Luca Siepmann
@lucasiepmann.bsky.social
PhD Candidate Political Science, LSE @lse-ei.bsky.social | Research Coordinator Dahrendorf Programme, St Antony’s College, Oxford | Previously: MPhil, University of Oxford @mansfieldoxford.bsky.social + BA Hons KCL | Town Councillor, Eschwege 🇩🇪
Quite different from my work today substantively + methodologically - but thrilled to share this article based on my undergrad thesis, now out at German Politics & Society 43(3) @berghahnbooks.bsky.social. I analyse how 🇬🇧🇩🇪 state visits portray historical memory + joint future action.
In a new article based on his undergraduate thesis, our PhD candidate @lucasiepmann.bsky.social investigates whether post-Brexit British-German relations can be understood as “international friendship,” employing a novel framework in international relations theory👇
www.lse.ac.uk/european-ins...
www.lse.ac.uk/european-ins...
“Freundship”? The deepening of British-German relations from pre- to post-Brexit
Our PhD candidate Luca Siepmann has published a new article in German Politics & Society based on his undergraduate dissertation, which investigates whether post-Brexit British-German relations can…
www.lse.ac.uk
November 25, 2025 at 10:32 AM
Quite different from my work today substantively + methodologically - but thrilled to share this article based on my undergrad thesis, now out at German Politics & Society 43(3) @berghahnbooks.bsky.social. I analyse how 🇬🇧🇩🇪 state visits portray historical memory + joint future action.
Reposted by Luca Siepmann
My latest commentary: how to populist-proof your democracy before it's too late…
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
My guide to populist-proofing your democracy – before it’s too late | Timothy Garton Ash
From public service broadcasting to an independent judiciary, these are the things that we must fight to keep, says Guardian columnist Timothy Garton Ash
www.theguardian.com
November 25, 2025 at 9:01 AM
My latest commentary: how to populist-proof your democracy before it's too late…
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Reposted by Luca Siepmann
🚨 New working paper 🚨
We often see populist parties like Reform UK blame higher energy bills on climate change policies. What are the political consequences of this strategy?
Very early draft; comments and criticisms are welcomed!
full draft: z-dickson.github.io/assets/dicks...
We often see populist parties like Reform UK blame higher energy bills on climate change policies. What are the political consequences of this strategy?
Very early draft; comments and criticisms are welcomed!
full draft: z-dickson.github.io/assets/dicks...
November 18, 2025 at 3:39 PM
🚨 New working paper 🚨
We often see populist parties like Reform UK blame higher energy bills on climate change policies. What are the political consequences of this strategy?
Very early draft; comments and criticisms are welcomed!
full draft: z-dickson.github.io/assets/dicks...
We often see populist parties like Reform UK blame higher energy bills on climate change policies. What are the political consequences of this strategy?
Very early draft; comments and criticisms are welcomed!
full draft: z-dickson.github.io/assets/dicks...
Reposted by Luca Siepmann
They polled Brits who their president is. They had no idea.
We polled Dems on who their leader is. They had no idea.
We polled Dems on who their leader is. They had no idea.
Only one person hit double digits.
dlvr.it
November 7, 2025 at 1:52 PM
They polled Brits who their president is. They had no idea.
Reposted by Luca Siepmann
Wenn @valentimvicente.bsky.social im Deutschlandfunk ist, dann sollte man sich das natürlich auf jeden Fall anhören
Krisen, Frust oder Angst vor dem sozialen Abstieg, das sind einige Ansätze, um das zu erklären: Warum so schnell viel mehr Menschen radikal rechte Parteien unterstützen, nicht nur in D. Seltener wird geschaut, inwiefern die Einstellungen schon da waren. share.deutschlandradio.de/dlf-audiothe... 1/
Rechtsextremismus - Warum die radikale Rechte so stark wird
Rechtsradikale Parteien profitieren von nachlassender Stigmatisierung. Forschung zum politischen Verhalten zeigt, dass extreme Positionen offener gelebt werden.
share.deutschlandradio.de
October 31, 2025 at 7:55 AM
Wenn @valentimvicente.bsky.social im Deutschlandfunk ist, dann sollte man sich das natürlich auf jeden Fall anhören
Reposted by Luca Siepmann
that the upfront costs to come and do scientific research in the UK are too high is a well known terrible fact.
perhaps more surprising is that scientific excellence has persisted despite all these hurdles, but this limping cannot go on forever. Soon this fun immigration experiment will break.
perhaps more surprising is that scientific excellence has persisted despite all these hurdles, but this limping cannot go on forever. Soon this fun immigration experiment will break.
