Iskander De Bruycker

IN NEW ISSUE: To praise or to pressure? Iskander De Bruycker (@iskanderdebruycker.bsky.social) examines the patterns of social media advocacy during #Covid19 across 9 countries. Read OPEN ACCESS: buff.ly/WSRXF5L

@polstudiesassoc.bsky.social @uoypolitics.bsky.social @sagepub.com #polsci #polsky

Civil society mobilisation in EU policy debates Does civil society mobilisation reduce socioeconomic bias in EU policy debate? A study by Evelien Willems, Iskander De Bruycker, and Marcel Hanegraaff reveals that active engagement by civil society o...

Based on @wepsocial.bsky.social research, @evwillems.bsky.social, @iskanderdebruycker.bsky.social & @marcelhanegraaff.bsky.social explore how #CivilSociety mobilisation reduces socioeconomic bias in #EUpolicy debate and reveal a promising path toward more inclusive EU policy-making.
👉 bit.ly/3GLTfjM

😍My first single-authored article just got published in @polstudies.bsky.social. I am so excited about this one! In this article, I discuss how Political Party Think Tanks (PPTTs) help parties to transcend daily political pressures, and focus on long-term political thinking and policy development

Looking forward to continue working on this paper with the amazing ACCESS4ALL team @iskanderdebruycker.bsky.social , @seiselt.bsky.social, @smartinez-bohme.bsky.social 🫶

Summer School of the Standing Group on Interest Groups, Maastricht University, Netherlands, 6 – 11 July 2025 Interest groups and advocacy in a changing political context

🚨 Deadline extended!
📣 Want to learn how #InterestGroups and #Advocacy work in a rapidly changing political climate?
👉 Join @ecprinterestgroups.bsky.social intensive course this July at @fasosmaastricht.bsky.social!

✅ Expert-led lectures
✅ Tailored feedback
✅ Real-world insights

🗓️ Apply by 16 Apr

An absolute delight to reunite with my former PhD supervisor, Caelesta Braun, for the defense of the brilliant new Dr. @frederikstevens.bsky.social! 🎉 Congrats to Frederik on a strong PhD defense! Your research on lobbying influence on EU agenda-setting paid off. A stellar career awaits you! ✨👏

Which groups get what they want without having to lobby?

In this new article, we revisit theories about structural power & link them to patterns in preference attainment across 7 European countries & at EU level.

With @michelecrepaz.bsky.social & Marcel Hanegraaff #InterCov @psjeditor.bsky.social

🔥🔈Vacancy announcement

We invite applications for the co-editorship of the @ecpr.bsky.social @oxfordunipress.bsky.social book series

We’d appreciate your help in sharing the announcement to ensure our publications committee receives as many strong applications as possible 🤞

Abstract of the article "Socioeconomic (in)congruence in EU public policy: the role of civil society" by Iskander De Bruycker, Marcel Hanegraff and Evelien Willems. Published online first in West European Politics.

Figure 1, displaying the median congruence between elected politicians and different socioeconomic status groups.

Figure 3, displaying the median congruence between civil society organisations and different socioeconomic status groups.

Figure 4, displaying predictive margins of civil society organisation mobilisation on socioeconomic bias based on model 1.

@iskanderdebruycker.bsky.social Marcel Hanegraff & @evwillems.bsky.social show that the civil society mobilization significantly influences the degree to which policymakers are congruent with the concerns of low educated & income citizens.

doi.org/10.1080/0140...

#polisky #academicsky

But there’s an important silver lining ✨:
The engagement of #civil #society groups 🤝 in EU policy discussions helps bridge this gap and reduce affluence bias, ensuring more inclusive policy representation. (3/3)

On average, elected representatives show 8% less alignment with citizens from lower socioeconomic classes compared to those from higher socioeconomic backgrounds on key EU policy issues. 📊 Interestingly, the percentage is higher for representatives from #Eurosceptic parties. (2/3)

Socioeconomic (in)congruence in EU public policy: the role of civil society A persistent challenge in democracies is unequal political representation, where citizens with higher socioeconomic status (SES) have a stronger voice than those with lower SES. While this disparit...

Are citizens from #underprivileged socioeconomic backgrounds underrepresented in #EU politics❓
My latest study with Marcel Hanegraaff and @evwillems.bsky.social published in @wepsocial.bsky.social reveals that this is indeed the case 👇 (1/3)

www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

The US embrace of Russia is an existential threat to the EU. Germany must step up to save it | Catherine De Vries To counter the crisis caused by Trump, Friedrich Merz has little choice but to abandon decades of military and economic caution

@catherinedevries.bsky.social hits the nail on the head in this @theguardian.com opinion piece: Germany must step up to save Europe.👇 www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

@iskanderdebruycker.bsky.social and I are organising the ECPR Workshop of the Standing Group on Interest Groups at @fasosmaastricht.bsky.social in parallel with the ECPR Summer School on Interest Groups.

