Thomas Kurer

🚨We are hiring a two-year postdoctoral researcher (80%) at the University of Zurich within the new Horizon Europe project WELFAIR on the political implications of technological change, demographic ageing and rising inequality. The full job ad is here: tinyurl.com/3b6ddm25 Apply by August 9, 2026.

Last week I defended my PhD 🎉 My thesis, "Unequal Shifts in Regional Job Structures and Political Attitudes in Europe", takes the popular "geography of discontent" narrative and tests several of the assumptions it quietly rests on.

Wie viel bestimmt die Herkunft über den späteren Erfolg? Der Chancenmonitor Zürich von Thomas Kurer @thmskrr.bsky.social und Tabea Palmtag zeigt erstmals, wie sich soziale Mobilität zwischen Gemeinden und Quartieren unterscheidet und wo Aufstieg durch Arbeit tatsächlich gelingt. 👉 chancenmonitor.ch

Very happy that our review article (with the @annualreviews.bsky.social) on „Austerity and Populism“ is now available as preprint: www.annualreviews.org/content/jour... - with @sattlersthomas.bsky.social

From October 2025 - Seeking Opportunity in the Knowledge Economy: Moving Places, Moving Politics? - cup.org/3LgxVos - @valentinaconsiglio.bsky.social & @thmskrr.bsky.social #OpenAccess

1/ Does growing up poor always lead to political apathy? Very happy to share my first paper published (open access) in @electoralstudies.bsky.social, where I show that parents' influence mitigates the poverty gap in participation, while economic mobility does not. 🔗 shorturl.at/p5Bac

New article out in @cpsjournal.bsky.social with Tabea Palmtag and @dpzollinger.bsky.social 📝 We use open-ended survey questions (in Germany) to assess how and among whom social status shifts are perceived. This tests cultural backlash narratives in voters' perceptions. 🔗 doi.org/10.1177/0010...

Two inspiring days at the Nuffield Politics of AI workshop! This was social science at its best, thanks to all involved! @benansell.bsky.social @jburnmurdoch.ft.com @nuffieldcollege.bsky.social

In a new paper, we show that "opportunity moves" foster political integration and shift political preferences to the left. Please have a look at @valentinaconsiglio.bsky.social's excellent summary for some more details. 👉 tinyurl.com/46utjj65

How are contemporary cleavage structures stabilized in times of declining mass social and political organizations? In this new paper with @davidattewell6.bsky.social @bjpols.bsky.social, we suggest that homogeneous social (educational) networks provide part of the answer. tinyurl.com/49cs8jwp

NEW - Seeking Opportunity in the Knowledge Economy: Moving Places, Moving Politics? - https://cup.org/3LgxVos "moving to opportunity results in... more left-leaning self-identification, and lower support for far-right parties" - @valentinaconsiglio.bsky.social & @thmskrr.bsky.social #OpenAccess

New SI "Cleavage Politics in Western Democracies" @wepsocial.bsky.social! If you're interested in transforming social & political divides in advanced democracies, this is for you. The intro by @davidattewell6.bsky.social & me maps contributions around 3 challenges for contemp. cleavage research.

I wrote a longer essay on how social status matters for far-right support. Many still wrongly associate the far right with the economically left behind. Taking social status seriously also cautions against the idea that deliverism will win back far-right voters. equitablegrowth.org/threats-to-s...

Radical right accommodation really does not work. New paper out with this exceptionally talented team @katharinalawall.bsky.social @robjohns75.bsky.social @drjennings.bsky.social @sarahobolt.bsky.social @zachdickson.bsky.social @danjdevine.bsky.social & @jack-bailey.co.uk doi.org/10.31235/osf...

Delighted to share that I have been awarded an ERC Starting Grant for my project “Lost in the Green Transition: Local Collective Greenloss Identity, Anti-Climate Attitudes and Radical Right Support.” #ERCStG More soon on #GREENLOSS. A huge thank you to friends and colleagues who made this possible!

Do men see gender parity in representation as detrimental to their interests? What about when women’s representation exceeds parity? And how do such shifts affect men’s fairness perceptions? I address these questions in my article, now published in PRQ. 1/9 
doi.org/10.1177/1065...

You can already submit your paper and panel proposal for EPSS next year. Looking forward to seeing many people in Belfast. I will be there.

