„Extremism never triumphs on its own. It only does so because others enable it – out of ambition, fear, or because they misjudge the dangers of making small concessions“ — Prof. @dziblatt.bsky.social (@europeatharvard.bsky.social) Source: @spiegel.de share.google/3o5W5Ub6pAFW...

„Extremism never triumphs on its own. It only does so because others enable it – out of ambition, fear, or because they misjudge the dangers of making small concessions“ — Prof. @dziblatt.bsky.social (@europeatharvard.bsky.social) Source: @spiegel.de share.google/3o5W5Ub6pAFW...

Even CNN has now covered the fact that the Swiss far right SVP shared an AI-generated image: wealthy elites clinking champagne glasses on a throne above a crowd of frustrated workers. Yet, no Swiss party has more MPs with formal ties to banks & the financial lobby (source: @lobbywatch.bsky.social)

Even CNN has now covered the fact that the Swiss far right SVP shared an AI-generated image: wealthy elites clinking champagne glasses on a throne above a crowd of frustrated workers. Yet, no Swiss party has more MPs with formal ties to banks & the financial lobby (source: @lobbywatch.bsky.social)

Eine Demokratiereform für die Schweiz: In den letzten 3 Jahre habe ich intensiv an einem Buchmanuskript dazu gerarbeitet. Nun freue ich mich sehr, einige Befunde im Rahmen der öffentl Vorlesungsreihe an der HSG /Universität St. Gallen zu präsentieren (9.3., 18:45h) www.unisg.ch/de/news/vera...

Bluesky is the new science Twitter, new study by @whysharksmatter.bsky.social and Julia Wester concludes! "Results show that for every reported professional benefit that scientists once gained from Twitter, scientists can now gain that benefit more effectively on Bluesky than on Twitter."

Update: Franjo von Allmen is now a *three-time* Olympic gold champion, winning all three alpine speed events in *just four days* 🥇🥇🥇 Remeber: At 17, after losing his father and facing serious financial struggles, his career was close to ending #Olympics

#POLITKOLUMNE: The Trump admin has put unprecedented pressure on Fed Chair Powell, prompting other central bankers to stress the importance of CB independence. This fits a broader pattern: populist governments undermine checks and balances, and try to weaponize them www.derbund.ch/wie-unabhaen...

Eine Demokratiereform für die Schweiz: In den letzten 3 Jahre habe ich intensiv an einem Buchmanuskript dazu gerarbeitet. Nun freue ich mich sehr, einige Befunde im Rahmen der öffentl Vorlesungsreihe an der HSG /Universität St. Gallen zu präsentieren (9.3., 18:45h) www.unisg.ch/de/news/vera...

Switzerland, above the sea of fog—or: „übrm näbumeer“, as we say. Looking very much forward to hosting my dear colleague Prof. @clandwehr.bsky.social next week!

There are fewer and fewer farmers in Switzerland’s population. Yet politically, they are more influential than ever. How did a shrinking group become such a powerful political force? And what’s the secret behind their long-term lobbying success? New publication: abo.nzz.ch/m_99998148_1/

Franjo von Allmen — gold medalist and Olympic champion! 🇨🇭🥇 What many do not know is that his now-stellar career was once thrown into limbo when he tragically lost his father at just 17. At that moment, he even needed crowdfunding support to secure the funding required to continue his career #Milan

Older adults do well at identifying misinformation, but they’re also likelier than younger adults to like & share it online. Why? Older adults have stronger tendency to seek out & believe information that supports pre-existing views while avoiding conflicting data news.harvard.edu/gazette/stor...

Die Fragen, die man sich vor der #Halbierungsintiative stellen müsste: Was können private Medien (nicht) leisten, die auf Reichweite und Klicks zielen müssen? Und was sind uns die Öffentlich-Rechtlichen als Infrastruktur für Demokratie und Föderalismus wert? www.derbund.ch/srg-halbieru...

