My research looks at the positions parties take and the issues they emphasise.
What explains why parties take extreme positions? (Wagner 2012)
What are niche parties? Do parties shift from niche to mainstream, and if so, why? (Wagner 2012, Meyer and Wagner 2013)
Which issues do parties emphasise? When do parties engage their rivals on issues? (Meyer and Wagner 2014, forthcoming)
What explains the positions parties take on decentralisation, and why do parties emphasise the issue? (Toubeau and Wagner 2015 & forthcoming)
When and how do parties talk about the EU? (Wagner 2008, Senninger and Wagner 2015)
2. Electoral behaviour
My research looks at why voters vote the way they do and what they think of political parties.
How do ideological dimensions influence vote choice? (Wagner and Kritzinger 2012, Lefkofridi, Wagner and Willmann 2014, Aichholzer, Kritzinger, Wagner and Zeglovits 2014)
How do voters evaluate party competence? (Wagner and Zeglovits 2014, Meyer and Wagner 2015)
How does media bias influence electoral decisions? (Eberl, Boomgaarden and Wagner forthcoming)
How do our emotions influence electoral decisions? (Wagner 2014)
3. Voter expectations about MP activities
My research looks at what voters expect from their MPs and how they react to MP behaviour.
Do voters want their MPs to work on national policy or on constituency matters? (Vivyan and Wagner forthcoming)
Why do voters like independent-minded MPs? (Vivyan and Wagner 2012, Campbell, Cowley, Vivyan and Wagner forthcoming)
When do voters punish their MPs for wrongdoing? (Tarlov, Vivyan and Wagner 2012, Wagner, Vivyan and Tarlov 2014)