Welcome
I am a political scientist at the University of Konstanz. My research is mainly about political networks, with applications in public policy and in European and American politics.
While writing my PhD thesis at the Max Planck Institute for Research on Collective Goods, I developed a software called Discourse Network Analyzer (DNA) in order to analyze policy debates or political discourse among relevant political actors in a dynamic way, drawing upon methods of social network analysis.
I have subsequently applied the new methodology 1) to climate politics in the U.S. Congress, 2) to the conflict over software patents in Europe, and 3) to German pension policy-making. The approach is able to explain policy change and map the (multidimensional) policy preferences of political actors as they change over time.
Besides these sectoral case studies, I have developed a computational agent-based simulation model of endogenous opinion formation among interest groups and governmental actors. The simulation model can explain the macro structures observable in the case studies. Moreover, I have employed exponential random graph models (ERGM) in order to pinpoint discursive contagion among these actors and, in a separate study, to explain information exchange between political actors.
Apart from political networks, I am interested in the logic of political parties, mainly from a public choice perspective. I am teaching a seminar on political parties and public choice in the fall semester.
My teaching profile covers 1) social network analysis, 2) pension politics and demography, and 3) political parties and public choice. I have taught BA and MA seminars at the University of Konstanz (Department of Politics and Public Administration) and in the degree program of Corporate Management & Economics at Zeppelin University.