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Frederik Hjorth

@fghjorth.bsky.social

1.9K followers 460 following 70 posts

Associate Prof, Department of Political Science, University of Copenhagen

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Frederik Hjorth @fghjorth.bsky.social · May 22

🚨 New publication 🚨 : Happy to share that my paper, "Losing Touch: The Rhetorical Cost of Governing" is now forthcoming at @cpsjournal.bsky.social. Short 🧵 about the paper here 👇 1/10

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Reposted by Frederik Hjorth

Olivia V. J. Levinsen @olivialevinsen.bsky.social · 27d

Why has women's representation in parliament been lagging? Can it be that party elites have penalized women candidates? Come find out tomorrow at "Primaries and Candidate Selection" at 8.00 am in West 215. @fghjorth.bsky.social @fkjoeller.bsky.social @annalund.bsky.social @apsa.bsky.social

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Frederik Hjorth @fghjorth.bsky.social · Aug 18

“The American president visited Paris today, instead of shooting Budweiser bottles out of his pickup truck”

Frederik Hjorth @fghjorth.bsky.social · Jul 7

📌

Reposted by Frederik Hjorth

Jonathan Ladd @jonmladd.bsky.social · Jul 4

Liberal democracy is a fighting faith. Fight to defend it. Cynicism is an authoritarian government’s best friend.

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Frederik Hjorth @fghjorth.bsky.social · Jun 29

I am an ardent Beamer user, but this take is correct 🥲

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Reposted by Frederik Hjorth

Rev. Poppy Haze 𓅋 @poppyhaze.bsky.social · Jun 25

we’re about to find out if loving SimCity makes you a better mayor

Mamdani was asked in 2002 by NY Mag what he wanted for Christmas and said SimCity 3000

A magazine list showing #37, Zohran Mamdani, age 11, asked for Books, FIFA 2003 and SimCity 3000 video games.

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Frederik Hjorth @fghjorth.bsky.social · Jun 25

Lastly, Friday 4.50pm, @fkjoeller.bsky.social will present a paper on the link between commuting costs and geographic inequality in representation 🌉 (thx to @carlsbergfondet.dk for support 🙏 ) 5/5

Frederik Hjorth @fghjorth.bsky.social · Jun 25

Thursday 1.10pm, I will present a paper on the role of family background in explaining affective polarization 👪 (thx to @erc.europa.eu for support 🇪🇺 ) 4/5

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Frederik Hjorth @fghjorth.bsky.social · Jun 25

Thursday 11.20am, @olivialevinsen.bsky.social will present a paper on party nominations and long-term trends on women's descriptive representation 👩‍💼 (thx to @carlsbergfondet.dk for support 🙏 ) 3/5

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Frederik Hjorth @fghjorth.bsky.social · Jun 25

Thursday 9.30am, @torewig.bsky.social will present a paper on measuring and explaining global variation in "critical social science" 🌎 2/5

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Frederik Hjorth @fghjorth.bsky.social · Jun 25

Pumped to be at #EPSA2025 in sunny Madrid, where my esteemed coauthors and I will present four papers. Quick 🧵 on the papers in chronological order 👇 1/5

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Reposted by Frederik Hjorth

Federica Genovese @fgenovese.bsky.social · Jun 3

🚨 WP w/ @acalacino.bsky.social & @hayleypring.bsky.social

It’s been a turbulent decade of globalization backlash. Populist projects wanna take back control everywhere.

Focusing on the case of oil and Brexit, we offer a story of the danger of this narrative and concrete merits of multilateralism: 🧵

Abstract of "Offshore Outlaws: Brexit and Oil Spills in the North Sea" by Anthony Calacino, Federica Genovese, Hayley Pring (University of Oxford)

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Reposted by Frederik Hjorth

Frederik Kjøller @fkjoeller.bsky.social · Jun 23

Excited to be presenting in shorts on this years' EPSA! 🩳

I'll be presenting joint work w. @fghjorth.bsky.social about geographical representation and commute time's effect on candidate supply 🗳️🧭

📍Friday 16:50-18:30 in room 0A.01

Zeth Isaksson @zethis.bsky.social · Jun 23

Alright, the most important (non-research-based) question of the year: Are shorts acceptable during presentations?

