Easy to foresee: We did a BA seminar presentation(!) on pretty much this scenario back in 2020. In hindsight, we were close to the mark. Our main source was the DIA report on Iran’s military capabilities from 2019, which laid out the logic of escalation.
congratulations to Viktor Orbán's father on his house, which raises no questions at all as.ft.com/r/e20a43e6-e...
New Publication with @lhaffert.bsky.social in @ejprjournal.bsky.social!
We study the role of generations in the urban-rural divide, which is increasingly shaping the politics of many democracies.
Studying Switzerland, we show: The urban-rural divide is stronger among younger generations. (1/10) 🧵👇
Bar chart titled "Erbschaftssteuer-Initiative – Stimmabsichten nach Parteibindung (in Prozent)". It shows voting intentions by party affiliation for the upcoming inheritance tax initiative in Switzerland (survey period: 6–20 October 2025, ±2.8% margin of error). Grüne: 50% bestimmt dafür, 27% eher dafür, 3% weiß nicht, 14% eher dagegen, 6% bestimmt dagegen. SP: 51% bestimmt dafür, 21% eher dafür, 2% weiß nicht, 15% eher dagegen, 11% bestimmt dagegen. GLP: 12% bestimmt dafür, 12% eher dafür, 2% weiß nicht, 30% eher dagegen, 44% bestimmt dagegen. Die Mitte: 9% bestimmt dafür, 13% eher dafür, 2% weiß nicht, 16% eher dagegen, 60% bestimmt dagegen. FDP: 3% bestimmt dafür, 11% eher dafür, 2% weiß nicht, 7% eher dagegen, 77% bestimmt dagegen. SVP: 5% bestimmt dafür, 4% eher dafür, 3% weiß nicht, 9% eher dagegen, 79% bestimmt dagegen. Keine Partei: 5% bestimmt dafür, 13% eher dafür, 1% weiß nicht, 28% eher dagegen, 53% bestimmt dagegen. Source: SRF / GFS Bern on behalf of SRG SSR.
Public support, according to first polls, is slightly higher: 35% (rather) in favor.
But contrary to the study’s findings, there is a clear left-right divide on this issue.
It will be interesting to see how this develops toward the vote. 👀
www.srf.ch/news/1-srg-u...
Elite support for introducing the tax is very low:
- 28% in the National Council
- 15% in the Council of States
Only left parties support the tax (28%). 🗳️
swissvotes.ch/vote/681.00
Very interesting paper — and highly relevant to current Swiss politics.
📮 Swiss voters will decide on a 50% inheritance tax for bequests exceeding CHF 50 million (only the portion above 50 million would be taxed) on 30.11.2025.
Herzlichen Glückwunsch! 🥳
To be clear: deportations to increase cultural homogeneity is the text book definition of ethnic cleansing. Demands that come even close to this are so far outside any democratic norm and the rule of law. What has happened to a country when this is not condemned in the strongest possible terms?
🚨📢 I am hiring a PhD candidate /research assistant in Swiss Politics and/or Comparative Politics (100%)!
🚨📢 Je recrute un·e assistant·e diplômé·e en science politique en politique suisse et comparée!
Please join me @unil.bsky.social, Switzerland!
Thanks for sharing! polisky @sspunil.bsky.social
Gesund studieren, lehren & arbeiten: Die @unibe.ch bietet ihren Studierenden, Dozierenden & Mitarbeitenden zum #WorldMentalHealthDay am 10.10.2025 ein vielfältiges Programm an, um zum Austausch anzuregen & Impulse für einen achtsamen, gesunden Universitätsalltag zu geben. So wichtig & wertvoll 💜!
Excited to share our new PEGO publication: Hijacking or helping?
We show how crises like COVID-19 can shape narratives, open or close policy windows, and influence climate policy advocacy.
🔗 doi.org/10.1007/s110...
@policysciences.bsky.social polisky
I think it‘s just a certificate, unfortunately :)
Herzlichen Dank, liebe Maiken!
Ganz herzlichen Dank, liebe Théoda!
Celebrating this milestone with a break and some travels. I am happy to hear your thoughts on our paper and want to thank all who gave feedback and support—especially the editors and reviewers, who made my first publication process a positive experience!
