Current

LocFemRep: Female political representation in local governments: stereotypes, institutional rules, policy outcomes

Funded by the Polish National Science Center (grant Opus, 2021/43/B/HS5/01059)

The grant aims to explore the representation gaps between local and national levels of government and between legislative and executive bodies, particularly focusing on the participation of women in politics. Despite a general belief that women have better access to local power, data shows local politics can be more male-dominated than national or European politics. This project will conduct a comparative study across European democracies to understand these dynamics, with a particular focus on Poland.

The research will involve in-depth surveys of voters and local elites to examine whether direct elections of mayors reduce women’s participation in local government, and to investigate if voters use stereotypes in candidate selection and how they perceive female politicians compared to their male counterparts. The project will also assess whether the gender of local politicians influences public policy, particularly in areas like social policy, infrastructure investments, and budget allocation.

The project will use advanced quantitative methods and experimental surveys to gather and analyze data. Findings will be presented at scientific conferences, published in academic journals, and shared with the public in an accessible manner. The ultimate goal is to understand if increasing female participation in local politics leads to significant changes in local policies and communities.

Main outcomes:


Electoral Consequences of the Migration Crisis on the Polish-Belarusian Border

Funded by the IDUB Excellence Initiative Program

The main goal of the project is to identify the impact of the so-called migration crisis along the Polish-Belarusian border on electoral behavior, particularly regarding: (1) voter turnout, (2) support for the ruling party (Law and Justice – PiS), and (3) support for the far-right party (Confederation).

The study aims to contribute to two emerging research trends in electoral behavior studies. First, it seeks to expand the literature that examines the electoral consequences of voter exposure to various groups of migrants, especially in the context of explaining the rise of extremism and the popularity of anti-establishment and populist parties. Second, it aims to contribute to the literature on the political consequences of states of emergency, currently dominated by studies on authoritarian regimes or the political consequences of natural disasters affecting specific regions.

The project will employ quasi-experimental causal inference methods based on the analysis of geocoded official election results for the Polish parliamentary elections from 2015 to 2023.


Interdisciplinary Seminar in Empirical Social Science (ISESS)

Funded by the IDUB Excellence Initiative Program

ISESS is a monthly seminar series that brings together scholars from across the social sciences who work with empirical and especially comparative methods. It provides an interdisciplinary and inter-institutional forum where researchers can present work in progress, discuss methodological challenges, and receive substantive feedback in a collaborative setting.

The seminar is affiliated with the Centre of Excellence in Social Sciences (CESS) at the University of Warsaw and is held in English. It regularly hosts speakers from Polish and international institutions, covering topics such as electoral behaviour, public opinion, migration, social inequalities, and experimental and survey research. Sessions typically consist of a research presentation followed by an extended discussion, encouraging rigorous yet accessible dialogue between senior scholars, early-career researchers, and doctoral students.

ISESS seminar webpage: https://cess.idub.uw.edu.pl/en/isess/seminar/


Quantitative Political Research Workshop

The Quantitative Political Research Workshop is an informal, recurring meeting for scholars who use quantitative methods to study politics. Held several times a year at different academic institutions in Poland, the workshop provides a focused space for researchers to present work in progress, receive detailed feedback, and improve their chances of successful publication.

Each meeting typically brings together around a dozen to twenty participants, including PhD students, postdocs, and senior researchers from multiple universities, as well as guests from abroad. The format centres on in-depth discussion: every paper receives a dedicated time slot with a short presentation followed by an extended conversation between the author and seminar participants.

The workshop particularly welcomes projects using advanced quantitative techniques to study electoral behaviour, public opinion, political institutions, and political economy. Over the years, the series has helped to build a lively network of empirically-oriented political scientists in Poland and has contributed to turning many early drafts into published articles in international journals.

Completed

Criteria for Candidate Selection in Elections at Different Levels: An Experimental Approach

Funded by the IDUB Excellence Initiative

This project investigates how voters choose individual candidates in elections at different levels of government, going beyond party preferences to focus on the “personal vote”. Using a series of survey experiments on a large sample of Polish voters, it examines how candidate characteristics and list position influence the distribution of preference votes, and how widely voters rely on simple heuristics such as voting for the top-listed candidate.

The project also explores voters’ reactions to different shares of female candidates on party lists, simulating the interaction between list position effects and gender quotas. By combining experimental designs with high-quality survey data, the study contributes to research on electoral behaviour, candidate choice, and institutional design, and strengthens the use of experimental methods in political science research at the University of Warsaw.

Main outcomes: