Research Agenda
My research examines how electoral competition shapes democratic system support and when these dynamics become politically consequential. Moving beyond the well-established winner-loser gap in democratic satisfaction, I examine its broader implications for democratic resilience and functioning.
Published
Peer-Reviewed Publications
Sore losers on election night? Examining the temporal emergence of the winner-loser gap.
European Journal of Political Research.
Examines how winners' and losers' satisfaction with democracy evolves immediately after election results are announced, identifying when the winner-loser gap emerges.
Current Projects
Working Papers
Does losing at the ballot box trigger system-challenging behavior? A two-step framework linking electoral defeat to disruptive activity
Shows how electoral losers are more likely to engage in disruptive forms of political behavior. The paper distinguishes between different types of disruption, from civic disobedience to more severe forms such as tax refusal and political violence, and demonstrates how these relate to different layers of system support.
From Sore Losers to Overly Optimistic Winners: The Winner-Loser Gap in Times of Democratic Backsliding
Investigates the propensity of electoral winners to overlook democratic erosion by incumbents and develop overly optimistic views of the state of democracy.
Support Parties and Democratic Satisfaction
Analyzes the role of support-party voters in parliamentary systems, who occupy an intermediate position between winners and losers. The paper examines how this position shapes their satisfaction with democracy and their alignment with governing and opposition camps.