Research

The research of the Chair spans both Political Science and Sociology, with a focus on the study of group relations, language and identity, social norms, and civic behavior.

Methodologically, our work is strongly focused on causal inference and experimental design, and often features the use of survey, (lab-in-the-) field and natural experiments.

You can find a sampling of our recent publications and working papers below. 

Melissa Lee, Nan Zhang and Tilmann Herchenröder. 2024. From Pluribus to Unum? The Civil War and Imagined Sovereignty in 19th Century America. American Political Science Review. 118(1): 127 – 143.

Nan Zhang and Alexandra Kommol. 2024. Ethnic Diversity and Cooperation: Evidence from a Lost Letter Experiment. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies. 50(18): 4600-4620.

Nan Zhang and Maria Abascal. 2024. Cultural Adaptation and Demographic Change: Evidence from Mexican-American Naming Patterns During the California Gold Rush. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies. 50(1): 132 – 148.

Nan Zhang, Johanna Gereke and Delia Baldassarri. 2022. Everyday Discrimination in Public Spaces: A Field Experiment in the Milan Metro. European Sociological Review. 38(5):679–693.