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In the Media

2025

09.07.2025Dr. Julian Dierkes (Dean)Julian Dierkes and Judith Vitale co-authored an opinion piece for the Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ). They address the unreflective use of historically charged terms from the Nazi era and the Second World War and advocate for more conscious language use in public discourse.
08.07.2025Prof. Dr. Sebastian Stier (Chair of Computational Social Science)In the GESIS press release, Sebastian Stier comments on the next steps in the concrete development of the RIDLOP concept.
07.07.2025Prof. Dr. Jutta Mata (Chair of Health Psychology)In a press release from the Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Jutta Mata comments on the importance of context-dependent and differentiated research into food choices for a realistic understanding of eating behaviour.
July
23.06.2025Prof. Thomas Gschwend, Ph.D. (Chair of Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences) & Prof. Marc Ratkovic, Ph.D. (Chair of Political Science, Social Data Science)In a post on the Wiarda blog about the hackathon at the University of Mannheim, Marc Ratkovic and Thomas Gschwend discuss the role of GPT-4 as an organisational aid in the scientific writing process and the hackathon as a reality check for the use of AI in the social sciences.
23.06.2025Prof. Thomas Gschwend, Ph.D. (Chair of Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences) & Prof. Marc Ratkovic, Ph.D. (Chair of Political Science, Social Data Science)In an article in the Tagesspiegel newspaper, science journalist Jan-Martin Wiarda reports on the hackathon ‘AI, write my research paper!’ organised by Thomas Gschwend and Marc Ratkovic in 2024 in collaboration with Springer Nature.
13.06.2025Dr. Julian Dierkes (Dean)In recent days, Julian Dierkes has been interviewed several times by international media outlets about current developments in Mongolia. In interviews, he commented on the demonstrations in Mongolia, the resignation of the prime minister after losing a vote of confidence, and the election of G Zandanshatar as the new prime minister (Time).
03.06.2025Dr. Julian Dierkes (Dean)In an interview with the news channel France24, Julian Dierkes comments on the Mongolian prime minister's lost vote of confidence and explains the political background.
June
30.05.2025Prof. Dr. Marc Debus (Chair of Political Science, Comparative Government)In the SWR.Aktuelll article, Marc Debus comments on Markus Frohenmaier's announcement that he will run for the office of Minister-President as the AfD's lead candidate. He assesses the party's chances of success, evaluates its potential to mobilise voters and expects its poll ratings to rise.
29.05.2025Dr. Julian Dierkes (Dean)In an interview with the US radio station ‘The World,’ Julian Dierkes comments on the current protests and political developments in Mongolia.
09.05.2025Prof. Dr. Marc Debus (Chair of Political Science, Comparative Government)In an audio report by Deutschlandfunk, Marc Debus comments on the AfD's election strategies in the state elections in Baden-Württemberg.
05.05.2025Prof. Dr. Marc Debus (Chair of Political Science, Comparative Government)In an article in the Süddeutsche Zeitung, Marc Debus advises caution when interpreting current poll results.
May
14.04.2025Prof. Dr. Stefan Münzer (Chair of Psychology of Education)A report by Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR) discusses Stefan Münzer's research, which shows that the use of digital navigation has long-term effects on feelings of safety and autonomy.
12.04.2025 Prof. Dr. Michaela Wänke (Chair of Consumer and Economic Psychology)In an article in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Michaela Wänke comments on the marketing of wines.
11.04.2025Prof. Dr. Richard Traunmüller (Chair of Political Science, Empirical Democracy Research)In an interview with the newspaper DIE RHEINPFALZ, Richard Traunmüller discusses current threats to freedom of expression.
10.04.2025Prof. Dr. Marc Debus (Chair of Political Science, Comparative Government)In an interview with radio station WDR 5, Marc Debus emphasises that both the CDU/CSU and SPD can claim successes for their own bases in their coalition agreement.
04.04.2025Dr. Julian Dierkes (Dean)Julian Dierkes has written a post on the Wiarda Blog about his thoughts on recruiting top US researchers.
03.04.2025Prof. Sabine C. Carey, Ph.D. (Chair of Political Science, International Relations)An article in the Mannheimer Morgen newspaper reports on the start of the lecture series ‘Democracy Needs Discourse’ at the University of Mannheim and presents Sabine C. Carey's keynote speech. She spoke about the importance of human rights in German democracy.
April
31.03.2025Prof. Dr. Marc Debus (Chair of Political Science, Comparative Government)In an article published by Courthouse News Service, Marc Debus explains that Christian Democrats and Social Democrats are aware that there is no alternative to this coalition.
12.03.2025Prof. Dr. Marc Debus (Chair of Political Science, Comparative Government)In an article in the Rheinpfalz newspaper, Marc Debus emphasises the importance of winning over voters from other parties for the upcoming district administrator runoff election.