We have a new WP on governments' capacity to deal with the political implications of structural change💥 Policy interventions *can* effectively mitigate political backlash when they address both material and non-material demands of voters. shorturl.at/zFbZE Check Reto's great summary for details👇

Can government policies moderate political backlash to structural change? Yes, the effect operates through material benefits and social recognition. 🚨New WP by @retobuergisser.bsky.social, @siljahausermann.bsky.social, @thmskrr.bsky.social and @susanadptavares.bsky.social 🚨 shorturl.at/zFbZE

🔥 One more week to apply for this postdoc position in Zurich (flexible start date) Feel free to reach out if you have any questions If you'd like to hear from someone who has been working closely with me, @valentinaconsiglio.bsky.social and @retobuergisser.bsky.social are happy to share insights

🚨3-Year Postdoc Position in Zurich @ipz.bsky.social ❓Political implications of labor market transformation Plenty of flexibility, no teaching obligations, great research environment in an highly livable city. Deadline: May 18, 2025. tinyurl.com/postdoczurich #polisky #poliscijobs #psjminfo

Today marks the final day of the DISINTEGRATION project, a project on the mass politics of disintegration generously funded by the @erc.europa.eu . We celebrate with a thread on all we have done and found: 1/20

First instalment of my substack primer on right-wing populism in Europe is out. jacobedenhofer.substack.com/p/explaining...

My department is *hiring a PhD* student (3 years, fully funded) for a research project on the social and political effects of AI-related technological change. *Deadline: May 4, '25*. See here for more information & to apply: www.jobbnorge.no/en/available... #PoliSky #Sociology #AcademicSky

Heißt das, es gibt keine ökonomischen oder sozialen Ursachen für die Wahl der AfD? Nein, natürlich nicht – aber sie sind deutlich komplexer und nuancierter als der im Video genannte „Frust“ über Mieten, Löhne, Bildung, Rente oder Infrastruktur.

📢Special issue and workshop on "The Politics of AI: Citizen Perceptions, Preferences, and Priorities" 📢 We aim to bring together cutting-edge research on the political ramifications of AI for a workshop in Oxford and a special issue in a leading political science journal.(1/2)

Mit jeder weiteren Wahl in Europa gewinnen radikal rechte Parteien an Zustimmung. Welche Auswirkungen persönliche Sorgen vor Mieterhöhung auf den Zuspruch für radikal rechte Parteien haben, behandelt das #PaperderWoche von @tabouchadi.bsky.social, @denis-cohen.bsky.social & @thmskrr.bsky.social. 1/

We are very happy to have Thomas Kurer @thmskrr.bsky.social giving an IPERG Seminar today at @ub.edu. Looking forward to it!

📢 Our new paper in Political Analysis explains how to use LLMs like GPT-4o, Llama or Mistral to estimate the ideological and policy position of political texts. Our approach is fast, reliable, cost-effective and reproducible and works with texts written in different languages 1/7 cup.org/4axBEXo

‼️ Hiring ‼️ Two (!) positions in my group at @ipz.bsky.social in Zurich 📣 1 postdoc position (3+3 years) 📣 1 PhD position (3,5 years) Application deadline in early March. Job ads & details: tinyurl.com/3p6yhptk We are an international and friendly department with excellent working conditions

Heute berichtet u.a. @zeitonline.bsky.social über die Studie von @tabouchadi.bsky.social, @thmskrr.bsky.social und mir: "Bei Mietern mit niedrigen Einkommen wächst [...] die Unterstützung für die AfD, wenn die Mietpreise in ihrem städtischen Wohngebiet ansteigen." www.zeit.de/news/2025-01...

New article accepted at CPS. @denis-cohen.bsky.social @thmskrr.bsky.social and I analyze how rental market risk affects radical right support. Combining data on local rent increases with the SOEP, we find that individuals facing increasing local rents become more likely to support the AfD. 🧵

🥁Next Tuesday, Nov 21, 5pm CET: The final talk of our TOPIQ speaker series! Tabea Palmtag presents her exciting work on the "The Long Shadow of Economic Opportunity" 🥁 As usual, online and open for everyone. Register here: www.urpp-equality.uzh.ch/en/registrat...

There will be another TOPIQ talk @ipz.bsky.social tomorrow 5pm CET (online) Andrew McNeil will present new work on the effects of (lacking) social mobility on political discontent. Registration here: www.urpp-equality.uzh.ch/en/registrat...

Happy to share that our paper on why peripheral regions vote for the radical right is now out with the APSR: tinyurl.com/4zvv67d4 A quick thread on how this idea came along and developed within the last 5 years:

Join us for the second TOPIQ talk! Next Tuesday (Oct 24) at 5pm CET, Isabel Martinez (ETHZ) will present her brandnew work on intergenerational mobility. Online and open for everyone! Register here: www.urpp-equality.uzh.ch/en/registrat...

Today, online at 5pm CET

This year's UZH TOPIQ (Zurich Talks on the Politics of Inequality) series will kick off next Tuesday 5pm CET with a keynote by Torben Iversen. The TOPIQ talks are online so that everyone can tune in. If you are interested, register here: www.ipz.uzh.ch/de/forschung... polisky

We are launching another round of the Zurich Talks on the Politics of Inequality TOPIQ. This edition will be on Social Mobility and Electoral Change with a Keynote by Torben Iversen (Oct 10, 5pm). Online and open for everyone! www.ipz.uzh.ch/de/forschung...