As long as we can still ski, I wanna do the all white Brazil x Moncler #OlympicGames #Milan

Polisky! Are you aware of a typology of the different actors involved in policy-making that would be particularly suitable for students? Thx for any tips you’d be willing to share, e.g. @wmjunk.bsky.social @eaizenberg.bsky.social @michelecrepaz.bsky.social ! PS: I’ve prev used Baumgartner et al

There are fewer and fewer farmers in Switzerland’s population. Yet politically, they are more influential than ever. How did a shrinking group become such a powerful political force? And what’s the secret behind their long-term lobbying success? New publication: abo.nzz.ch/m_99998148_1/

93% of Swiss citizens believe direct democracy is key to social cohesion—much more than Switzerland’s multiparty government („Konkordanz“) and far more than the idea of no full-time politicians („Milizsystem“). Yet also: One in three struggles to accept voting results sotomo.ch/site/wp-cont...

93% of Swiss citizens believe direct democracy is key to social cohesion—much more than Switzerland’s multiparty government („Konkordanz“) and far more than the idea of no full-time politicians („Milizsystem“). Yet also: One in three struggles to accept voting results sotomo.ch/site/wp-cont...

“I’m not confident that we will even conduct elections.” — Mark Wolf, former Federal Judge www.srf.ch/news/interna...

Switzerland will soon vote on a polular initiative to cut media licence fee that would basically slash public broadcasting as an infrastructure of democracy. What a timely exposition @unil.bsky.social on «La télévision en Suisse: 75 ans sous tension» tvsoustension.ch

Seit seiner Rückkehr ins Weiße Haus geht Donald Trump gegen die Eliteuniversitäten im Land vor. Nun startet der US-Präsident einen neuen Erpressungsversuch gegen Harvard.

Excited to meeting you all at the inaugural @epssnet.bsky.social in Belfast!

#DemocraticBacksliding: The erosion of US democracy under Trump is steeper than any recent precedent, including Hungary, Venezuela, Turkey, R//ZZ.l'a/nd Source: Financial Times @jburnmurdoch.ft.com www.ft.com/content/b474...

#DemocraticBacksliding: The erosion of US democracy under Trump is steeper than any recent precedent, including Hungary, Venezuela, Turkey, R//ZZ.l'a/nd Source: Financial Times @jburnmurdoch.ft.com www.ft.com/content/b474...

Incredibly proud of the NCCR CLIM+ consortium, especially of co PI Prof. @kariningold.bsky.social!!! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 Follow @nccr-climplus.bsky.social to stay tuned!!!

Pew has Trump's approval at 37%. And: "Only about a quarter of Americans today (27%) say they support all or most of Trump’s policies and plans, down from 35% when he returned to office last year. That change has come entirely among Republicans." www.pewresearch.org/politics/202...

Yes, I know: academics are supposed to have a website (for good reasons), and yes, I’ve been a laggard. But I’m happy to finally share mine. I’ll keep expanding it, but for now feel free to check it out & let me know what you think! rahelfreiburghaus.com Thx for following my work, I appreciate it

Wir leben in Zeiten, in denen das öffentlich-rechtliche SRF eine Themenwoche zu "Fakt oder Fake?" veranstaltet und gleichzeitig in einem Schweizer Medium ein durch deutsche Talkshows tingelnder Mann auftritt, der das Wort "Desinformation" nur in Anführungszeichen verwendet www.nzz.ch/feuilleton/r...

Was medial oft unterschätzt wird, hilft laut Studien nachweislich: zivilgesellschaftl Mobilisierung&Demos. Laut @dziblatt.bsky.social & @stevelevitsky.bsky.social der einzige noch offene Pfad Dazu meine Politkolumne 3/2025:Ist die Demokratie in den USA noch zu retten? www.derbund.ch/politkolumne...

„Bereits in den 1970ern formierte sich der Widerstand gegen die SRG […], mit dabei ein junger aufstrebender Politiker namens Christoph Blocher“: MustRead-Erklärstück von @matthiasdaum.bsky.social und @jaeggisarah.bsky.social zur Historie der SRG als krit. Infrastruktur www.zeit.de/2026/04/srg-...