02.03.2025Prof. Dr. Marc Debus (Chair of Political Science, Comparative Government)In an article in the Süddeutsche Zeitung, Marc Debus comments on the election results in Hamburg.
01.03.2025Prof. Dr. Marc Debus (Chair of Political Science, Comparative Government)In an article in SWR Kultur magazine, Marc Debus discusses whether the political centre in Germany is still capable of compromise.
March
Feb. 2025Prof. Dr. Marc Debus (Chair of Political Science, Comparative Government)In an interview with MDR Aktuell*, Marc Debus comments on the possible election of Christian Dürr as the new FDP chairman.
28.02.2025Prof. Dr. Marc Debus (Chair of Political Science, Comparative Government)In SWR Aktuell's ‘Coalition Check,’ Marc Debus assesses the prospects for success of possible party alliances.
24.02.2025Prof. Dr. Marc Debus (Chair of Political Science, Comparative Government)In an interview with SWR Aktuell, Marc Debus discusses the importance of directly elected representatives.
19.02.2025Prof. Thomas Gschwend, Ph.D. (Chair of Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences)In an article by SWR, which was picked up by the Frankfurter Rundschau and Tagesschau, Thomas Gschwend and Hannah Rajski present the Zweitsimme.org project. Thomas Gschwend explains why a range estimate is useful for reporting results and why uncertainties in the forecast should be communicated transparently. Die Zeit also uses zweitstimme.org to calculate possible coalitions.
12.02.2025Prof. Dr. Marc Debus (Chair of Political Science, Comparative Government)Marc Debus analyses the chances of the federal candidates in the Rhein-Neckar metropolitan region for SWR.
07.02.2025Prof. Dr. Marc Debus (Chair of Political Science, Comparative Government)In a report on Tagesschau, Marc Debus and Prof. Dr. Henning Lobin comment on the increasing radicalisation of language in politics.
07.02.2025Prof. Dr. Richard Traunmüller (Chair of Political Science, Empirical Democracy Research)Nova Deutschlandfunk picks up on a lecture by Richard Traunmüller on the culture of debate and freedom of expression in one of its reports.
February
30.01.2025Prof. Dr. Marc Helbling (Chair of Sociology, Migration and Integration)In an article in Newsweek, Marc Helbling analyses Elon Musk's comments on the AfD.
24.01.2025Prof. Dr. Aguilar-Raab (Chair of Clinical Psychology, Interaction- and Psychotherapy Research)In a video report by mdr, Corina Aguilar-Raab discusses the psychological impact of compliments. 
23.01.2025Prof. Dr. Rüdiger Schmitt-Beck (Senior Professor of Political Science)In the article, the ruhr24 portal takes up Rüdiger Schmitt-Beck's assessment of the consequences of not voting.
22.01.2025Prof. Dr. Richard Traunmüller (Chair of Political Science, Empirical Democracy Research)In an interview with the Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung (NOZ), Richard Traunmüller explains the phenomenon – why so many Germans do not speak their minds openly.
17.01.2025Prof. Dr. Michaela Wänke (Chair of Consumer and Economic Psychology)In an interview with Deutschlandfunk Nova, Michaela Wänke comments on the current #nobuy challenge on social media.
15.01.2025Prof. Dr. Marc Helbling (Chair of Sociology with a specialization in the areas of Migration and Integration)In an interview with the Mannheimer Morgen, Marc Helbling reacts to Friedrich Merz's recent statements.
January
  *The article mentioned is no longer available online. Therefore, we cannot provide an external link.
  • 2024

    18.12.2024Prof. Dr. Marc Debus (Professorship of Political Science, Comparative Government)In an article in the Süddeutschen Zeitung, Marc Debus analyses how the CDU and FDP are competing for identical voter groups with their economically liberal positions.
    13.12.2024Prof. Dr. Jutta Mata (Chair of Health Psychology)As a guest on the WDR programme Planet Wissen, Jutta Mata discusses the importance of eating together for us and our relationships.
    12.12.2024Prof. Dr. Marc Debus (Professorship of Political Science, Comparative Government)In an article in the Frankfurter Allgemeinen Zeitung (FAZ), Marc Debus explains why the preference for bottled water over tap water is an example of deeply rooted habits.
    11.12.2024Prof. Sabine Carey, Ph.D. (Chair of Political Science, International Relations)In an interview with the Mannheimer Morgen newspaper, Sabine Carey discusses her research on civil wars and militias. She explains the difficult situation in Syria and why the transition from dictatorships to democracies poses such a major challenge.
