I am a postdoc at the University of Southampton (Department of Politics) and a visiting fellow at the London School of Economics and Political Science (European Institute), working at the intersection of empirical political science and (normative) political theory. Having recently submitted my PhD, I specialise in the comparative study of political participation and institutional design in Europe and I have a strong interest in the European Union; my first article on the role of democratic innovations in the EU has been published in the Journal of European Public Policy. See my CV for further details on my background.
In my doctoral research, I studied the promises of novel and more direct forms of citizens participation in light of current sociopolitical challenges to democratic institutions in Europe. My PhD project critically examines democratic innovations such as mini-publics, questioning their ability to address these challenges – including political polarisation and the increasing disconnect between democratic institutions and society. Based on two original empirical data sets – a comparative group interview study and a study of European elites –, the project develops the theoretical argument that the new paradigm of citizen engagement may be innovating democracy for the worse.
The research has been funded by an LSE studentship, a fieldwork scholarship from UACES, and a project grant from the Otto Brenner Foundation.
During my graduate studies in Europe and the United States, I have taught seminars on these subjects at LSE, in Frankfurt, and Hamburg. Besides, I am a mentor at the Friedrich-Ebert-Foundation. Please get in touch about collaborations, ideas, and questions!