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Maria Zuffova

@mariazuffova.bsky.social

250 followers 320 following 25 posts

research fellow @eui-eu.bsky.social (she/her) democracy, transparency, access to info, political communication, state-media relations, gender and inevitably Slovakia https://mariazuffova.com/

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Maria Zuffova @mariazuffova.bsky.social · Jul 18

📢 New Publication!
I’m happy to share that my research on access to information found its home in the Journal of Quantitative Description: Digital Media.
Here’s the link to the full study (open access):
journalqd.org/article/view...

What the Public Wants to Know: A Text-as-Data Study of Information Requests to the UK Government through the WhatDoTheyKnow Platform | Journal of Quantitative Description: Digital Media

journalqd.org

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Maria Zuffova @mariazuffova.bsky.social · 15d

Big congratulations, Theresa!

Maria Zuffova @mariazuffova.bsky.social · 15d

Very excited to take part in the upcoming @mysociety.org event. I’ll be sharing my research on what information citizens seek from their governments, drawing on an analysis of ATI requests sent to the UK central government via the @whatdotheyknow.bsky.social platform. Join us here: bit.ly/3In2szZ

mySociety @mysociety.org · 16d

3 experts discuss the question "How can we tell if #FOI laws are working in practice?" Join Toby Mendel of @law-democracy.bsky.social, Giovanni Esposito of Université Libre de Bruxelles & @mariazuffova.bsky.social of @eui-eu.bsky.social on Oct 2: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/putting-tr... #RightToKnowDay

Putting transparency to the test: evaluating FOI in practice

How can we tell if FOI laws are working in practice? 3 expert speakers will help us assess whether legislation matches reality.

www.eventbrite.co.uk

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Reposted by Maria Zuffova

Daniel Kovarek @kovarek.bsky.social · Aug 30

no better way to depart from #ecprgc25 than 👀 my paper just published in @eupthejournal.bsky.social! I find localism in an unlikely place & show that people feel more represented when they live in incumbent MEPs' hometowns, using survey data from 🇷🇴🇭🇺🇮🇹🇧🇪 doi.org/10.1177/1465... #Polisky

The effect of MEPs' local ties on perceived representation: Evidence from four EU member states - Daniel Kovarek, 2025

Concerned with the electoral and attitudinal effects of localness, a large literature studies how candidates’ and elected deputies’ local ties shape perceived r...

journals.sagepub.com

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Reposted by Maria Zuffova

Ana Catalano Weeks @anacweeks.bsky.social · Aug 15

🎉 Delighted to share new research out today: The Political Consequences of the Mental Load

📄 European Sociological Review
doi.org/10.1093/esr/jcaf019
@europeansocreview.bsky.social

What happens to political engagement when the “mental load” of running a household gets too heavy? 🧵

The political consequences of the mental load

Abstract. How do levels of cognitive household labour—the ‘mental load’ involved in anticipating, fulfilling, and monitoring household needs—affect politic

doi.org

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Reposted by Maria Zuffova

Alexandra Jabbour @alexjabbour.bsky.social · Aug 11

"First, please please please let’s move on from the Harry Potter references."

Kevin Munger is the best. Period.

His response to the Economist article is great:
kevinmunger.substack.com/p/i-guess-th...

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Reposted by Maria Zuffova

EUI Political Behaviour Colloquium @behaviour-eui.bsky.social · Aug 6

📢 CALL FOR PAPERS!

We’re looking for presenters for the upcoming term (early October to mid-December 2025).

If you’d like to present, please fill out the form here: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

🗓 Deadline for proposals: August 31

EUI Political Behaviour Colloquium

Please fill in the details below to submit your proposal. Kindly provide the title and abstract of your paper, as well as your availability to present. The Colloquium is held every Tuesday from 17:00 ...

docs.google.com

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Reposted by Maria Zuffova

Anna Wójcik @annawojcik.bsky.social · Aug 6

President Nawrocki starts his five-year term in Poland.
This presidency is expected to bring a much more difficult cohabitation with Tusk's government than under President Duda. Nawrocki is set to clash with the government over the rule of law. And he is already criticizing judges. Let's unpack.

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Reposted by Maria Zuffova

Dr Anna Hájková @ankahajkova.bsky.social · Aug 3

www.jta.org/2025/08/01/i...