    10.12.2024Prof. Dr. Beatrice Rammstedt (Professor for Psychological Assessment, Survey Design and Methodology)In an article in Spiegel, Beatrice Rammstedt discusses the latest findings of the PIAAC study.
    December
    24.11.2024Prof. Thomas Gschwend, Ph.D. (Chair of Political Science, Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences)In an interview with MDR, Thomas Gschwend discusses the challenges faced by smaller parties in gathering enough votes within a short period of time to be eligible to participate in early federal elections.
    17.11.2024Prof. Thomas Gschwend, Ph.D. (Chair of Political Science, Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences)In an article with reuters Thomas Gschwend, comments on Robert Habeck's election campaign strategy.
    07.11.2024Prof. Thomas Gschwend, Ph.D. (Chair of Political Science, Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences)In an article for zdf.heute, Thomas Gschwend, comments on the collapse of the traffic light coalition.
    04.11.2024Prof. Dr. Michaela Wänke (Professorship of Consumer and Economic Psychology)In an article in WirtschaftsWoche, Michaela Wänke explains how bonuses can potentially influence purchasing behaviour.
    November
    25.10.2024Prof. Dr. Marc Debus (Professorship of Political Science, Comparative Government)In an article published by Zeit Online, Marc Debus comments on Cem Özdemir's candidacy for the position of Minister-President of Baden-Württemberg and the challenges he faces.
    19.10.2024Prof. Dr. Marc Helbling (Chair of Sociology, Migration and Integration (W3))In a radio interview with rbb, Marc Helbling discusses anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism.
    12.10.2024Prof. Dr. Richard Traunmüller (Chair of Political science, empirical democracy research)In an article in the Frankfurter Rundschau (FR), Richard Traunmüller and Marc Helbling explain the findings of the second GIP Policy Brief.
    09.10.2024Prof. Dr. Richard Traunmüller (Chair of Political science, empirical democracy research)In an article in Zeit-OnlineIn, Richard Traunmüller comments on the possible existence of cancel culture at universities.
    07.10.2024Prof. Dr. Jutta Mata (Chair of Health Psychology)In a documentary by ZDF, Jutta Mata discusses the influence of social factors on eating habits.
    Oktober
    27.09.2024Prof. Dr. Thomas Gschwend, Ph.D. (Chair of Political Science, Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences) In a report on Tagesschau, Thomas Gschwend, explains that political compromises between the AfD and democratic parties in the election of constitutional judges are unrealistic because their positions are incompatible.
    26.09.2024Prof. Dr. Jutta Mata (Chair of Health Psychology) On the Hirschhausen show, Jutta Mata spoke about obesity and weight stigma.
    24.09.2024Prof. Thomas Gschwend, Ph.D. (Chair of Political Science, Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences) und Prof. Marc Ratkovic, Ph.D. (Chair of Political Science, Social Data Science)In an article in the Mannheimer Morgen* newspaper, Thomas Gschwend and Marc Ratkovic discuss their experiment on using artificial intelligence to write research papers.
    23.09.2024Prof. Dr. Marc Debus (Professorship of Political Science, Comparative Government)In a radio report by SWR, Marc Debus comments on the impact of the state elections in Brandenburg.
    23.09.2024Prof. Dr. Thomas König (Professorship of Political Science, European Politics)In an interview on ARD-Tagesthemen, Thomas König explains the role played by young voters' identification with the AfD's stance.
    01.09.2024Prof. Dr. Thomas König (Professorship of Political Science, European Politics)In an interview with French television channel France24, Thomas König talks about the frustration felt by citizens in Germany and its influence on the state elections in Germany.
    01.09.2024Prof. Dr. Valentin Lang (Assistant Professor of International Political Economy and Development)The French daily newspaper l'Opinion* reports on the study by Prof. Dr. Lang and colleagues on the effectiveness of EU funding.
    September
    23.08.2024Prof. Dr. Marc Debus (Professorship of Political Science, Comparative Government)In an interview with ARD-Stadtstudio, Marc Debus comments on the FDP's strategy for raising its profile.
    21.08.2024Prof. Dr. Marc Debus (Professorship of Political Science, Comparative Government)In a report on Tagesschau, Marc Debus discusses the future challenges facing the traffic light coalition government.
    06.08.2024Prof. Thomas Gschwend, Ph.D.(Chair of Political Science, Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences)In an article in the Frankfurter Allgemeinen Zeitung, Thomas Gschwend discusses the Federal Constitutional Court's ruling on electoral reform.
    August
    26.07.2024Prof. Dr. Karina Karst (Assistant Professorship of Quality of Instruction in Heterogeneous Contexts)In an SWR-Interview with REPORT MAINZ magazine, Karina Karst discusses the structural disadvantages faced by schools, using the example of Gräfenau Primary School, which is set to be converted into a Startchancen school next year.