Scientists charged too much to come to work in UK, says Royal Society
Combined upfront cost of the five-year Global Talent Visa and the Immigration Health Surcharge stands at £5,941
www.ft.com
October 21, 2025 at 6:50 AM
that the upfront costs to come and do scientific research in the UK are too high is a well known terrible fact.
perhaps more surprising is that scientific excellence has persisted despite all these hurdles, but this limping cannot go on forever. Soon this fun immigration experiment will break.
perhaps more surprising is that scientific excellence has persisted despite all these hurdles, but this limping cannot go on forever. Soon this fun immigration experiment will break.
So delighted to be working with these fantastic people! Thanks for the warm welcome to the LSE.
A special welcome (back) to our doctoral students! 👋
We are delighted to be welcoming three new PhD students to our doctoral community this year, and to be joined by four Visiting Research Students from 🇩🇰🇺🇸🇮🇹 who will be with us for the Autumn and/or Winter Term!
👤👉 www.lse.ac.uk/european-ins...
We are delighted to be welcoming three new PhD students to our doctoral community this year, and to be joined by four Visiting Research Students from 🇩🇰🇺🇸🇮🇹 who will be with us for the Autumn and/or Winter Term!
👤👉 www.lse.ac.uk/european-ins...
October 17, 2025 at 3:01 PM
So delighted to be working with these fantastic people! Thanks for the warm welcome to the LSE.
Reposted by Luca Siepmann
Some people in the Brandenburg state government must have read Bolet (2021)
October 17, 2025 at 11:42 AM
Some people in the Brandenburg state government must have read Bolet (2021)
Reposted by Luca Siepmann
🗳️🇩🇪 How do voters react to new political actors?
Some suggest that radical right party success can provoke electoral backlash.
@antvalentim.bsky.social and his co-authors argue that such backlash can emerge whenever new political actors disrupt the status quo👇
www.lse.ac.uk/european-ins...
Some suggest that radical right party success can provoke electoral backlash.
@antvalentim.bsky.social and his co-authors argue that such backlash can emerge whenever new political actors disrupt the status quo👇
www.lse.ac.uk/european-ins...
Green party entry and conservative backlash: evidence from Germany
www.lse.ac.uk
October 17, 2025 at 12:14 PM
🗳️🇩🇪 How do voters react to new political actors?
Some suggest that radical right party success can provoke electoral backlash.
@antvalentim.bsky.social and his co-authors argue that such backlash can emerge whenever new political actors disrupt the status quo👇
www.lse.ac.uk/european-ins...
Some suggest that radical right party success can provoke electoral backlash.
@antvalentim.bsky.social and his co-authors argue that such backlash can emerge whenever new political actors disrupt the status quo👇
www.lse.ac.uk/european-ins...
Reposted by Luca Siepmann
Excited to share my first single-authored dissertation paper!
I study how voters react to party differentiation in coalitions. Voters like clear partisan signals, but the gains are short-lived and limited to aligned supporters.
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
I study how voters react to party differentiation in coalitions. Voters like clear partisan signals, but the gains are short-lived and limited to aligned supporters.
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
Sage Journals: Discover world-class research
Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.
journals.sagepub.com
October 15, 2025 at 1:24 PM
Excited to share my first single-authored dissertation paper!
I study how voters react to party differentiation in coalitions. Voters like clear partisan signals, but the gains are short-lived and limited to aligned supporters.
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
I study how voters react to party differentiation in coalitions. Voters like clear partisan signals, but the gains are short-lived and limited to aligned supporters.
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
Reposted by Luca Siepmann
Es mag ja nicht viele belastbare Erkenntnisse in der Sozialwissenschaft geben.
Aber dass "Destruktion durch Kopieren und/oder Kooperation" nicht funktioniert -- das ist eine.
Und doch hat noch jede europäische Mitte-Rechts-Partei gemeint, es besser zu wissen.
Aber dass "Destruktion durch Kopieren und/oder Kooperation" nicht funktioniert -- das ist eine.
Und doch hat noch jede europäische Mitte-Rechts-Partei gemeint, es besser zu wissen.
Brandmauer: Tauber und zu Guttenberg fordern Normalisierung im Umgang mit der AfD
Der frühere CDU-Generalsekretär wünscht sich "neue rote Linien" für den Umgang mit der AfD. "Entzauberung gelingt nicht durch Boykott", sagt der Ex-Verteidigungsminister.
www.zeit.de
October 15, 2025 at 12:25 PM
Es mag ja nicht viele belastbare Erkenntnisse in der Sozialwissenschaft geben.