I still remember vividly reading this NYT headline in October 2024, sitting in a coffee shop in Boston, a fortnight before the presidential election #Minneapolis

I still remember vividly reading this NYT headline in October 2024, sitting in a coffee shop in Boston, a fortnight before the presidential election #Minneapolis

„Bereits in den 1970ern formierte sich der Widerstand gegen die SRG […], mit dabei ein junger aufstrebender Politiker namens Christoph Blocher“: MustRead-Erklärstück von @matthiasdaum.bsky.social und @jaeggisarah.bsky.social zur Historie der SRG als krit. Infrastruktur www.zeit.de/2026/04/srg-...

Die Schweiz und wie sie im Umgang mit autoritären Herrscher:innen in aller Regel ins Straucheln (bzw. Kuschen) gerät -- ein Repost aus aktuellem Anlass bsky.app/profile/rfrb...

Swiss voters are set to decide on cutting radio and TV licence fees from CHF 335 ($380) to CHF 200 — a change that would significantly weaken public broadcasting as democratic infrastructure. Polls by @leewas.bsky.social show overwhelming support for the proposal among far-right voters (85% YES)

Die Bergkantone der Schweiz üben beträchtlichen Einfluss in Bundesbern aus. Warum ist das so? Politologin Rahel Freiburghaus erklärt die Gründe für ihre Effektivität.

Are you interested in Swiss politics and considering a PhD in Switzerland? Adrian Vatter @unibe.ch is inviting applications for a fully funded PhD position. Having previously held this position myself, I can strongly recommend it as the best possible place to grow & thrive academically & personally

Die Fragen, die man sich vor der #Halbierungsintiative stellen müsste: Was können private Medien (nicht) leisten, die auf Reichweite und Klicks zielen müssen? Und was sind uns die Öffentlich-Rechtlichen als Infrastruktur für Demokratie und Föderalismus wert? www.derbund.ch/srg-halbieru...

"Man erkennt die beginnende Autokratie auch an den Einzelschicksalen ihrer Opfer"

Great way to kick off this year‘s #SPSA conference in Zurich: a keynote by the great @catherinedevries.bsky.social. Thanks also to @jbslapin.bsky.social for running the conference and the fantastic @ipz.bsky.social admin team for an excellent organization.

𝐀 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭: This is the third most frequent answer that emerges when voters are invited to describe in their own words what they want to change in Switzerland by 2026. Across parties and ideologies, people are asking for something simple: elites that deliver

. @leewas.bsky.social hat eine innovative Umfragemethode entwickelt: Die Menschen können in ihren eigenen Worten sagen, was die beschäftigt. #KI #AI gruppiert die Antworten. Das Resulat: Die Schweiz ist viel einiger und weniger polarisiert als gedacht. Die oft beschworenen Gräben sind viel kleiner

Les questions européennes sont importantes pour les partis,ils communiquent énormément là-dessus. Mais est-ce autant important pour la population ? Une véritable première pour moi : mon tout premier entretien en français sur RTS ! www.rts.ch/audio-podcas... @sspunil.bsky.social @unil.bsky.social

Das Nicht-Umsetzen von Volksinitiativen hat System, die Pflegeinitiative reiht sich ein in rund die Hälfte aller angenommenen Initiativen, die nicht umgesetzt wurden: bsky.app/profile/rfrb... cc @cellmob.bsky.social

After the national day of mourning for Crans-Montana fire victims, Swiss public debate has fallen into its usual post-crisis pattern: questioning federalism But: Making Swiss federalism more resilient shouldn’t just be a crisis response. It’s a task our politics should take seriously *all the time*

Today, Switzerland observes a National Day of Mourning in memory of the victims of the tragic fire in Crans-Montana. At 2pm the whole country is asked to observe a moment of silence, a testament to the shared grief felt by the entire nation with all those affected www.news.admin.ch/en/newnsb/yG...

Swiss Defense Minister Martin Pfister sounds the alarm: “Politically driven influence operations are targeting Switzerland to divide our society. We must be ready for this information war” 4x90minutes for democracy: Here’s a highly effective program to strenghten resilience against desinformation⬇️

„Im Vergleich zum rechten politischen Spektrum berichten Personen, die sich links verorten, weniger Freude und Wut, dafür aber häufiger Angstzustände“. „Emotionale Politik“ ist denn auch das Leitthema des SVPW-/ASSP-Jahreskongresses @ipz.bsky.social: www.svpw-assp.ch/spsa-annual-...

"The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command."