Research

SOCIAL POLICY

My research provides deeper insights into the politics behind social policy—defined as the set of benefits and services, such as pensions and healthcare, that serve explicitly social objectives like reducing poverty and promoting employment.

PUBLIC OPINION

In particular, my research centers on public opinion regarding social policy. To explore the causes and consequences of these “welfare attitudes,” I use both quantitative survey data—such as the European Social Survey—and qualitative data from focus groups and in-depth interviews.

POLICY RESPONSIVENESS

A key line of my research investigates how policymakers—such as elected officials and interest group representatives—respond to public opinion on social policy. In my ERC Starting Grant project, I focus specifically on their responsiveness to public attitudes toward child benefits and a universal basic income.

POLICY FEEDBACK

In another major focus of my research, I flip the perspective by investigating how existing social policies shape public opinion through feedback effects, considering both their de jure design (for example, the formal eligibility criteria) and de facto outcomes (such as actual benefit take-up rates).

POLICY FRAMING

Finally, my research experimentally investigates how public opinion can be transformed through the framing of evidence-based information about social policies’ design and outcomes, particularly in formal education and news media.