Aber dass "Destruktion durch Kopieren und/oder Kooperation" nicht funktioniert -- das ist eine.
Und doch hat noch jede europäische Mitte-Rechts-Partei gemeint, es besser zu wissen.
Aber dass "Destruktion durch Kopieren und/oder Kooperation" nicht funktioniert -- das ist eine.
Und doch hat noch jede europäische Mitte-Rechts-Partei gemeint, es besser zu wissen.
Reposted by Luca Siepmann
The Spanish centre-right is taking a tumble and the far-right is on the rise.
I was lucky enough to present some new causal work on Friday at LSE showing that the PP does better when it signals distinctiveness from VOX.
~1.5K tests, same result. Rejecting far-right benefits centre-right
I was lucky enough to present some new causal work on Friday at LSE showing that the PP does better when it signals distinctiveness from VOX.
~1.5K tests, same result. Rejecting far-right benefits centre-right
October 13, 2025 at 12:21 PM
The Spanish centre-right is taking a tumble and the far-right is on the rise.
I was lucky enough to present some new causal work on Friday at LSE showing that the PP does better when it signals distinctiveness from VOX.
~1.5K tests, same result. Rejecting far-right benefits centre-right
I was lucky enough to present some new causal work on Friday at LSE showing that the PP does better when it signals distinctiveness from VOX.
~1.5K tests, same result. Rejecting far-right benefits centre-right
Reposted by Luca Siepmann
Private Eye offers up an excellently scornful commentary on the relentless polling. It’s become ridiculous and has oversimplified our politics to dangerous levels of stupid and irresponsible.
October 10, 2025 at 7:09 AM
Private Eye offers up an excellently scornful commentary on the relentless polling. It’s become ridiculous and has oversimplified our politics to dangerous levels of stupid and irresponsible.
Reposted by Luca Siepmann
New data for legislative scholars! Committee Membership Dataset with @bcastanho.bsky.social, @dmpullan.bsky.social and Firuze Taner:
Committee assignments for all MPs (Wikidata IDs!) in 14 countries
Harmonized roles/policy areas
Data: doi.org/10.7802/2940
Working paper: tinyurl.com/vf54r78p
⬇️
Committee assignments for all MPs (Wikidata IDs!) in 14 countries
Harmonized roles/policy areas
Data: doi.org/10.7802/2940
Working paper: tinyurl.com/vf54r78p
⬇️
GESIS-Suche
doi.org
October 8, 2025 at 12:58 PM
New data for legislative scholars! Committee Membership Dataset with @bcastanho.bsky.social, @dmpullan.bsky.social and Firuze Taner:
Committee assignments for all MPs (Wikidata IDs!) in 14 countries
Harmonized roles/policy areas
Data: doi.org/10.7802/2940
Working paper: tinyurl.com/vf54r78p
⬇️
Committee assignments for all MPs (Wikidata IDs!) in 14 countries
Harmonized roles/policy areas
Data: doi.org/10.7802/2940
Working paper: tinyurl.com/vf54r78p
⬇️
Reposted by Luca Siepmann
Hague in his 1st conference speech as leader: "I am proud to be British. I believe in the United Kingdom, and so do hundreds of thousands of British blacks and British Asians. I want to see men and women from our ethnic minorities playing their full part in the mainstream of our national life..."
Annoyingly Hague's full speech text doesn't appear to be online anywhere, so maybe there is something egregiously stupid in it, but it is a much more skilful bit of 'I lead the party that has run the country for 18 years' positioning:
We care too, claims Hague
Key extracts from William Hague 's 1997 conference speech.
www.theguardian.com
October 8, 2025 at 12:40 PM
Hague in his 1st conference speech as leader: "I am proud to be British. I believe in the United Kingdom, and so do hundreds of thousands of British blacks and British Asians. I want to see men and women from our ethnic minorities playing their full part in the mainstream of our national life..."
Reposted by Luca Siepmann
Europe can’t secure itself without Turkey. Yet distrust and limited cooperation still block real partnership. How Brussels and Ankara can bridge the gap — read the new paper by Galip Dalay (Chatham House; Oxford Univ., Dahrendorf Programme) europeanmoments.com/changing-wor...
European Moments
What story should Europe tell in the 21st-century?
europeanmoments.com
October 7, 2025 at 9:42 AM
Europe can’t secure itself without Turkey. Yet distrust and limited cooperation still block real partnership. How Brussels and Ankara can bridge the gap — read the new paper by Galip Dalay (Chatham House; Oxford Univ., Dahrendorf Programme) europeanmoments.com/changing-wor...
