Our teaching profile: Comparative democracy research; comparative government and electoral systems; representation and responsiveness research; political attitudes and political participation; democracy and inequality; comparative party research, with a particular focus on populist parties; methods of empirical social research, including data visualisation and Bayesian statistics.

Our research profile: The field of comparative political science covers a broad spectrum of topics that can be classified as empirical democracy research, e.g. attitude, election and party research; the causes of the rise of populist parties; the relationship between economic and political (in)equality; the composition of parliaments and its impact on political representation; and globalisation processes and the challenges posed to democracy by globalisation.

In the field of comparative political science, Prof. Schäfer, Dr Lea Elsässer, Dr Johannes Kessler, Dr Nils Steiner and Jonas Wenker are authorised to supervise bachelor's theses. It is not necessary to have completed a seminar with your desired supervisor.
However, your topic should fall within the research focus of the field (see above).
If you would like to write a Bachelor's thesis in the field of Comparative Political Science, you must register for a consultation appointment and send your desired supervisor a short exposé of your proposed project by email at least two days before the consultation.

Your exposé should be about one page long and should include:
* a clearly defined research question,
* an explanation of its scientific relevance,
* a description of the theoretical framework you plan to use,
* a brief outline of your intended approach (a preliminary structure), and
* if applicable, information about your data basis and initial working hypotheses.

Plan ahead: In the B.A. program, you have eight weeks to complete your thesis. The correction period takes about 4–6 weeks, after which the oral examination for the bachelor’s thesis takes place.
For detailed information about the format of the oral examination, please ask your supervisor.

In the field of Comparative Politics, Professor Schäfer is authorized to supervise master’s theses. The second evaluation will be carried out by another professor from the institute. If you wish to write your master’s thesis in our department, you are required to attend the colloquium and present your topic there. In your presentation, you should explain your research question, theoretical framework, data basis, methods, and timeline.

Funding: DFG Projekt
PIs: Dr. Nils Steiner & Dr. Matthias Mader
Duration: 04/2026 - 03/2029

In a project funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG), Dr. Nils Steiner and Dr. Matthias Mader are investigating the role of social identities in connection with the emerging “transnational cleavage” surrounding issues of globalization. The study focuses on which identities are forming and how they shape voting behavior along this new line of conflict.
Particular attention is given to the concept of “identity leadership” among political elites: How does their rhetoric influence, on the one hand, the development of politically relevant identities among citizens, and on the other hand, which identities become significant for voting behavior?
The project addresses these questions using surveys and experimental studies conducted in Germany and other Western European democracies. It is planned to run for three years, with the project scheduled to begin on April 1, 2026.

Funding: DFG Project
PI: Prof. Dr. Claudia Landwehr
Duration: 2025-2028

As part of a project funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG), Dr. Nils Steiner is investigating how false consensus assumptions about public opinion affect citizens’ evaluations of the legitimacy of democratic decisions and institutions (Project Lead: Prof. Dr. Claudia Landwehr; Duration: 2025–2028).
The project starts from the observation that individuals often overestimate how many others share their own views. It examines the consequences of this misperception for political legitimacy beliefs using agent-based models, survey data analysis, and both survey and laboratory experiments.
The project is part of the DFG Research Group “Big Structural Change” (BISC).
Project website: https://theorie.politik.uni-mainz.de/en/research/false-consensus/

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