    16.07.2024Prof. Dr. Corina Aguilar-Raab (Chair of Clinical Psychology, Interaction- and Psychotherapy Research)In an article in Zeit-Online, Corina Aguilar-Raab discusses the connection between compassion and self-esteem, as well as her study on the effects of CBTS on couples.
    11.07.2024Prof. Dr. Oliver Dickhäuser (Professorship for Educational Psychology) In an Interview, Oliver Dickhäuser discusses the advantages and challenges of pool room exams, in which electronic exams are conducted on the university's own devices.
    10.07.2024Prof. Dr. Stefan Münzer (Chair of Psychology of Education)In an interview with the magazine 'Psychologie Heute', Stefan Münzer explains which factors influence people's sense of orientation, what role self-confidence plays in this, and to what extent future technological innovations will influence people's orientation.
    02.07.2024Prof. Dr. Thomas König (Professorship of Political Science, European Politics)In the article, Thomas König talks to RNF about the effects and consequences of Melis Sekmen's decision to leave the Green Party and join the CDU.
    July
    30.06.2024Prof. Dr. Marc Helbling (Chair of Sociology, Migration and Integration (W3))In the Science Talk article, Marc Helbling comments on the current debate on migration and integration in Germany.
    26.06.2024Prof. Dr. Valentin Lang (Assistant Professor of International Political Economy and Development)In an article in The Economist*, Valentin Lang discusses the EU budget and the findings from the recently published paper by the Jacques Delors Centre.
    26.06.2024Prof. Dr. Valentin Lang (Assistant Professor of International Political Economy and Development)Valentin Lang reports on European cohesion funds in an article in Politico.
    25.06.2024Prof. Dr. Valentin Lang (Assistant Professor of International Political Economy and Development)In the Süddeutschen Zeitung newspaper, Valentin Lang discusses the use of current European subsidies and their actual benefits.
    07.06.2024Prof. Dr. Thomas König (Professorship of Political Science, European Politics)In an article published by ntv, Thomas König discusses his newly published study.
    03.06.2024Prof. Dr. Thomas König (Professorship of Political Science, European Politics)In an article in the Mannheimer Morgen newspaper, Thomas König comments on the impact of the knife attack in Mannheim on the European elections.
    01.06.2024Prof. Dr. Marc Debus (Professorship of Political Science, Comparative Government)In an article in the Mannheimer Morgen newspaper, Marc Debus comments on the changing significance of the ‘hot phase’ of the election campaign.
    01.06.2024Prof. Thomas Gschwend, Ph.D. (Chair of Political Science, Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences) In an article in the Wormser Zeitung newspaper, Thomas Gschwend, discusses the influence of the Internet on election posters.
    June
    28.05.2024Prof. Dr. Marc Debus (Professorship of Political Science, Comparative Government) In a report by SWR, Marc Debus talks about the influence of the European Parliament.
    23.05.2024Prof. Dr. Marc Helbling (Chair of Sociology, Migration and Integration (W3))In an article published by WELT, Marc Helbling discusses freedom of expression and religion.
    23.05.2024Prof. Dr. Marc Helbling (Chair of Sociology, Migration and Integration (W3))In an article published by Deutschlandfunk*, Marc Helbling comments on successful compromises on the subject of migration.
    May
    27.04.2024Prof. Dr. Marc Debus (Professorship of Political Science, Comparative Government)In the Tagesschau report, Marc Debus comments on the possible consequences of the FDP leaving the traffic light coalition government and the accompanying new elections.
    23.04.2024Prof. Dr. Marc Debus (Professorship of Political Science, Comparative Government)In the Tagesspiegel newspaper, Marc Debus evaluates the FDP's 12-point paper and explains the strategy that is likely behind it.
    13.04.2024Prof. Dr. Rüdiger Schmitt-Beck (Senior Professor of Political Science)In the Allgäuer Zeitung newspaper, Rüdiger Schmitt-Beck discusses the triggers and consequences of the demonstrations against right-wing extremism.
    06.04.2024Prof. Dr. Michaela Wänke (Professorship of Consumer and Economic Psychology)In the FAZ Michaela Wänke discusses the relationship between the size of a winery and the resulting perception of consumers.
    April
    14.03.2024Prof. Dr. Hartmut Esser (professor emeritus of sociology and philosophy of science)In the Frankfurter Allgemeinen Zeitung, Hartmut Esser comments on the course being set in education policy.
    14.03.2024Dr. Jette Völker (Chair of Work and Organizational Psychology)In the Solinger Tageblatt newspaper, Jette Völker explains why well-being and healthy sleep play an increasingly important role in companies.
