdevine.bsky.social @cvalebeek.bsky.social @hannesbey.bsky.social

Don't forget to submit your abstracts for our political trust panels at the 2026 EPSS conference in Belfast. ⏰️ Submission deadline closes tomorrow!

Shout-out to all #PoliticalTrust researchers interested in attending the first @epssnet.bsky.social conference in #Belfast @annakern.bsky.social, @danjdevine.bsky.social, @cvalebeek.bsky.social, @hannesbey.bsky.social and I are coordinating 3 trust panels!

Shout-out to all #PoliticalTrust researchers interested in attending the first @epssnet.bsky.social conference in #Belfast @annakern.bsky.social, @danjdevine.bsky.social, @cvalebeek.bsky.social, @hannesbey.bsky.social and I are coordinating 3 trust panels!

[Media] "Steden en gemeenten die hun best deden om inwoners te doen stemmen? Dat haalt niks uit", une interview de @bjarneck.bsky.social, researcher at SciencePo ULB (Cevipol), pour @demorgen.be www.demorgen.be/snelnieuws/a...

This is fun, our research on political trust and social policy was featured at the Portuguese national news 😎 www.rtp.pt/play/p14263/... (less fun, they didn't cite us properly, but hey) #Hiva @vd-researchgroup.bsky.social @kuleuvenuniversity.bsky.social

Do generous welfare policies foster political trust? Matthijs Gillissen, @silkegoubin.bsky.social & Anna Ruelens examine the long-term effects of welfare generosity on trust in political institutions. Read more: buff.ly/rxgfboR @polstudiesassoc.bsky.social @uoypolitics.bsky.social @sagepub.com

With the start of the new academic year, we're planning more talks at @vd-researchgroup.bsky.social! Looking forward to welcoming @bjornhoyland.bsky.social in Leuven on Monday 20 October. If you're around and would like to attend, more info is here 👇 soc.kuleuven.be/afdeling-pol...

Ik deel zelden petities, maar de beslissing van de Vlaamse regering om het @iobua.bsky.social stop te zetten is niet alleen kortzichtig, het ondermijnt één van Vlaanderens belangrijkste centra rond internationale samenwerking en goed bestuur... Tekenen jullie ook? #SaveIOB chng.it/wNxkkfLCBd

I feel like this needs to be said, as I don’t feel many Americans get this: THIS IS NOT NORMAL!!! No, not even for authoritarian leaders in nominally democratic regimes. In Hungary, Poland, even Turkey*, authoritarian leaders do/did not regularly send the military into its peaceful cities!

Vlaming is solidair: gisteren gaf ik tekst en uitleg bij @demorgen.be (👉 www.demorgen.be/snelnieuws/e...)

#MeetTheTeam 👀 Curious about who's behind the screens? Let us introduce the dedicated minds driving The Social Study forward! Behind every questionnaire, dataset, and contractual paperwork is a team of researchers who bring this interuniversity and multidisciplinary project to life. 🧵

Seems like Labour will continue its minority government but with even more fragmented support base on the left. However still need to pay attention to the small parties hovering around the electoral threshold before we can say for sure

Just Trump declaring war on a US city, a normal Saturday

Radical right accommodation really does not work. New paper out with this exceptionally talented team @katharinalawall.bsky.social @robjohns75.bsky.social @drjennings.bsky.social @sarahobolt.bsky.social @zachdickson.bsky.social @danjdevine.bsky.social & @jack-bailey.co.uk doi.org/10.31235/osf...

By all facts on the ground I have observed, unfortunately my prediction has come true. It seems blatantly obvious that the US is now an electoral autocracy.

Last panel of the #ecprgc25 #trust section! Just presented our work on how public service evaluations lead to political trust and distrust, and having fun while at it 😎 Joint work with Matthijs Gillissen & @ldeblok.bsky.social @ecpr.bsky.social @vd-researchgroup.bsky.social @HIVA

EPSA have announced that they will hold a conference in July 2026. 😵‍💫 We understand that there might be some confusion about EPSS and EPSA. 👉🏽 So we thought we would clarify some things. A short 🧵

That's a wrap for the first day of the 'New avenues in political #trust research' Section at #ecprgc25. Many more panels coming up in the coming days! Thanks @ldeblok.bsky.social, @tomwgvdmeer.bsky.social and Ben Seyd for bringing us together! @ecpr.bsky.social