Political scientist at University of Ottawa. Previously at University of Montreal and University of Vienna - I study polarisation, partisanship and democratic citizenship. www.semihcakir.comhttps://bsky.app/profile/mascakir.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/mascakir.bsky.social/post/3mol26jfaos2e🎙️ New Reasonably Political Podcast episode! @rdassonneville.bsky.social explains why younger voters are more likely to support left-wing parties in some elections, but not others, and how political parties shape age divides at the ballot box. Tune in for more👇 https://www.buzzsprout.com/2608748/episodes/1936667118 Jun 2026 14:31 +0000at://did:plc:jwdbasypb3vb7k4olstjfaau/app.bsky.feed.post/3mol26jfaos2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/mascakir.bsky.social/post/3mm7okzt72s2s🎙️ The second episode of the Reasonably Political Podcast is now out! Authentic or Scripted? Why Do Some Politicians Seem More “Real” Than Others and Why Does It Matter? I discuss political authenticity with John Kenny (@johnkenny.bsky.social). 🎧 Listen here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2608748/episodes/1920268219 May 2026 15:14 +0000at://did:plc:jwdbasypb3vb7k4olstjfaau/app.bsky.feed.post/3mm7okzt72s2shttps://bsky.app/profile/mascakir.bsky.social/post/3miy4lp6c6k2u🎙️ Excited to share a new podcast project: Reasonably Political! The goal is to make political science more accessible and connect research to real-world debates. 1/2 🧵08 Apr 2026 10:48 +0000at://did:plc:jwdbasypb3vb7k4olstjfaau/app.bsky.feed.post/3miy4lp6c6k2uhttps://bsky.app/profile/mascakir.bsky.social/post/3miw4ptjl7s2e🚨 New paper with great co-authors (@oguzhan-alkan.bsky.social @rdassonneville.bsky.social @zeynsom.bsky.social) in Political Behavior! How well do citizens perceive where parties stand? 🤔 Open access: rdcu.be/fb83Z07 Apr 2026 15:45 +0000at://did:plc:jwdbasypb3vb7k4olstjfaau/app.bsky.feed.post/3miw4ptjl7s2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/mascakir.bsky.social/post/3mg27qbeme22m🚨New blog post 🚨 If fewer people vote, do elections still represent what policies citizens want? I summarize research using data from 29 European democracies on whether voters and non-voters actually differ in their policy preferences and when turnout matters for representation. 1/2 https://semihcakir.com/blog/do-low-turnout-elections-distort-representation-evidence-from-europe/02 Mar 2026 02:34 +0000at://did:plc:jwdbasypb3vb7k4olstjfaau/app.bsky.feed.post/3mg27qbeme22mhttps://bsky.app/profile/mascakir.bsky.social/post/3m5yeuhrl222gDo policy preferences of voters and non-voters differ in European democracies? My new article in @ejprjournal.bsky.social finds: Yes, sometimes, but this is not the norm. Let's break it down. 🧵 1/1019 Nov 2025 13:39 +0000at://did:plc:jwdbasypb3vb7k4olstjfaau/app.bsky.feed.post/3m5yeuhrl222ghttps://bsky.app/profile/mascakir.bsky.social/post/3lytnusfgdk25Proof that political scientists do leave the conference center. Granville Island, Vancouver - APSA 2025 🇨🇦🍁15 Sep 2025 01:31 +0000at://did:plc:jwdbasypb3vb7k4olstjfaau/app.bsky.feed.post/3lytnusfgdk25https://bsky.app/profile/mascakir.bsky.social/post/3lxicvpgpjs2nVery happy to share that this paper from my PhD dissertation is now published in print. It tackles a question central to my research: How much can parties actually shape the opinions of their supporters? Results suggest their leeway might be more limited than often assumed! [contains quote post or other embedded content]28 Aug 2025 19:50 +0000at://did:plc:jwdbasypb3vb7k4olstjfaau/app.bsky.feed.post/3lxicvpgpjs2nhttps://bsky.app/profile/mascakir.bsky.social/post/3lxdnvcsbvs25The lowest point of my research career? Not impostor syndrome. Not rejection letters. Not even Reviewer 2. It’s Qualtrics hiking fees, my uni pulling the plug… and QuestionPro.26 Aug 2025 23:23 +0000at://did:plc:jwdbasypb3vb7k4olstjfaau/app.bsky.feed.post/3lxdnvcsbvs25https://bsky.app/profile/mascakir.bsky.social/post/3lstg46vics2xI strongly recommend this!👇🏻 Ruth is truly one of the most inspiring scholars I know and she is definitely a super supportive supervisor! [contains quote post or other embedded content]30 Jun 2025 14:41 +0000at://did:plc:jwdbasypb3vb7k4olstjfaau/app.bsky.feed.post/3lstg46vics2x