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Steffen Ganghof

@ganghof.bsky.social

1.2K followers 460 following 140 posts

Professor of Political Science | University of Potsdam

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Steffen Ganghof @ganghof.bsky.social · 11d

What constitutional forms of democracy exist in the world today and what's their rationale? New paper now published open access in @globcon.bsky.social
@cambup-polsci.cambridge.org
doi.org/10.1017/S204...
Short thread below 👇

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Reposted by Lisa W. Fazio, Will Jennings, Brendan Nyhan , and 9 more Lisa W. Fazio, Will Jennings, Brendan Nyhan, Steve Peers, David Rothschild, John L. Cotter, David R. Miller, Scott A. Imberman, Steffen Ganghof, Tom Louwerse, Gerry Hassan, David Darmofal

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 1d

Q: Have you given any more thought to possibly suspending habeas corpus?

TRUMP: Suspending who?

Q: Habeas corpus

TRUMP: I don't know. I'd rather leave that to Kristi.

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Reposted by Kai Arzheimer, Steffen Ganghof

Dr. Jan Philipp Thomeczek @drphilphil.bsky.social · 5d

Bereits über 5.500 User:innen habe ihre Daten in meinem Populismus-Selbsttest für die Forschung gespendet - danke! 🙏

Zudem habe ich wertvolle Anregungen erhalten und einige Ergänzungen zum Einschätzung des Ergebnisses und zur Anzahl der zugestimmten Statement aufgenommen.

👉 politiktest.de

Politiktest.de

politiktest.de

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Steffen Ganghof @ganghof.bsky.social · 5d

Der Text verbiegt sich sehr (& kann nicht außerhalb des parlamentarischen Systems denken). Der Satz ist auch beschreibend korrekt. Die Medianpartei ist ein demokratietheoretisch zentrales Konzept & die Union würde mit wechselnden Mehrheiten anders regieren. Muss man nicht mögen. Bleibt aber Fakt.

Robert Pausch @bertpsch.bsky.social · 6d

"Die Mehrheit in diesem Land ist rechts, aber bekommt trotzdem eine linke Politik" – dieser Satz ist also nicht analytisch gemeint, sondern strategisch. Er ist nicht da, um etwas zu beschreiben, sondern um etwas zu planen.

www.zeit.de/politik/2025...

CDU-Politiker: Der schwarz-blaue Sehnsuchtssatz

"Die Mehrheit ist rechts, aber bekommt trotzdem linke Politik" – diese Formel wiederholen CDU-Politiker gerade auffällig oft. Dahinter steckt eine gefährliche Strategie.

www.zeit.de

Reposted by Steffen Ganghof

Robert Pausch @bertpsch.bsky.social · 6d

CDU-Politiker: Der schwarz-blaue Sehnsuchtssatz

"Die Mehrheit ist rechts, aber bekommt trotzdem linke Politik" – diese Formel wiederholen CDU-Politiker gerade auffällig oft. Dahinter steckt eine gefährliche Strategie.

www.zeit.de

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Reposted by Cas Mudde, Martín Lodge, Ilko−Sascha Kowalczuk , and 5 more Cas Mudde, Martín Lodge, Ilko−Sascha Kowalczuk, Nicholas Birns, Ben Crum, Steffen Ganghof, Karsten Mäuse, Oliver Nachtwey

Steffen Mau @steffenmau.bsky.social · 8d

Herausragender Wissenschaftler, bewunderter Autor, befreundeter Kollege, kluger Ratgeber: Claus Offe ist gestorben!

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Reposted by Elizabeth Saunders, Scott L. Greer, Gerald Friedman , and 3 more Elizabeth Saunders, Scott L. Greer, Gerald Friedman, Jacob T. Levy, Steffen Ganghof, Henry Jones

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 10d

Trump to a room of generals: "I've never walked into a room so silent before. Just have a good time. And if you want to applaud, you applaud."

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Reposted by Steffen Ganghof

Cambridge University Press Political Science & IR @cambup-polsci.cambridge.org · 10d

#OpenAccess from @globcon.bsky.social -

Taking democracy seriously: A theory and global typology of democratic forms of government - https://cup.org/4nMNEts

- @ganghof.bsky.social

#FirstView

Image shows a partial view of the journal 'Global Constitutionalism' with a focus on its text and colorful, abstract brush strokes on the cover. The hashtag #OpenAccess is featured prominently.

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Steffen Ganghof @ganghof.bsky.social · 11d

Great experience publishing in @globcon.bsky.social
www.cambridge.org/core/journal... Fast, efficient & very helpful reviewer reports. Great interdisciplinary journal also for comparativists!

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Reposted by Albert Weale, Steffen Ganghof

Richard Bellamy @rbellamy.bsky.social · 15d

The UCL Global Centre for Constitutional Democracy at UCL is delighted to announce an event to launch The Cambridge Handbook of Constitutional Theory at UCL on 13 October 2025, 6:05 pm–8:00 pm All welcome.

Details here:

www.ucl.ac.uk/laws/events/...