To praise or to pressure? Iskander De Bruycker (@iskanderdebruycker.bsky.social) examines the patterns of social media advocacy during #Covid19 across 9 countries. Read in @polstudies.bsky.social: https://buff.ly/429taUe (OPEN ACCESS)


@polstudiesassoc.bsky.social @uoypolitics.bsky.social #polsci

Standing Group on Interest Groups Workshop, Maastricht Universiteit, 7-9 July 2025 European Consortium for Political Research

‼️🔔📣Call for proposals 📣🔔‼️

Researching interest groups in these turbulent times? And do you want to discover the ‘Tuscany of the Low Countries’ this summer?🌞 Then this workshop is for you! ecpr.eu/Events/327

Far-right populists much more likely than the left to spread fake news – study Amplifying misinformation is now part of radical right strategy, says Dutch study of tweets by MPs in 26 countries

Far-right populists spread far more fake news than left-wing populists, shows a study of 32M MP tweets. One of the authors, @pettertornberg.bsky.social, warns in the Guardian it's urgent to address the link between misinformation and radical right populism. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/f...

The Tech Coup An insider offers a “forceful critique...of Big Tech's steady erosion of democracy” (The New Yorker) and describes what must be done to stop it

Deeply concerning. Piercingly critical. A brave and bold opus by @marietjeschaake.bsky.social. Highly recommended for everyone who cares about democracy in the Western world and beyond. press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...

Het heeft geen zin ons mateloos te ergeren aan Trump, Musk en Zuck De hele Amerikaanse big tech krijgt het op de heupen van de betweterige Europese houding. In het Witte Huis vindt de sector straks een schitterende bondgenoot.

[OPINIE] Het heeft geen zin ons mateloos te ergeren aan Trump, Musk en Zuck

To praise or to pressure? Iskander De Bruycker (@iskanderdebruycker.bsky.social) examines the patterns of social media advocacy during #Covid19 across 9 countries. Read in @polstudies.bsky.social: https://buff.ly/429taUe (OPEN ACCESS)

@polstudiesassoc.bsky.social @uoypolitics.bsky.social #polsci

Mens EU’s lovgivning bliver mere kompleks, eksploderer udgifterne til eksterne konsulenter - Føljeton

Consultancies in Brussels are an often overlooked force in shaping EU policy. This intriguing article by @stenholm.foljeton.dk sheds light on their pivotal role in assisting major corporations and influencing EU institutions. In Danish—Google Translate can help! www.foljeton.dk/post/mens-eu...

Will Europe stand up to Elon Musk? Presented by G42 By NICHOLAS VINOCUR with ZOYA SHEFTALOVICH PRESENTED BY Send tips here | Tweet @NicholasVinocur @swheaton @EddyWax | Listen to Playbook and view in your browser GREETINGS, welcome …

Brussels Playbook notes that if there’s a will, there’s a way to use the DSA to pressure Musk. Felix Kartte - Reset: “If Musk’s engineered prominence generates public risks, […] regulators could argue that X is failing its risk mitigation obligations under the DSA” www.politico.eu/newsletter/b...

Elon Musk calls for Nigel Farage to be replaced as Reform UK leader Nigel Farage claims Musk's call is due to a disagreement support for far-right activist Tommy Robinson.

The MAGA <-> Musk fights, the messages about politics in Britain and Germany, and today's 'dump Farage' spat ...it is all very interesting and relevant.

But we need to reflect on how much air is given by media companies to each new turn. The amplification effect is real.
www.bbc.com/news/article...

Flere kvinder giver mere indflydelse - Føljeton

Do you think social background and privilege influence EU policies? 🤔 I recently spoke with Emma Louise Stenholm from Føljeton about our research on diversity in EU lobbying. We explore if access to decision-makers is biased towards privileged groups. Article in 🇩🇰: www.foljeton.dk/post/flere-k...

Influence: The ultimate business skill | London Business School Learn the seven universal principles of influence that, beyond evidence and economic self-interest, reliably influence people to say ‘yes’

Interesting read on leveraging influence as a key skill in the workplace, with a summary of Cialdini's principles of persuasion: reciprocity, liking, unity, authority, social proof, commitment, and scarcity. www.london.edu/think/influe...

Commission tells NGOs EU money is not for lobbying A €5.4 billion fund for green projects can no longer be spent on lobbying, says Commission.

A sad decision for green NGOs: The European Commission is restricting €5.4 billion in LIFE funds for lobbying activities. This echoes anti-green positions pushed by VDL’s center-right EPP, limiting the influence of environmental groups on EU policy.👇 www.politico.eu/article/euro...

Congratulations on the new role! Great news for political science in the Low Countries!

Nice to see that Altmetric is now factoring in Bluesky posts to track impact!

I defended my PhD dissertation on ‘The Brains Behind the Party’ 🧠 and I am over the moon! 🌙

Drop me a message if you want to discuss research on Political Party Think Tanks!

Dr. B 👩🏻‍🎓