    07.03.2024Prof. Dr. Michaela Wänke (Professorship of Consumer and Economic Psychology)In the magazine of the Süddeutschen Zeitung, Michaela Wänke discusses the phenomenon of overconsumption of products in society.
    March
    16.02.2024Prof. Dr. Michaela Wänke (Professorship of Consumer and Economic Psychology)In the Mannheimer Morgen newspaper, Michaela Wänke answers the question of which factors could increase the attractiveness of Mannheim's city centre.
    12.02.2024Prof. Dr. Marc Debus (Professorship of Political Science, Comparative Government)In an SWR  Aktuell report, Marc Debus gives his assessment of the establishment of a new party by the Werteunion (Values Union) and its potential voter base. 
    02.02.2024Prof. Dr. Thomas König (Professorship of Political Science, European Politics)Thomas König talks about the farmers' protests in Germany in an interview with the news portal Euractiv.
    01.02.2024Prof. Dr. Rüdiger Schmitt-Beck (Senior Professor of Political Science)In a Yahoo News article*, Rüdiger Schmitt-Beck analyses the impact of protests against right-wing extremism in Germany on AfD supporters.
    Febuary
    31.01.2024Prof. Dr. Marc Helbling (Chair of Sociology, Migration and Integration (W3))A recent article in the FAZ refers to research findings by Marc Helbling, who investigated commonalities between different attitudes towards immigration.
    22.01.2024Prof. Dr. Rüdiger Schmitt-Beck (Senior Professor of Political Science)In an interview with SWR erklärt Rüdiger Schmitt-Beck explains the phenomenon of the current mass demonstrations and their impact on AfD voters.
    19.01.2024Prof. Dr. Jochen Gebauer (Professorship for Cross-Cultural Social and Personality Psychology)In an interview with the Süddeutschen Zeitung  Jochen Gebauer discusses self-presentation and self-observation during video conferences.
    11.01.2024Prof. Dr. Thomas König (Professorship of Political Science, European Politics)In an interview with SWR nennt Thomas König cites reasons for the increasing nationwide protests and explains why acceptance varies depending on the interest group.
    05.01.2024Prof. Dr. Thomas König (Professorship of Political Science, European Politics)In an interview with WELT, Thomas König discusses this year's European Parliament elections, which could see a significant shift to the right.
    05.01.2024Prof. Dr. Marc Debus (Professorship of Political Science, Comparative Government)Marc Debus explains the current role of the FDP in the traffic light coalition in the Rhein-Neckar-Zeitung newspaper.
    01.01.2024Dr. Anna Bruk (Professorship for Cross-Cultural Social and Personality Psychology)Anna Bruk talks to the Rhein-Neckar Zeitung* about how to respond when relatives ask lots of personal questions during the holidays.
      *The article mentioned is no longer available online. Therefore, we cannot provide an external link.
  • 2023

    09.12.2023Prof. Dr. Marc Helbling (Chair of Sociology, Migration and Integration (W3))In SWR-Science Talk, Marc Helbling discusses how migration can be managed in such a way that it does not overwhelm the state and society.
    December
    30.11.2023Prof. Dr. Marc Helbling (Chair of Sociology, Migration and Integration (W3))In an interview with the NZZ, Marc Helbling explains the connection between migration, integration and terrorism.
    27.11.2023Prof. Dr. Richard Traunmüller (Chair of Political science, empirical democracy research)In an interview with t-online, Richard Traunmüller comments on the criticism of the latest ‘Wetten, dass...?’ broadcast and explains the extent to which ‘cancel culture’ exists in Germany.
    17.11.2023Prof. Dr. Thomas König (Professorship of Political Science, European Politics)Thomas König discusses on SWR Aktuell the chances of Wagenknecht's new party in the upcoming elections in Baden-Württemberg and the role Mannheim plays in this.
    06.11.2023Prof. Dr. Corina Aguilar-Raab (Professorship for Clinical Psychology, Interaction and Psychotherapy Research)In the Sonntagsblatt newspaper, Corina Aguilar-Raab discusses an experiment in which participants were asked to pretend they only had one year left to live.
    01.11.2023Prof. Dr. Georg W. Alpers (Chair of Clinical and Biological Psychology and Psychotherapy)In m:con Magazin, Georg Alpers answers questions about news consumption, particularly the effects of good and bad news.
    November
    23.10.2023Prof. Dr. Marc Helbling (Chair of Sociology, Migration and Integration (W3)) In a report on Tagesschau, Marc Helbling comments on a study according to which people with a migrant background show increased levels of approval for anti-Semitism.
    10.10.2023Prof. Dr. Jutta Mata (Chair of Health Psychology)In the podcast ‘Aha! Ten Minutes of Everyday Knowledge’ by WELT, Jutta Mata explains how we learn taste – and why our social environment continues to influence our eating habits later in life.
