🚨CfA🚨 We're looking for a postdoc joining us in summer in Berlin. 3-year position @hertieschool.bsky.social @hertiedatascience.bsky.social. Pursue your own research agenda in data science for public policy - ML/AI, causal inference, computational methods. Questions? Don't hesitate to reach out!
![Sinn Féin: 24% [22–26]
Fianna Fáil: 17.5% [16.5–19]
Fine Gael: 17.5% [16–19]
Ind/Others: 12.5% [11–14.5]
Soc Dems: 8.5% [7–9.5]
Aontú: 5% [4–6]
II: 4.5% [3.5–5.5]
Labour: 4.5% [3.5–5]
Greens: 3% [2.5–4]
S-PBP: 2.5% [2–3.5]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:cx6qyib4wwzztfs5mupqajth/bafkreieejnlrrvsiyyhppl5iuno7bdp5s34nkiwfvxb7yautcehwbamiyq)
Sinn Féin: 24% [22–26] Fianna Fáil: 17.5% [16.5–19] Fine Gael: 17.5% [16–19] Ind/Others: 12.5% [11–14.5] Soc Dems: 8.5% [7–9.5] Aontú: 5% [4–6] II: 4.5% [3.5–5.5] Labour: 4.5% [3.5–5] Greens: 3% [2.5–4] S-PBP: 2.5% [2–3.5]
Latest @irishpollingind.bsky.social estimates:
Sinn Féin: 24% [22–26]
Fianna Fáil: 17.5% [16.5–19]
Fine Gael: 17.5% [16–19]
Ind/Others: 12.5% [11–14.5]
Soc Dems: 8.5% [7–9.5]
Aontú: 5% [4–6]
II: 4.5% [3.5–5.5]
Labour: 4.5% [3.5–5]
Greens: 3% [2.5–4]
S-PBP: 2.5% [2–3.5]
▶️ pollingindicator.com
Latest @redcresearch.bsky.social for the @businesspost.bsky.social results see no St Patrick’s day bounce for government parties, as cost of living concerns increase.
The magic thing about this campaign though was rebuilding the connection between the national team and the wider Irish public.
What we’ve experienced since November is lightning in a bottle.
We haven’t had anything like it in a decade and beyond. Let’s build.
I love this team.
ECPR Summer School on Parliaments 2026 Goethe-University Frankfurt, Germany 27. July - 06. August 2026 Organised by the ECPR Standing Group on Parliaments, this Summer School brings together students from all over Europe and beyond for eight days of engaging lectures and fruitful exchange. This is your chance to receive feedback on your ongoing research from peers and leading scholars in the field. This is your chance to learn about the latest theoretical and methodological advances in the fields of legislatures, representation and political parties.
Really looking forward to contributing to the @ecpr.bsky.social SG Parliaments Summer School. The event is targeted at PhD researchers who want to attend seminars, discuss their own research, and learn from each other.
Many thanks to Thomas Zittel for organising.
➡️ ecpr.eu/Events/364
@yai.ie is delighted to welcome 21 new members from across Ireland and Northern Ireland.
Learn more about the new YAI members on the Royal Irish Academy website: www.ria.ie/2026/03/12/y...
Thank you to everyone who joined the UCD College of Social Sciences and Law Research and Engagement Day. The event brought together researchers and partners from government, policy, alumni and industry for interdisciplinary discussions, showcase presentations and Partnership Den pitches.
🗓️10 March, 10am-2.15pm 📍UCD Sutherland School of Law
Join the UCD College of Social Sciences & Law for their 'Research and Engagement Day', with Keynote Panel: “Why great research reaches (and fails to reach) policymakers?”
👉 See full programme here: www.eventbrite.ie/e/research-a...
Excellent analysis by @gavreilly.com on whether voter registrations could put Gerry Hutch into the Dáil: gavreilly.substack.com/p/could-a-vo...
I plotted Hutch’s vote share in Dublin Central against every other GE2024 candidate using these tally data. ⤵️
Looking forward to presenting joint work with @npiolat.bsky.social and @malojan.bsky.social tomorrow at the Connected_Politics Lab Seminar. Tune in if you're interested in (early-stage work) on the descriptive representation of women in parties' visual communication on Instagram! 📸🗳️
📻 @kevcunningham.bsky.social and I talked about the state of the parties, public opinion, and the nature of Irish by-elections with @mcculld.bsky.social on @rteradio1.bsky.social this morning.
➡️ www.rte.ie/radio/radio1...
The mean stress level of fans of the football club Arminia Bielefeld (@arminia.de) was 41% higher on the day of the German Football Association’s 2025 Cup final compared to non-match days, according to a study in Scientific Reports: spklr.io/63320DOZ2n
#DFBPokal ⚽
Acceptances (+ rejections 😔) on panel & paper proposals for this year’s EPSS conference in Belfast 18-20 June went out today.
If you have submitted, please check your inbox!
You need to register for the conference by Friday 13 March.
1/3
Text of paper abstract
A new WP that uses data from U.S. academic jobs shows that a person's socioeconomic background is an important determinant not just of their career starting point, but of their career progression. Read the WP on the academia class gap by @annastansbury.bsky.social & Kyra Rodriguez.
bit.ly/4ab6xRs
The Irish Times print edition, 2 February 2026
From such examples, one might conclude that relatively trivial factors are having an exaggerated impact on politics, and that social media is accelerating this change. But is it that simple? "What we definitely observe is this personalisation of politics," says Stefan Müller, associate professor in politics and international relations at University College Dublin, but establishing cause and effect is more complicated. Müller, who specialises in using large data sets to examine political activity, is the joint author of a magnificently titled study, Evidence for the Irrelevance of Irrelevant Events. It looks at the question of whether "irrelevant events" outside politicians' control, like sports results or natural disasters, affect voting behaviour.
The short answer is no, despite an "influential strand" of US research suggesting otherwise. Müller and TCD academic Liam Kneafsey took a novel two-pronged approach, first, mapping GAA results with constituency voting patterns since Irish independence and, then, taking a deep-dive into recent opinion polls. They found no evidence that sports results - or any change in mood they might generate in a community - affected Irish voting behaviour. "We believe our findings challenge previous arguments that voters are simply irrational and influenced by irrelevancies," they say.
Turning to the Kanturk example, Müller says "there has been some commentary that this really influenced the campaign but if you look at the polling ... Fine Gael were already losing support before the Kanturk incident. So it might have contributed to it but was it the only cause? Maybe it has changed some people's view of Simon Harris; that could be the case". Minor events "can at least change the narrative of the campaign", he says, and there's a bandwagon effect where people tend to mirror the prejudices or preferences of their peers. If a politician gets a negative image in the public sphere - whether it's deserved or not - it can be difficult to shake off.
Joe Humphreys covers our research on election campaigns, candidates, and voting behaviour in today’s Irish Times.
📰 www.irishtimes.com/opinion/2026...
@irishtimes.com
🚨Job alert 🚨
I have an opening for a postdoc in my team at @ipz.bsky.social in the area of digital democracy starting Sep 1, 2026.
If you are working on the impact of the digital transformation on politics, please apply by 🗓️ Mar 1, 2026.
📤 Please share widely!
www.ipz.uzh.ch/de/ueber-uns...
@parliview.bsky.social is hosting a workshop on LLMs and Access to Political Information
May 12, 2026 | University College Dublin
Submission: forms.gle/KgaYVN42dGdg...
For any inquiries, please contact:
Dr Eoghan Cunningham
<eoghan.cunningham@ucd.ie>
@ucdcs.bsky.social @insightcentre.bsky.social
NEW PAPER ALERT! My paper, with @bjornhoyland.bsky.social , on how “policy loss” shapes support for the EU has just been published in @cpsjournal.bsky.social. Check it out!