Reposted by Luca Siepmann
I loved this post (like all in this substack).
Reminded me of the argument by Geddes (2003) that most good research ideas come from annoyance with established wisdom that clashes with one's inner sense of how the world works.
Really recommend reading this one:
Reminded me of the argument by Geddes (2003) that most good research ideas come from annoyance with established wisdom that clashes with one's inner sense of how the world works.
Really recommend reading this one:
New Etched in Marble post: catherineeunicedevries.substack.com/p/etched-in-...
Timothy Garton Ash has for decades chronicled Europe’s upheavals with a historian’s depth & a journalist’s eye.
In my conversation with Garton Ash, one theme stood out: writing as a defense of democracy.
🧵
Timothy Garton Ash has for decades chronicled Europe’s upheavals with a historian’s depth & a journalist’s eye.
In my conversation with Garton Ash, one theme stood out: writing as a defense of democracy.
🧵
Etched in Marble: Timothy Garton Ash on Writing, Freedom, and the Lost Art of Disagreement
Writers on the Forces That Shape Us and the Writing That Endures
catherineeunicedevries.substack.com
October 2, 2025 at 12:56 PM
I loved this post (like all in this substack).
Reminded me of the argument by Geddes (2003) that most good research ideas come from annoyance with established wisdom that clashes with one's inner sense of how the world works.
Really recommend reading this one:
Reminded me of the argument by Geddes (2003) that most good research ideas come from annoyance with established wisdom that clashes with one's inner sense of how the world works.
Really recommend reading this one:
Reposted by Luca Siepmann
New Etched in Marble post: catherineeunicedevries.substack.com/p/etched-in-...
Timothy Garton Ash has for decades chronicled Europe’s upheavals with a historian’s depth & a journalist’s eye.
In my conversation with Garton Ash, one theme stood out: writing as a defense of democracy.
🧵
Timothy Garton Ash has for decades chronicled Europe’s upheavals with a historian’s depth & a journalist’s eye.
In my conversation with Garton Ash, one theme stood out: writing as a defense of democracy.
🧵
Etched in Marble: Timothy Garton Ash on Writing, Freedom, and the Lost Art of Disagreement
Writers on the Forces That Shape Us and the Writing That Endures
catherineeunicedevries.substack.com
October 2, 2025 at 8:26 AM
New Etched in Marble post: catherineeunicedevries.substack.com/p/etched-in-...
Timothy Garton Ash has for decades chronicled Europe’s upheavals with a historian’s depth & a journalist’s eye.
In my conversation with Garton Ash, one theme stood out: writing as a defense of democracy.
🧵
Timothy Garton Ash has for decades chronicled Europe’s upheavals with a historian’s depth & a journalist’s eye.
In my conversation with Garton Ash, one theme stood out: writing as a defense of democracy.
🧵
Reposted by Luca Siepmann
CALL FOR PAPERS! 📣
We are delighted to announce the 𝗟𝗦𝗘 𝗝𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝗦𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗖𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲, a two-day, in-person symposium open to early-career researchers, to be held on 𝟮𝟲-𝟮𝟳 𝗙𝗲𝗯𝗿𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲.
🗓️ Deadline: 31 October 2025
Find out more 👇
www.lse.ac.uk/european-ins...
We are delighted to announce the 𝗟𝗦𝗘 𝗝𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝗦𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗖𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲, a two-day, in-person symposium open to early-career researchers, to be held on 𝟮𝟲-𝟮𝟳 𝗙𝗲𝗯𝗿𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲.
🗓️ Deadline: 31 October 2025
Find out more 👇
www.lse.ac.uk/european-ins...
Conference on Europe for early-career researchers
Join us for our LSE Joint Sessions on Critical Europe in February 2026.
www.lse.ac.uk
September 30, 2025 at 12:01 PM
CALL FOR PAPERS! 📣
We are delighted to announce the 𝗟𝗦𝗘 𝗝𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝗦𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗖𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲, a two-day, in-person symposium open to early-career researchers, to be held on 𝟮𝟲-𝟮𝟳 𝗙𝗲𝗯𝗿𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲.
🗓️ Deadline: 31 October 2025
Find out more 👇
www.lse.ac.uk/european-ins...
We are delighted to announce the 𝗟𝗦𝗘 𝗝𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝗦𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗖𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲, a two-day, in-person symposium open to early-career researchers, to be held on 𝟮𝟲-𝟮𝟳 𝗙𝗲𝗯𝗿𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲.
🗓️ Deadline: 31 October 2025
Find out more 👇
www.lse.ac.uk/european-ins...