_

The Cambridge Handbook of Constitutional Theory: Launch Event

www.ucl.ac.uk

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Steffen Ganghof @ganghof.bsky.social · 15d

Yes, I appreciate it! Social media is just not well-suited to have more complex discussions. (If you read my paper on Gaus, I think you are one of very few people 😅)

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Steffen Ganghof @ganghof.bsky.social · 15d

The paper I linked above is from Willumsen and @simonotjes.bsky.social Maybe he has something to add on how well PR-parliamentarism works in the Netherlands.

Steffen Ganghof @ganghof.bsky.social · 15d

journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.... As you will see, I illustrate this system with the German case and argue that it would help to reduce or abolish the 5% threshold, thus making the system MORE proportional. The majoritarian part of the system merely selects, as it were, the agenda setter.

Combining proportional and majoritarian democracy: An institutional design proposal - Steffen Ganghof, 2016

The article proposes a new way to combine the “proportional” and “majoritarian” visions of democracy. The proposal blends elements of mixed electoral systems, p...

journals.sagepub.com

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Steffen Ganghof @ganghof.bsky.social · 15d

The system I propose is not about diluting PR, but about how you want to build coalitions in a PR system: Do you want to have one fixed majority coalition of veto players for the entire term or flexible, issue-specific coalitions. If you don't want to read my book, perhaps this short paper helps:

Steffen Ganghof @ganghof.bsky.social · 15d

You make many assumptions I disagree with. I agreed that PR is great. You still need majority rule in parliament to make decisions. The combination of PR & parliamentary system creates veto players & leads to forms of MINORITY rule. On Dutch case, see: journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.

journals.sagepub.com

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Steffen Ganghof @ganghof.bsky.social · 17d

The argument about simplicity comes from an influential literature & starts with the cognitive limitations of voters. See eg Carey/Hix on the electoral sweet spot. I argue for two chambers to get GREATER proportionality in the actual legislature. I'm a fan of PR, but against of wishful idealism.3/3

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Steffen Ganghof @ganghof.bsky.social · 17d

really only works in very idealistic theory. They are based on equality (e.g., Tony McGanns work) and perhaps freedom/autonomy (Przeworski/Adam Lovett). But authors like Niko Kolodny make good arguments why equality does NOT imply PR. 2/

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Steffen Ganghof @ganghof.bsky.social · 17d

I think you have to decide if you want to argue based on theory and decades of empirical literature (my approach) or only axomatically. Even if you prefer the latter, you might want to consider good arguments against PR. I think the best axiomatic arguments for PR are not based on consent, which 1/

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Steffen Ganghof @ganghof.bsky.social · 18d

Congrats, Anna!

Steffen Ganghof @ganghof.bsky.social · 19d

Try meditation!

Reposted by Steffen Ganghof, Nathan P. Kalmoe

Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social · 22d

can I interest anyone in direct democracy? so we both get out of this and so we don't end up back in it in another 8 years or whatever

hammerandhope.org/article/dire...

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Reposted by Jan W. Mueller, Kai Arzheimer, Catherine E. De Vries , and 1 more Jan W. Mueller, Kai Arzheimer, Catherine E. De Vries, Steffen Ganghof

Timothy Garton Ash @fromtga.bsky.social · 24d

400 days to save US democracy. My latest, based on a long summer in the US. How Trump is exploiting structural weaknesses of the American system & why all democrats must want Democrats to win November 2026 midterms.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Americans have 400 days to save their democracy | Timothy Garton Ash

I never thought I’d see fear spread so far and fast. Next year’s midterm elections are now crucial for the Democratic party – and for democrats everywhere, says Guardian columnist Timothy Garton Ash

www.theguardian.com

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Steffen Ganghof @ganghof.bsky.social · 25d

Yes!

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Steffen Ganghof @ganghof.bsky.social · 25d

I guess it's a matter of terminology if it's still MMP like when the two systems are used for two distinct chambers. In the paper I linked I make the connection to MMP and propose a system which is only quasi-bicameral. MMP is used and the no-confidence vote is limited to district representatives.

Steffen Ganghof @ganghof.bsky.social · 25d

Australia at the federal level and in most states uses such a system (STV rather than list PR).

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Steffen Ganghof @ganghof.bsky.social · 25d

I wrote some papers and a book on such a system:

global.oup.com/academic/pro...

www.uni-potsdam.de/fileadmin/pr...

global.oup.com

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Steffen Ganghof @ganghof.bsky.social · Sep 9

Australia

Dani Rodrik @drodrik.bsky.social · Sep 9

Democracy needs role models to spread, and they are getting few and far between. But hope is not lost. My latest. www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/d...

Who Will Model Democracy Now?

Dani Rodrik looks for bright spots in a world where authoritarianism is on the rise, even in the United States.

www.project-syndicate.org

Reposted by Christian Odendahl, Steffen Ganghof

Dani Rodrik @drodrik.bsky.social · Sep 9

Democracy needs role models to spread, and they are getting few and far between. But hope is not lost. My latest. www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/d...

Who Will Model Democracy Now?

Dani Rodrik looks for bright spots in a world where authoritarianism is on the rise, even in the United States.

www.project-syndicate.org

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