Francisca Castro

External Cues and Policy Preferences: Rethinking the Drivers of Policy Positions Abstract. At a time when the influence of external cues on opinion formation is gaining attention due to their relevance for preference formation, this res

New paper out in IJPOR! 🎉 We study how cues from political elites and close friends shape policy preferences using a survey experiment. Trump cues move opinions even after his first term ended, but friend cues can backfire. 📄 academic.oup.com/ijpor/article/38/1/edaf066/8472064

Are the Politically Active Better Represented? - Political Behavior Political participation is considered an important path for people to influence politics. However, whether those who participate actually see more of their preferred policies implemented remains an op...

🧵I am happy to announce a new article in Political Behavior @polbehavior.bsky.social, “Are the Politically Active Better Represented?”, co-authored with @jenny-oser.bsky.social, @rdassonneville.bsky.social, @professormpersson.bsky.social, and Anders Sundell.
link.springer.com/article/10.1...

☀️☀️ Exciting news in Madrid!

We are VERY happy to officially announce the creation of the Instituto Juan Linz (aka “IJL”).
ijlinz.es

The IJL ("Juan Linz Institute" in English) is dedicated to cutting-edge research and teaching in political science, sociology, economic history and more.
thread 1/12

We recently got some seed funding to expand this project a little further. You can read about it here www.mvbz.fu-berlin.de/news/seed-mo...

The paper should be open access soon but in the meantime you can find it here francisca-castro.com/research/art...

Started the year with an R&R and the publication of my first PhD paper 🥳

mobilization.kglmeridian.com/view/journal...

📢 Exciting news! The Madrid Empirical Social Sciences Annual Conference (MESS 2025) takes place next week @ieuniversity.bsky.social (October 24-25)

A joint effort by several Madrilean research institutions, MESS brings together top work in empirical social sciences. #MESS2025 #SocialScience

Currently in FirstView: In “Balancing Precision and Retention in Experimental Design,” @gustavodiaz.org and Erin Rossiter study how experimental design choices can increase precision when estimating treatment effects. Specifically, they examine block-randomized and pre-post designs.

The call for the 2026 Jan Tinbergen European Peace Science Conference is now open and we're hosting it in Berlin! Please submit your abstracts by December 31st www.europeanpeacescientists.org/jan-tinberge...

I am very excited that Fragile Lives 2025 is about to start at @humboldtuni.bsky.social!
The programme is at zerohunger.de/fragile-live...

Happy to see our study out! Our main takeaway is that while poor voters vote less often, are less ideologically aligned with their preferred party, and see their preferred party less often in government - voting still does not seem to explain unequal representation.

I felt bad for never having been to Peru before, having lived so close by. But I can confirm that Peruvian food is indisputably the best cuisine in the world (I will not accept any arguments on this matter).

A few weeks ago I arrived from fieldwork in Peru, where I was collecting archival data on the internal armed conflict. Today I finally have a new version of this paper examining how the conflict affected and continues to affect the success of female politicians francisca-castro.com/research/wor...

cool plot!

Somehow, it's already time for #APSA2025! Presenting the newest version of my paper w @jenny-oser.bsky.social + @jesperlindqvist.bsky.social on political participation and politicians' perceptions of public opinion.

Happy to meet during the conference, so please reach out!
@apsa.bsky.social

Does electoral behavior change after a protest cycle? Evidence from Chile and Bolivia Can protests produce changes in electoral behavior? In this paper, we examine variations in voter turnout and electoral preferences at the local level…

Our paper published last year aged pretty well considering the downfall of the MAS party and Evo Morales www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Bolivians go to polls in election that could end 20 years of socialism Rightwing candidates lead polling ahead of fragmented left amid country’s worst economic crisis in four decades

Today is election day in Bolivia! I've been closely following the country since the start of my PhD and honestly this could be one of the most consequential elections the country has ever faced.

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/a...

Work with us: Junior Researcher (f/m/d) – ISDC ISDC – International Security and Development Center is a non-profit academic institute based in Berlin, Germany. We conduct research to improve lives and livel

We're hiring a junior researcher at @isdcberlin.bsky.social!

isdc.org/work-with-us...

these past few days between EPSA and Madrid’s ~36°C and then coming back to Berlin to vote for Chile’s presidential primaries have been really fun but now I’m tireddd

Reception with the best view award

Second day at #NEPS2025! Just presented some ongoing work with @isdcberlin.bsky.social colleagues on political polarization in Kyrgyzstan.

Do you work on gender and peacebuilding broadly defined (including everything from ceasefires to transitional justice)? I’m looking for pitches to contribute to a special issue, especially interested in quantitative research by scholars outside of Europe/US/Canada. Email/DM me!

In Helsinki for the UNU-WIDER conference where I’ll present @isdcberlin.bsky.social work on the long term impacts of conflict on Syrian refugees in Jordan.

Visiting another country during an electoral campaign is always an interesting experience.

it’s so amazing to have this summer school back, cannot recommend enough that PhD female students apply!

Call for Papers: Fragile Lives 2025 HiCN Workshop – HiCN 30 September - 1 October 2025 Berlin, Germany Every year, Fragile Lives convenes international experts from academia, policy, and practice on the use of rigorou

📣The Call for Papers and Sessions of the 2nd international expert conference Fragile Lives on 30 September and 1 October 2025 at Humboldt-University of Berlin in Germany is about to close. 1/6
#callforpapers #Berlin #HiCN #FragileLives @isdcberlin.bsky.social

How do parties tailor their campaign ads to women? 🗳️👩

Excited to share that my paper on how parties adapt their ads is out now at @thejop.bsky.social!

📖 Read it here: www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...

A quick breakdown of the findings ⬇️🧵

BJPolS abstract discussing the potential influence of a politician's gender on voter expectations and perceptions in Argentina, focusing on responses from an online survey experiment about a hypothetical city mayor.

NEW -

Ignoring Women’s Performance: A Survey Experiment on Policy Implementation in Argentina - cup.org/4clGHLw

- @gustavodiaz.org, @viroliveros.bsky.social, Rebecca Weitz-Shapiro & Matthew S. Winters

#OpenAccess

Call for Papers: Fragile Lives 2025 HiCN Workshop – ISDC 30 September - 1 October 2025 Berlin, Germany Every year, Fragile Lives convenes international experts from academia, policy, and practice on the use of rigorou

Call for Papers: Fragile Lives 2025 HiCN Workshop

📆30 September – 1 October 2025
Fragile Lives 2025 & the 21st HiCN Annual Workshop will review the role of gender & institutions in the formation, functioning & impacts of fragility, insecurity, conflict & emergency.

Done with my defense, finally #PhDone!!