Reposted by Luca Siepmann
Author copies for
Dictating the Agenda: The Authoritarian Resurgence in World Politics
by me & @cooleyoneurasia.bsky.social arrived today!
If you re-post this by Sept 30 we'll put you in a drawing & send the winner a free signed copy anywhere they happen to be on the planet.
Dictating the Agenda: The Authoritarian Resurgence in World Politics
by me & @cooleyoneurasia.bsky.social arrived today!
If you re-post this by Sept 30 we'll put you in a drawing & send the winner a free signed copy anywhere they happen to be on the planet.
September 15, 2025 at 12:55 PM
Author copies for
Dictating the Agenda: The Authoritarian Resurgence in World Politics
by me & @cooleyoneurasia.bsky.social arrived today!
If you re-post this by Sept 30 we'll put you in a drawing & send the winner a free signed copy anywhere they happen to be on the planet.
Dictating the Agenda: The Authoritarian Resurgence in World Politics
by me & @cooleyoneurasia.bsky.social arrived today!
If you re-post this by Sept 30 we'll put you in a drawing & send the winner a free signed copy anywhere they happen to be on the planet.
Reposted by Luca Siepmann
👏Applause offers a revealing lens on party competition! In a recent article @wepsocial.bsky.social (w/@[email protected]), we study how applause reflects party and coalition unity, ideological agreement, political exclusion, issue ownership, and the electoral cycle! (1/6)
September 13, 2025 at 2:17 PM
👏Applause offers a revealing lens on party competition! In a recent article @wepsocial.bsky.social (w/@[email protected]), we study how applause reflects party and coalition unity, ideological agreement, political exclusion, issue ownership, and the electoral cycle! (1/6)
Reposted by Luca Siepmann
400 days to save US democracy. My latest, based on a long summer in the US. How Trump is exploiting structural weaknesses of the American system & why all democrats must want Democrats to win November 2026 midterms.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Americans have 400 days to save their democracy | Timothy Garton Ash
I never thought I’d see fear spread so far and fast. Next year’s midterm elections are now crucial for the Democratic party – and for democrats everywhere, says Guardian columnist Timothy Garton Ash
www.theguardian.com
September 16, 2025 at 7:59 AM
400 days to save US democracy. My latest, based on a long summer in the US. How Trump is exploiting structural weaknesses of the American system & why all democrats must want Democrats to win November 2026 midterms.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Reposted by Luca Siepmann
Whatever the accuracy and value of “Democracy Indices”, this is truly remarkable and again shows the striking disconnect between the U.S. legacy media and U.S. political reality.
ANALYSIS | U.S. could lose democracy status, says global watchdog | CBC News
Possibly defying a court order. Urging his Justice Department to prosecute nemeses. Repeatedly calling the media 'illegal.' Declaring a predecessor's pardon null and void. U.S. President Donald Trump ...
www.cbc.ca
August 29, 2025 at 11:18 AM
Whatever the accuracy and value of “Democracy Indices”, this is truly remarkable and again shows the striking disconnect between the U.S. legacy media and U.S. political reality.
Reposted by Luca Siepmann
The murder of America's world-best higher education sector--a leading export good of the US economy--continues under this lawless autocratic regime, and gets worse
The White House is taking new steps to undermine every international student at our universities.
It has approved a new rule restricting student visas to 4 years max. That's not long enough for PhD students, or about half of undergrads, to finish their degree.
Likely to enter force within days.
It has approved a new rule restricting student visas to 4 years max. That's not long enough for PhD students, or about half of undergrads, to finish their degree.
Likely to enter force within days.
August 8, 2025 at 2:50 PM
The murder of America's world-best higher education sector--a leading export good of the US economy--continues under this lawless autocratic regime, and gets worse
Reposted by Luca Siepmann
Thank goodness presidents can be held accountable for abusing their powers to corrupt justice and advance their own self-interest.
<Touches earpiece> What's that? Congressional copartisans will never impeach/remove their own president, and SCOTUS declared the president immune for official acts? 🫠
<Touches earpiece> What's that? Congressional copartisans will never impeach/remove their own president, and SCOTUS declared the president immune for official acts? 🫠
July 25, 2025 at 1:55 PM
Thank goodness presidents can be held accountable for abusing their powers to corrupt justice and advance their own self-interest.
<Touches earpiece> What's that? Congressional copartisans will never impeach/remove their own president, and SCOTUS declared the president immune for official acts? 🫠
<Touches earpiece> What's that? Congressional copartisans will never impeach/remove their own president, and SCOTUS declared the president immune for official acts? 🫠