    01.10.2023Prof. Dr. Marc Debus (Political Science, Comparative Government)In an article published by SWR3*, Marc Debus assesses the current development of right-wing extremist attitudes in Germany and highlights possible reasons for the rise in right-wing extremist world views.
    01.10.2023Prof. Dr. Marc Debus (Political Science, Comparative Government)In an interview with the IHK-Pfalz*, Marc talks about the consequences of Ludwigshafen Mayor Jutta Steinruck's resignation from the SPD for the local and regional economy.
    Oktober
    25.08.2023Dr. Sahra Wagner (Previously Chair of Comparative Government)During this time Zeit, Sarah Wagner is interviewed by Sahra Wagenknecht about the possibility of her founding a new political party.
    13.08.2023Prof. Dr. Beatrice Kuhlmann (Professorship of Cognitive Psychology and Cognitive Aging)In an article published by SWR Aktuell*, Beatrice Kuhlmann explains the scientific perspective on raising the retirement age.
    08.08.2023Prof. Dr. Thomas König (Professorship of Political Science, European Politics)Shortly before the resignation of the mayor and municipal council of Freisbach, Thomas König talks to RON TV about the background and possible consequences. 
    02.08.2023Prof. Thomas Gschwend, Ph. D. (Chair of Political Science, Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences)Thomas Gschwend talks to the Mannheimer Morgen newspaper about electoral reform in Mannheim, which will allow 16- and 17-year-olds to stand as candidates in the 2024 local elections for the first time.
    August
    09.07.2023Prof. Dr. Marc Debus (Political Science, Comparative Government)Marc Debus analyses the results of the mayoral election in Mannheim on SWR* Aktuell, explaining how Christian Specht was able to prevail in the second round of voting and what he needs to do to implement his policies.
    July
    15.06.2023Prof. Dr. Marc Debus (Political Science, Comparative Government)In the Mannheimer Morgen newspaper, Marc Debus describes the mayoral election in Mannheim as a ‘very competitive, open race’.
    12.06.2023Prof. Dr. Valentin Lang (Junior professorship for international political economy and development)The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (PDF) reports on the new working paper by Prof. Dr. Lang and Stephan Schneider (ETH Zurich), which deals with the long-term effect of immigration on sentiments against immigration and the election of nationalist parties.
    02.06.2023Prof. Dr. Marc Debus (Professur für Politikwissenschaft und Vergleichende Regierungslehre)Im Radiosender Deutschlandfunk Kultur spricht Prof. Dr. Marc Debus über die neusten Meinungsumfragen, die Aufwind für AfD und Grüne im Sinkflug zeigen.
    June
    11.04.2023Prof. Dr. Valentin Lang (Junior professorship for international political economy and development)In an interview with Euractive, Valentin Lang explains the effectiveness of cohesion policy. According to him, it is effective when it comes to promoting average income growth in lagging regions. Within the regions, however, these income gains primarily benefit the richest rather than the poorest.
    03.04.2023Prof. Dr. Michaella Wänke (Professorship of Consumer and Economic Psychology)In an interview with ZEIT online , Michaela Wänke explains why bonus programmes seem so attractive and how purchasing impulses can be controlled.
    02.04.2023Dr. Sebastian Pink (Former research assistant at the Chair of General Sociology)The FAZ reports on a study by sociologists Sebastian Pink and Johannes Schmidt, in which the researchers compare the voting results in affected and unaffected communities and compare them with previous votes.
    01.04.2023Prof. Dr. Michaella Wänke (Professorship of Consumer and Economic Psychology)In an interview with BR24*, Michaela Wänke discusses how BMW advertising affects the Bavarian police. ‘If such images are posted systematically, associations can form in the viewer's mind. In this specific case: BMW stands for safety or strength,’ says Wänke.
    01.04.2023Prof. Dr. Karina Karst (Assistant Professorship of Quality of Instruction in Heterogeneous Contexts)In the nationwide initiative “Schule macht stark” (School Makes You Strong), academics and school practitioners are working together on measures to improve the educational opportunities of socially disadvantaged children. In this interview, psychologist Karina Karst and head teacher Detlef Storm talk about their collaboration.
    01.04.2023Prof. Dr. Richard Traunmüller (Chair of Political science, empirical democracy research)In a guest article for Welt, Richard Traunmüller explained, based on survey data, the costs associated with freedom of expression in Germany.
    April
    23.03.2023Prof. Dr. Jutta Mata (Chair of Health Psychology)Can the planned ban on advertising sweets combat obesity in children? Jutta Mata answers several questions on the subject in an interview with the Mannheimer Morgen newspaper.