On utilitarian factors, Switzerland looks unremarkable. Norway, by contrast, resembles Sweden more than the UK or Switzerland. The key difference: EEA membership has depoliticized the EU question in Norway.
Dot-and-error-bar plot showing how national identity (attachment to nation) influences Euroscepticism across countries. Switzerland and the UK stand out with much stronger positive effects compared to EU27 and EEA countries, where the difference from the overall effect is insignificant or negative.
We find that the strong politicization of EU issues in Switzerland increases the impact of national identity and rightist political attitudes on Euroscepticism. The only clear parallel in Europe: the UK.
Our results confirm strong Swiss Euroscepticism and low support for EU accession. The novelty lies in comparison: How do the underlying factors in Switzerland differ from those shaping Euroscepticism across EU and non-EU Europe?
Bar chart comparing public perceptions of the EU across European countries. Switzerland stands out with one of the highest shares of negative views (very negative or fairly negative) and the lowest positive evaluations, similar only to the UK and Czech Republic. Most other countries, including Norway and Iceland, show more positive or neutral attitudes.
A milestone today: my first PhD publication, co-authored with Fabio Wasserfallen, is out in the @spsr.bsky.social. The article compares Swiss Euroscepticism—just as the title promises. The article is open access: doi.org/10.1111/spsr...
Really happy to see my work with @dweisstanner.bsky.social published with @bjpols.bsky.social. In this letter, we look at symbolic class signalling through cultural consumption and how effective it is across voters of different parties.
A thread 👇 (1/n)
#OpenAccess - cup.org/3GSCIKV
Line chart showing trends in the shares of gross income being paid in total tax by those living in five equally sized income groups, from the richest fifth (quintile 5) to the poorest fifth (quintile 1). Covers the UK and the years 1980 to 2022-23. Shows shares falling then rising among the richest 20%; rising, plateauing, then rising again among the poorest 20%, and falling, plateauing and then falling again among the middle three groups. By 2022-23, average effective tax ‘rates’ (measured as four-year averages) were 37.5% among the poorest, 29.7% among quintile 2, 30.6% among quintile 3, 31.9% among quintile 4, and 37% among the richest 20%.
Amid wealth tax discussion, it's worth reflecting on recent changes in tax takes across the income distribution. Combining all payments (ie income taxes and VAT etc), the richest and poorest pay the most as a share of their gross income. But rates are down markedly in the middle of the distribution
The far-right SVP continues to frame itself as the voice of the “little man”.
Yet it is now the Swiss party with *the highest* number of formal ties between its MPs & the banking lobby.
Also, in Switzerland, public skepticism toward deregulatory policies is growing, as shown in my new publication
WZB-Digitalisierungsforscherin @jeah.bsky.social hat auf @libmod.de eine Replik auf den deutsch-amerikanischen Politikwissenschaftler Yascha Mounk zum Thema #Zensur in Deutschland und Großbritannien veröffentlicht:
libmod.de/debatte-mein...
@hiigberlin.bsky.social @weizenbauminstitut.bsky.social
Congrats Konstantin! 🥳
#POLITKOLUMNE: There are 2 main strategies to counter the far-right: legal means & political responses
Courts alone won’t save democracy. What’s needed:
1️⃣firm stance against the far-right
2️⃣protest /civil soc. mobilization
3️⃣public institutions that guarantee equal public service access for everyone
🌍 The PEGO Research Group is now on Bluesky!
Follow us for updates, insights, and behind-the-scenes glimpses into our research, events, projects, etc.
We’d love to connect with you.
🔗 Learn more: www.eawag.ch/en/departmen...
👋 Also connect with us on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/pego...
Those trying to understand the tariffs as economic policy are dangerously naive.
No, the tariffs are a tool to collapse our democracy. A means to compel loyalty from every business that will need to petition Trump for relief.
1/ A 🧵 to explain his plan and how we fight back.
I think the first one makes sense. My perception is, that the package has more prominent supporters in the German speaking part.
Good question!
Quick look at the data shows a big gap in undecided social democrats (SP) between F-/I- and G-speaking regions. 40% of F-speaking SP voters are undecided compared to 14% G-speaking SP voters. Gap is less pronounced for other parties.
My first intuition, other ideas?
