Dismantling Democracy: Insecurity, emotions and authoritarian populism

ISPP 2024 Annual Meeting
4-6 July 2024
Sanitago, Chile

President: Catarina Kinnvall (Lund University, Sweden)
Program Co-chairs: Molly Andrews (University College London), Neil Ferguson (Liverpool Hope University), Siugmin Lay, (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile)

Conference Program (PDF)

ISPP’s 47th Annual Conference in Santiago, Chile, ISPP’s first time meeting in South America, was hugely successful. 121 sessions over three days spanned 12 thematic sections, including a section for presentations in Spanish and Portuguese. There were 480 registrants, representing 50 countries from around the globe.

This year’s conference theme “Dismantling Democracy: Insecurity, emotions and authoritarian populism” was highlighted by the related Presidential Address, keynotes, and 20 panels, roundtables, and posters. The panels and plenary sessions included discussions around the conference theme, and its relation to political psychology. The thematic sections of Social Inequality, Social Change, and Civic Development; Political Behavior, Participation, and Civic Engagement; and Public Opinion and Political Communication had the next-largest numbers of presentations, contributing to the lively discussions, debates, and updates on new research and findings that ran throughout the conference.

This year’s conference was again augmented by meetings held by the Scholars Under Threat Committee, the Caucus of Concerned Scholars, and three sessions specifically structured for Early Career Scholars. Networking-oriented events, such as the Early Career Scholars Social Hour and the Mentoring Luncheon, allowed for peer-to-peer and mentor-mentee interactions and connections to be made. And, not to be overlooked, ISPP’s presence in South America facilitated connections with local scholars and institutions, which ISPP hopes will continue during the years when the conference is held elsewhere. This annual event brings together scholars from all corners of the globe, different backgrounds and cultures, all at different points in their careers, for unequaled opportunity to expand their knowledge and ability to share findings in political psychology, and forge lasting connections and memories.

Award Winners

  • 2024 Harold Lasswell Award for Outstanding Scientific Accomplishment in Political Psychology

    Rose McDermott, Brown University

    The Lasswell Award for Outstanding Research in Political Psychology goes to Rose McDermott, the David and Mariana Fisher University Professor of International Relations at Brown University, past-president of the ISPP, and a Fellow in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In the letter of nomination, the nominator noted that “This is the preeminent award in political psychology. I cannot imagine a more deserving recipient. It is mindboggling to consider the range and depth of her contributions: the field would look very different if not for Professor McDermott. Consider a few examples. In her book, Risk Taking in International Relations, she explores the role of uncertainty and sex in crisis situations. In this work, Professor McDermott recognizes limitations in extant models of foreign decision making (e.g., rational choice models), and overcomes these limitations by adopting a model based on prospect theory. She was one of the first political scientists to incorporate framing and risk-taking into political science. It set the stage for work across fields—foreign policy decision-making, opinion formation, political communication, and so on. (She edited a two-volume special issue on prospect theory, as a sign of her impact.) This book catapulted her to the top of the field as reflected by her being awarded the ISPP’s Erikson (now Sidanius) Award. Professor McDermott also was one of the early initiators of using experiments in political science. She wrote a pioneering Annual Review of Political Science paper on experimental methods, edited two special issues, and wrote an agenda-setting chapter on validity in the Cambridge Handbook of Experimental Political Science. Her insights were foundational for how political scientists do their work. (She additionally wrote a fantastic paper on experimental and case study methods.) She also was among the first in the field to explore the role of genetics in politics, doing so with appropriate thoughtfulness and nuance. On top of this, she wrote a remarkable book on presidential mental health (using extensive archival evidence), edited a book on measuring identity, and wrote on intelligence success/failure, ethics in experiments, sex/ gender, and more. Professor McDermott is, in short, a phenomenal scholar. She also has had an enormous professional impact on the field, and is a model colleague, mentor, teacher, and person. She is long overdue for this award. “  The Committee also noted McDermott’s work in collecting and making available, free of charge to any legitimate scholar, the data in WomanStats (https://www.womanstats.org/), done with Valerie Hudson.