    17.03.2024Prof. Dr. Marc Debus (Political Science, Comparative Government)In a radio interview with SWR Aktuell*, Marc Debus discusses the electoral reform proposed by the traffic light coalition.
    08.03.2023Prof. Dr. Thomas König (Professorship of Political Science, European Politics)There are already three male candidates and one female candidate for the office of Mayor of Mannheim. Thomas König shares his initial assessments in an article in the Heilbronner Stimme newspaper.
    03.03.2023Dr. Sahra Wagner (Previously Chair of Comparative Government)In the Tagesspiegel newspaper, Sarah Wagner explains why voters from the AfD, Left Party and FDP would vote for a party led by Sahra Wagenknecht. The politician combines two aspects that no party has yet represented.
    March
    15.02.2023Prof. Dr. Thomas König (Professorship of Political Science, European Politics)In an interview with the Mannheimer Morgen newspaper, Thomas König explains that he rejects negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin. ‘He has made himself persona non grata,’ says the political scientist.
    06.02.2023Prof. Thomas Gschwend, Ph.D. (Chair of Political Science, Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences)In the Verfassungsblog, Thomas Gschwend discusses the debate surrounding the reform of the Bundestag electoral system. In particular, he addresses the question of the extent to which directly elected members of parliament represent greater proximity to the citizens.
    04.02.2023Prof. Dr. Marc Debus (Political Science, Comparative Government)Marc Debus explains in the Tagesspiegel, how differently the topic of abortion is politically charged and discussed in the US and Europe.
    Febuary
    27.01.2023Prof. Thomas Gschwend, Ph.D. (Chair of Political Science, Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences)In the Mannheimer Morgen newspaper, Thomas Gschwend comments on the traffic light coalition's planned electoral reform: ‘The logic is clear. The traffic light coalition wants to limit the number of seats to 598 and retain the 299 constituencies. However, this is only possible if not every direct mandate counts – that's not ideal, but anything else would be like trying to square the circle.’
    January
    28.12.2022Dr. Sandra Morgenstern (Research assistant at the Chair of Sociology with a focus on migration and integration)The FAZ reports on a study by Dr Sandra Morgenstern in which she was able to demonstrate the influence of information campaigns on the risks and challenges of irregular migration on migration intentions.
      *The article mentioned is no longer available online. Therefore, we cannot provide an external link.
  • 2022

    28.12.2022Dr. Sandra Morgenstern (Research assistant at the Chair of Sociology with a focus on migration and integration)The FAZ reports on a study by Sandra Morgenstern in which she was able to demonstrate the influence of information campaigns on the risks and challenges of irregular migration on migration intentions.
    December
    Nov. 2022Prof. Dr. Valentin Lang (Junior professorship for international political economy and development)In his blog post for the Democracy Without Borders network*, Valentin Lang writes about the possibility of democratising international organisations so that they can combat global crises and global poverty more effectively in the future.
    Nov. 2022Prof. Dr. Marc Helbling (Chair of Sociology, Migration and Integration (W3))In an article about the SVR Integration Barometer*, Marc Helbling comments on discrimination.
    Nov. 2022Prof. Dr. Marc Helbling (Chair of Sociology, Migration and Integration (W3))Marc Helbling talks to SWR Aktuell* about the current refugee figures and assesses the current refugee movement.
    Nov. 2022Prof. Dr. Georg W. Alpers (Chair of Clinical and Biological Psychology and Psychotherapy)In the magazine ‘Pflege daheim’*, Georg Alpers sheds light on the topic of crying, which is still surrounded by taboos. He answers questions about why we cry, what happens in our bodies when we cry, and when we should seek help.
    Nov. 2022Prof. Dr. Jutta Mata (Chair of Health Psychology)In the podcast ‘How to Baby’*, Jutta Mata explains the extent to which
    shared meals can influence children's health.
    Nov. 2022Prof. Dr. Marc Debus (Political Science, Comparative Government)On SWR Aktuell*, Marc Debus explains why the Green Party is successful at the state level but mostly unsuccessful in mayoral elections.
    Nov. 2022Prof. Dr. Michaela Wänke (Professorship of Consumer and Economic Psychology)Michaela Wänke explains in the Fränkische Nachrichten* how we are dealing with the restrictions and fears caused by the energy crisis.
    Nov. 2022Prof. Dr. Thomas König (Professorship of Political Science, European Politics)Although the majority of Heidelberg residents voted in favour of incumbent Eckart Würzner remaining in office, a second round of voting will take place. On RON-TV*, Oliver Sequenz talks to Thomas König about the chances of a different outcome.
    The election campaign has been intense, but the mayor of Heidelberg, Eckart Würzner, is confident that he will win the second round. ‘I am confident that I will win the second round,’ he said on RON-TV*. ‘I am confident that I will win the second round.’