1/
UCD-co-led research into AI's influence on democracy awarded seed funding
🗳️🤖 Many congratulations to Associate Professor Stefan Müller of the UCD School of Politics and International Relations on securing a Una Europa seed funding grant for the project Democracy and AI.
👏 @stefanmueller.bsky.social @ucdpolitics.bsky.social @ucdsocscilaw.bsky.social @unaeuropa.bsky.social
Latest RED C @businesspost poll sees FF fall again, as SF & Soc. Dems make gains.
Sinn Féin 24% +2
Fine Gael 18% +1
Fianna Fáil 15% -3
Independent 13% -1
Soc. Dems 10% +2
Labour 5% +1
Aontú 5% -1
Ind. Ireland 4% =
PBP-Solidarity 3% =
Green Party 2% -1
Net: Other 1%
Thanks, Alex!
Congratulations to my amazing @ucddublin.bsky.social @ucdpolitics.bsky.social colleague @stefanmueller.bsky.social on his latest project
www.ucd.ie/newsandopini...
Thank you very much, Anne!
Thanks, David!
🚨 Postdoctoral Position at the University of Konstanz 🚨
We’re hiring a post-doc for our @excinequality.bsky.social project on political elites and decision-making.
4-year position | Deadline: Feb. 20 | Start: Sept 2026
Please share widely 🙏
The ad is here stellen.uni-konstanz.de/jobposting/f...
Super excited to be participating in this Una Europa project on "Democracy and AI" ! And looking forward to co-leading the Leuven team with @bzar.bsky.social !
Abstract As generative artificial intelligence (Al) rapidly reshapes political communication and governance, there is an urgent need to understand its implications for democratic systems. While Al technologies have the potential to strengthen democracy (by improving access to information, enhancing participation, and supporting transparency and accountability) they also pose significant risks. These include the spread of disinformation, algorithmic bias, and the manipulation of electoral processes. Addressing this dual challenge, the project brings together a multidisciplinary network from six Una Europa institutions to develop a pioneering framework for assessing both the democratic risks and opportunities associated with Al. Integrating expertise from political science, communication studies, and computer science, the project will examine the impact of Al on democratic values, electoral integrity, and governance, in close consultation with key societal stakeholders. Core activities include an interdisciplinary research workshop, a grant development workshop, and a virtual training programme on Al for research. Together, these initiatives will strengthen collaboration, build research capacity, and position Una Europa to lead future international funding initiatives in this critical area. By co-developing innovative analytical tools and conceptual frameworks, the project aims to advance the state of the art while contributing to the protection and resilience of democratic systems in the age of Al.
Many thanks to the project leads:
Leiden: @tomlouwerse.nl (Co-PI)
Zurich: @fgilardi.bsky.social & @emmahoes.bsky.social
Leuven: @rdassonneville.bsky.social & @bzar.bsky.social
Edinburgh: Adam Chalmers
Berlin: @bcastanho.bsky.social
Details on our project: una-europa.imgix.net/documents/DE...
Delighted that our project “Democracy and AI” has been selected for Una Europa Seed Funding.
Our project establishes a network of 25 researchers from six Una Europa institutions: University of Zurich, KU Leuven, University of Edinburgh, FU Berlin, Leiden, UCD.
➡️ www.una-europa.eu/stories/10-n...
You can join in person or via Zoom: www.ucd.ie/connected_po...
Seminars always start at 2pm Irish time
Receive Zoom link here: lb.benchmarkemail.com//listbuilder...
Overview of seminar series, details available at: https://www.ucd.ie/connected_politics/events/
Connected_Politics Lab Seminars, Spring Trimester ⤵️
- 28 Jan: @jessicadicocco.bsky.social
– 11 Feb: Akitaka Matsuo
– 25 Feb: @malojan.bsky.social, @luissattelmayer.bsky.social, and Noémie Piolat
– 4 Mar: @vivifabrien.bsky.social
– 1 Apr: @elisaadamico.bsky.social
– 15 Apr: @miriamsorace.bsky.social