Polarisation versus democracy?
I'm a doctor in Political Science, studying social conflict and polarisation within democratic societies. I specifically want to identify the fine line between harmful conflict and democracy. To do so, I devoted my PhD dissertation to the question whether polarisation undermines democracy (read a published summary or published review). During my PhD, I published various articles in leading political science journals, amongst which one won the Frank Cass Prize for best 2023 article in Democratization. I am continuing my academic career as a postdoctoral researcher at VUB working on the broader question on conflict and democracy. I also work as a guest professor at the UHasselt where I teach an introductory course on political science, and devote a lot of attention on outreach. I am a senior academic fellow at the Hannah Arendt Institute, and often engage in public lectures such as at the VUB Pauwels Academy of Critical Thinking (PACT) school tour.
© Greetje Van Buggenhout
Positions
Postdoc, Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Guest Professor, Universiteit Hasselt
Academic Fellow, Hannah Arendt Instituut
Research interests
Affective polarisation
Democratic institutions
Democracy
Anti-democratic behavior
Political conflict
Contact
kamil.bernaerts@vub.be
Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Pleinlaan 2
1050 Brussels, Belgium
Featured publications
Affect or emotions? Disaggregating affective polarisation to explain support for liberal democracy in Belgium and the United Kingdom
Fight or unite? Exploring the link between consensus institutions, polarization, and political violence in 113 democracies over time (1900–2023)
Institutional design and polarization. Do consensus democracies fare better in fighting polarization than majoritarian democracies?
Societal outreach
Senior academic fellow Hannah Arendt Instituut
As a member of the academic team, I help organize academic and public events, bring expertise and insights to the Institute, and gain access to their network. I am proud to be a part of this fantastic organization.
Public lectures
As a publicly funded researcher, I also give public lectures when I am invited at public events which deal with related topics of interest. This includes the PACT school tour, a VUB initiative through which I give guest lectures on polarisation and critical thinking for secondary school students. Do get in contact if you would be interested.
© Greetje Van Buggenhout