1. Why are you studying inequality?
As a political scientist, I study political inequality, i.e., that more advantaged individuals (the better educated, those with higher incomes etc) participate more in politics than disadvantaged individuals. Political inequality is a fundamental challenge for democracies: It threatens not only the legitimacy of democracies, but also the quality of representation and responsiveness.
2. What are you working on?
My research focuses on the emergence and development of political inequality among adolescents and young adults. In the project PerFair, I currently study how adolescents’ experiences in school, on the one hand, and their perceptions of inequality, on the other, shape their political attitudes and behavior3
3. Recent highlight?
Together with Nadja Wehl, I received the In_Equality Early Career Researcher Award for our paper “How Education Policies Shape Political Inequality: Analysing Policy Feedback Effects in Germany”. And I finished my manuscript (based on my dissertation) – it will soon be submitted!
4. Dream Research Project?
A cross-country panel study among adolescents, tracing students’ political attitudes and behavior from age 12 to their mid-twenties and how they are shaped by their school experiences in different education systems and country contexts.