    November
    Okt. 2022Prof. Dr. Frank Kalter (Professor of General Sociology)In an interview with tagesschau*, Frank Kalter explains why he considers the theory of push and pull factors to be outdated.
    Okt. 2022Prof. Dr. Marc Debus (Political Science, Comparative Government)In an interview with the Heidenheimer Zeitung*, Marc Debus explains why the Greens have not lost their ‘green profile’ despite numerous government compromises.
    Okt. 2022Prof. Dr. Marc Debus (Political Science, Comparative Government)In a report in the Heidenheimer Zeitung*, Marc Debus gives his assessment of why the fringe party AfD gained significantly in voter support in the Lower Saxony state election.
    Okt. 2022Prof. Dr. Richard Traunmüller (Chair of Political Science, Empirical Democracy Research)In an interview with Mannheimer Morgen*, Richard Traunmüller discusses how free freedom of expression really is from a scientific perspective and whether the coronavirus pandemic has had an impact on it.
    Oktober
    Jun. 2022Prof. Dr. Bernhard Ebbinghaus (Professorship of Sociology -Macrosociology)As part of a panel discussion on SWR 2*, Bernhard Ebbinghaus talks with other experts about what will unite Europe in the future and who must stand up for this union.
    Jun. 2022Prof. Dr. Thomas König (Professorship of Political Science, European Politics)Thomas König explains in the Mannheimer Morgen* that he cannot understand the commotion. ‘The city councillors are not civil servants and are not travelling on official business, but privately,’ explains König. ‘Whether the mayor receives them or not is initially a matter for the twin town.’
    June
    May 2022Prof. Dr. Michaela Wänke (Professorship of Consumer and Economic Psychology)Michaela Wänke was invited to appear on NDR Info*'s ‘Redezeit’ programme to discuss consumption in times of rising prices and shortages.
    May 2022Prof. Dr. Marc Debus (Political Science, Comparative Government)In an interview with Deutschlandfunk*, Marc Debus discusses the pacifist stance of the Green Party and how the party's position on arms deliveries has changed as a result of the war of aggression in Ukraine.
    May
    Apr. 2022Prof. Dr. Frank Kalter (Professor of General Sociology)In an interview with Mannheimer Morgen*, Frank Kalter discusses the unclear developments regarding the refugee movement from Ukraine and explains how refugees could be distributed as fairly and equitably as possible in Germany.
    Apr. 2022Prof. Sabine Carey, Ph.D., (Chair of Political Science, International Relations) In an interview with the Mannheimer Morgen*, Sabine Carey explains how Russian President Putin misjudged the reactions of Ukraine and other countries, and what further sanctions might be appropriate in the future.
    Apr. 2022Prof. Dr. Thomas König Professorship of Political Science, European Politics)In an interview with Mannheimer Morgen*, Thomas König criticises the German government for lacking a goal-oriented strategy. He explains what measures would be necessary to enable peace talks.
    Apr. 2022Prof. Dr. Thomas König (Professorship of Political Science, European Politics)Meanwhile, Thomas König sees no chance for peace negotiations with Russia. ‘It's too late for that; we cannot negotiate with a war criminal. The prerequisite for peace talks would be a change in Moscow. If Putin stays, the war will be decided on the battlefield,’ he said in an interview with Mannheimer Morgen*.
    April
    Mar. 2022Prof. Dr. Thomas König (Professorship of Political Science, European Politics)Thomas König expects Lang and Nouripour to continue along the same path for the time being. ‘The new leadership is seamlessly continuing the forward-looking course of the previous leadership, which on the one hand brought the party growth and participation in government, but on the other hand avoids criticism of individuals and the programme, as well as addressing mistakes,’ explains the political scientist in an interview with kreiszeitung.de*.
    Mar. 2022Prof. Dr. Thomas König (Professorship of Political Science, European Politics)Is the Union going too far with its criticism of the government? No, says Thomas König to stimme.de*. He blames mistakes in pandemic management for the fact that the implementation of measures such as facility-based vaccination requirements is stalling.
    March
    Febr. 2022Prof. Dr. Marc Debus (Political Science, Comparative Government)Ricarda Lang and Omid Nouripour are set to become the new leaders of the Green Party. In an interview with WDR*, Marc Debus explains that he sees Lang as an opportunity to strengthen the party's left wing and satisfy it within the party.
    Febr. 2022Prof. Dr. Thomas König (Professorship of Political Science, European Politics)Thomas König comments on the coronavirus bonus scandal involving the Green Party executive committee in an article published by watson. He does not yet see any significant damage to the party's image, but rather just a ‘scratch’ for the Greens.
    February
      *The article mentioned is no longer available online. Therefore, we cannot provide an external link.

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