Constantin Wurthmann @wurthmann.bsky.social · Jun 17

Checked Madrid’s temperature during #EPSA.

i) Skipped ECPR because August in Thessaloniki = death.

ii) Thought Madrid in June would be “pleasant.”

iii) It’s 39°C and I’m German—I was genetically engineered for 18°C and light drizzle. My wardrobe has no idea what to do. I might have to wear linen.

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Reposted by Frederik Hjorth

Alice el-Wakil @anewq.bsky.social · Jun 10

CfA: PhD scholarship in political theory @ucph.bsky.social

Part of my project "Citizens' Agenda-Setting in Democratic Systems," which will explore how citizens should participate in making political agendas

Apply by Aug. 3, 2025
➡️ employment.ku.dk/all-vacancie...

#PolTheory #demoinno

PhD Scholarship at the Department of Political Science, University of Copenhagen (UCPH): Citizens’ Agenda-Setting in Democratic Systems (CASDS)

employment.ku.dk

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Frederik Hjorth @fghjorth.bsky.social · May 24

Tak for de pæne ord Søren!

Reposted by Frederik Hjorth

Wiebke Marie Junk @wmjunk.bsky.social · May 23

The deadline is approaching (5 June)! So, I am just reposting this once more... Perhaps it can reach a few more junior scholars interested in lobbying?

Wiebke Marie Junk @wmjunk.bsky.social · Mar 31

🥁The LOBBYMETRY project is hiring:
1 PostDoc & 1 fully-funded PhD 🥳
Come to beautiful Copenhagen to research lobbying, informational quality and public policy formulation!

PostDoc: jobportal.ku.dk/videnskabeli...

Please spread the word & and do not hesitate to reach out with questions!

Postdoctoral Researcher Position (3 years) in Political Science as part of the ERC-funded Lobbying (A)symmetry Project

jobportal.ku.dk

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Frederik Hjorth @fghjorth.bsky.social · May 22

Thanks Federica! And absolutely agree—reviewers very reasonably pushed me to discuss scope constraints

Frederik Hjorth @fghjorth.bsky.social · May 22

Thanks Rob, means a lot!

Frederik Hjorth @fghjorth.bsky.social · May 22

Second, this can help us understand the appeal of populists, who often claim governing elites have "lost touch".

Preprint here: osf.io/r53gj. Thanks for reading this far! 🙏 10/10

OSF

osf.io

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Frederik Hjorth @fghjorth.bsky.social · May 22

I highlight two main implications: first, the rhetorical cost of governing adds to our understanding of the constraints faced by governing parties (and the advantages oppositions enjoy). 9/10

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Frederik Hjorth @fghjorth.bsky.social · May 22

Do voters prefer simple rhetoric? Yes. In a preregistered survey experiment (N ≈ 4k), citizens preferred the exact same policy stated simply over complex wording by 0.34 pts on a 0-10 scale. 8/10

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Frederik Hjorth @fghjorth.bsky.social · May 22

Instead, it's likely about agenda constraints. Topic model evidence shows ministers pivot toward technocratic & crisis issues (e.g., EU treaties, COVID-19) and away from easy ideological staples (taxes, immigration) → govt. agendas are harder to talk about simply. 7/10

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Frederik Hjorth @fghjorth.bsky.social · May 22

It is not about formal speech requirements. To show this, I consider high profile opening/closing debates where ministers aren’t forced to read bills. Same simplicity gap. 6/10

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Frederik Hjorth @fghjorth.bsky.social · May 22

🔄 Once politicians leave cabinet, simplicity bounces back. No evidence of a permanent drift—this is office-specific, not aging or learning. 5/10

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Frederik Hjorth @fghjorth.bsky.social · May 22

Main finding: The moment an MP becomes a minister, readability drops sharply—about 0.13–0.20 SD below their own pre-government baseline. 4/10

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