Mike Cowburn

Happening this morning at the @wzb.bsky.social conference, straight after @catherinedevries.bsky.social‘s opening keynote.

For my DFG-funded project “German Sexual Identity and Election Study” and my ERC-funded project “VisibleQueers”, I am looking for three student assistants (m/f/d) to provide dedicated support and active collaboration.

Please share!

www.mzes.uni-mannheim.de/en/three-stu...

Happening this morning at the @wzb.bsky.social conference, straight after @catherinedevries.bsky.social‘s opening keynote.

Title page for the paper “The Logic of Connective Faction” By Curd Knüpfer, Yunkang Yang, and Mike Cowburn

After a great evening at the first @wzb.bsky.social conference on the future of democracy I’m looking forward to the first full day first tomorrow. I’m presenting work (w/ @curdknupfer.bsky.social & @yunkangyang.bsky.social) at 9:30am in B001

mikecowburn.com/wp-content/u...

Democracy at Stake: A Conversation Across the Atlantic

At the inaugural @wzb.bsky.social Future of Democracy conference. Tomorrow I’ll be presenting work with @curdknupfer.bsky.social & @yunkangyang.bsky.social but tonight it’s the opening discussion event with @betoorourke.bsky.social, Anna Lührmann and Anna Sauerbrey

Abstract

New paper out with @dasalgon.bsky.social: “Far-Right Agenda Setting: How the Far Right influences the Political Mainstream” doi.org/10.1017/S1475676525100066 #openaccess in @ejprjournal.bsky.social🧵

This was always the funniest conspiracy theory to me — that there are MRI machine-like devices that can cure all known illnesses in seconds, but the government has been hiding them — and Trump just posted an AI generated video of himself announcing they're real. We're cooked!

Constantin, Roman, and Steffen at the Aarhus University Political Science Department.

@kaplaner.bsky.social and @steffenhurka.bsky.social had the privilege to present and discuss the DEMOLAW project at the University of Aarhus. DEMOLAW thanks @rsenninger.bsky.social and the entire department of political science for the kind invitation, the hospitality, and the great feedback!

Thanks Matt! 😀

Democratic women are disadvantaged in competitive district primaries, where party elites prioritize electability & view men as safer. Republican women are disadvantaged in safe district primaries, where elites & voters assume they are less conservative.
www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1...

🚨🎉 New Publication 🎉🚨 w/ @meredithconroy.bsky.social

Where Do Women Win Primaries? Asymmetric Opportunity Theory in Congressional Nominations

We offer a party-asymmetric theory of incentives for female candidates in nominations across different districts

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

Plot showing predicted probability of women winning primary elections as Democrats and Republicans across values of district partisanship.

Empirically, we show that Democratic women are disadvantaged in competitive districts (likely due to perceptions of “electability”) whereas Republican women less often win safe districts (likely due to views about the role of women in politics/society among primary voters and party elites) #polisky

Plot showing predicted probability of women winning primary elections as Democrats and Republicans across values of district partisanship.

Empirically, we show that Democratic women are disadvantaged in competitive districts (likely due to perceptions of “electability”) whereas Republican women less often win safe districts (likely due to views about the role of women in politics/society among primary voters and party elites) #polisky

🚨🎉 New Publication 🎉🚨 w/ @meredithconroy.bsky.social

Where Do Women Win Primaries? Asymmetric Opportunity Theory in Congressional Nominations

We offer a party-asymmetric theory of incentives for female candidates in nominations across different districts

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

Yes, excellently done

Cover of the publication

👉 Just published: "Empowering People in Online Spaces: Democracy and Well-being in Digital Societies" - Book of Abstracts of the Weizenbaum Conference 2025. #WIConf25

➡️ doi.org/10.34669/WI.... 🔗

Signed. Please consider doing the same

Congratulations! 🥳 so happy to see this find such a great home

Exactly. I absolutely think that the mainstream media is the central actor here (though obviously where does it get its narratives from etc etc). When I found out the actual numbers attending the Epping hotel protest I was really surprised. I should have known better.

I’m not sure there is even that much public input at this point. The hotel protests are a case in point. But agree with your general point about what these parties perceive they are responding to

Labour’s turn to the right on immigration did nothing to win them support from Reform voters and made their own voters like them less. It really is that simple.

Massive congratulations! Very well deserved and on such an important topic! Looking forward to seeing the research that comes out of this.

The Senate primary in Maine looks like the next test of old guard vs. new for Democrats. Despite being a political novice, Platner raised over $1 million in the first nine days. But Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., reportedly is working behind the scenes to get 77-year-old Gov. Janet Mills to enter the race.

Schumer is out of his fucking mind. www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnb...

Massive congratulations! Very well deserved 🥳

Congrats! 🥳

Still wrong as of this morning:

Let's definitely meet for a drink, it was great to meet you in Madrid! 😀

This is wild to me. As a postdoc in Europe I’ve done 14 so far in 2025. I was always told you should aim to be doing 3 reviews for every 1 thing you submit. 🤷🏻‍♂️

Thank you! Very kind

this book is huge. i've never been able to believe that primaries are not a driver of polarization, an avenue for a re-anchoring movement. i have seen the dilemmas for that view posed by Sides and others, but i've resisted them fiercely. here is amazing data collection & a smart, plausible solution.