Novelist David Grossman says Israel is committing 'genocide' in Gaza, joining a rising chorus - Jewish Telegraphic Agency

Genocide scholars and two Israeli human rights groups have also recently made the charge for the first time.

www.jta.org

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Maria Zuffova @mariazuffova.bsky.social · Aug 4

Thank you, Zac, for your kind words and support throughout the years! :)

Maria Zuffova @mariazuffova.bsky.social · Jul 18

Big thank you to @alexparsons.bsky.social & @mysociety.org for the WhatDoTheyKnow data - without their support, this research would not be possible! And to all of you who provided feedback on the numerous drafts ;)

Maria Zuffova @mariazuffova.bsky.social · Jul 18

The interactions through ATI laws also represent a useful opportunity for civil servants to explain and clarify any ambiguities that citizens have. The findings show that information requests represent for people a vital communication channel with public administration.

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Maria Zuffova @mariazuffova.bsky.social · Jul 18

Information requests could serve as a litmus test for newly adopted or reformed policies for policymakers. It can provide them with insightful information on how citizens see and experience these policies and use this information as feedback to be incorporated into modifying these policies.

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Maria Zuffova @mariazuffova.bsky.social · Jul 18

The most represented topic was the UK Welfare reform. In-depth analysis of selected requests demonstrated that policy beneficiaries were confused about changes. They used ATI legislation to raise criticism of the reform or seek clarification on how it would affect their individual cases.

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Maria Zuffova @mariazuffova.bsky.social · Jul 18

People submit ATI requests when they are not listened to on other platforms for communicating with public administration and their elected representatives.

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Maria Zuffova @mariazuffova.bsky.social · Jul 18

Requesters don’t just seek transparency and accountability, as was the initial expectation for passing ATI laws. They use ATI to navigate everyday life, raise concerns about new or recently reformed policies, and seek clarification on how they will impact their lives.

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Maria Zuffova @mariazuffova.bsky.social · Jul 18

Using a dataset of 37k ATI requests submitted via the WhatDoTheyKnow platform (WDTK) to the UK central government bodies, I used structural topic modelling to explore what it is that UK citizens want to know from their government. I find that the information demand is very heterogeneous.

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Maria Zuffova @mariazuffova.bsky.social · Jul 18

In this research, I examine what information requests can tell us about information-seeking patterns, public concerns, policy acceptance and engagement with the government.

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Maria Zuffova @mariazuffova.bsky.social · Jul 18

What the Public Wants to Know: A Text-as-Data Study of Information Requests to the UK Government through the WhatDoTheyKnow Platform | Journal of Quantitative Description: Digital Media

journalqd.org

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Maria Zuffova @mariazuffova.bsky.social · May 13

We had a sense that we lost an entire generation of Palestinian journalists, but seeing the actual figures (a person behind each) is shocking.

Maria Zuffova @mariazuffova.bsky.social · May 13

Most were local journalists - people who risked their lives to report on the ground, document human rights abuses, and bring stories that might otherwise remain untold.

Maria Zuffova @mariazuffova.bsky.social · May 13

In just one year, 113 journalists and media workers were killed in direct reprisal for their work. Of those, 82 were killed in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

Maria Zuffova @mariazuffova.bsky.social · May 13

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) provides one of the most comprehensive longitudinal global datasets on journalists and media workers who have been killed, imprisoned, or gone missing. Last year was the deadliest year for journalists since CPJ began collecting this data in 1992.

Maria Zuffova @mariazuffova.bsky.social · May 2

If you have time and are interested in gender & politics, join me on 6 May 2025, 14:15–15:15 CEST (online)! I’ll be sharing some work-in-progress on how gender influences which issues get attention in the Slovak parliament: www.eui.eu/events?id=57.... Feedback is much appreciated!

Speaking for whom?

Join Maria Zuffova as she analyses how gender influences issue salience in parliamentary discourse in Slovak parliament

www.eui.eu

Reposted by Maria Zuffova

Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · Apr 15

Law enforcement wearing masks, again, even as one of the Trump administration conditions for universities is that no-one can wear a mask that disrupts their surveillance.

The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · Apr 14

Grabbed at his appointment to become a citizen. Is this who we are? 😕🇺🇸

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Reposted by Maria Zuffova

Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · Mar 19

If you are visiting the United States, having a negative view of Trump is enough to get you denied entry.
If this was coming out of Russia or China, we would deplore such an authoritarian attack on freedom of expression.

"I learned with concern that a French researcher" on assignment for the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) "who was traveling to a conference near Houston was denied entry to the United States before being expelled ," said the Minister of Higher Education and Research, Philippe Baptiste, in a statement sent to Agence France-Presse (AFP). "This measure was apparently taken by the American authorities because the researcher's phone contained exchanges with colleagues and friends in which he expressed a personal opinion on the Trump administration's research policy ," he added

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