  • 2024 Nevitt Sanford Award for Outstanding Professional Contributions to Political Psychology

    Charis Psaltis, University of Cyprus

    Research team composed of Larysa Zasiekina, Lesya Ukrainka Volyn National University; Serhii Zasiekin, Lesya Ukrainka Volyn National University; and Victor Kuperman, McMaster University

    Professor Charis Psaltis of the University of Cyprus, was nominated on the basis of his pathbreaking contributions with important political applications in three areas. (a) the study of inter-ethnic contact leading to the UN-appraised ‘Imagine Project’; (b) the widely- respective interventions by the Council of Europe and the OECD; and (c) the development of public opinion survey work on the Cypriot dispute that has shaped mediation by UN practitioners and the Greek-Turkish Forum. While Professor Psaltis has an impressive publication record across several areas, as well as service to the discipline (for instance, as the National Coordinator of Cyprus for the European Social Survey in Round 10), these are the three main areas of impact that in the Committee’s view merited the awarding of the Nevitt Sanford Award.

    The Zasiekina, Zasiekin, and Kuperman team includes Larysa Zasiekina (Psychology, Member of ISPP), Professor Serhii Zasiekin (Applied Linguistics, Lesya Ukrainka Volyn National University), and Professor Victor Kuperman (Linguistics, McMaster University, Canada). The Committee was especially impressed by their bilingual project “The Narratives of War (NoW) Virtual Exhibit. ” This research initiative demonstrates the research team’s dedication to promoting international peace by shedding light on the devastating realities of war. “The Narratives of War (NoW) Virtual Exhibit”, accessible at https://now.omeka.net/, was created to amplify these Ukrainian voices as part of the lived experience  of war. By collecting and disseminating these testimonies, the project aims to contribute to the national and global cultural memory of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Featuring thousands of accounts from witnesses of all ages and regions, the NoW project serves as a timeline and map of the ongoing war, while also telling stories of suffering, resilience and hope. The bilingual (English and Ukrainian) project contributes greatly to the practical application of political-psychological principles. Additionally, “The Narratives of War (NoW) Virtual Exhibit” creates and disseminates knowledge that can be used by researchers, practitioners and advocacy groups to make a positive difference in the way politics is carried out. The digital format of the exhibit, combined with its potential for evolution in the Virtual Library, represents an innovative, creative, effective and sustainable approach to addressing political and social challenges in times of conflict and war. The evident impact of the project lies in the provision of both measurable data (a precise war chronology in terms of dates, months, and years) and qualitative insights (diverse war experiences across Ukrainian oblasts). This exhibit has the potential to serve as a valuable corpus for future interdisciplinary studies of political science, including political and social psychology, communication, statistics, testimonies, before-and-after analyses, and other pertinent research that will enhance research on intercultural competence and mutual understanding for peace.

  • 2024 David O. Sears Best Book on Mass Politics Award

    Matthew Rhodes-Purdy, Clemson University; Rachel Navarre, Bridgewater State University; and Stephen Utych, YouGov
    For The Age of Discontent: Populism, Extremism, and Conspiracy Theories in Contemporary Democracies

    Matthew Rhodes-Purdy (Clemson University), Rachel Navarre (Bridgewater State University) and Stephen Utych’s book The Age of Discontent: Populism, Extremism, and Conspiracy Theories in Contemporary Democracies, published by Cambridge University Press, offers a sweeping contribution to knowledge about the pernicious forces underlying democratic discontent in the modern era.

    In their book, the authors develop a theory about the “affective political economy of discontent.” Prior arguments describe economic strife and cultural backlash as competing explanations for populism, conspiracism, and extremism. By contrast, the authors’ theory bridges macro-level politics with micro-level psychology. They explain that economic change causes emotional reactions which, in turn, cause cultural and democratic discontent. The book marshals an impressive array of evidence to test each step in the theory, including experiments and surveys in the U.S. alongside comparative case studies that include countries in Europe, South America, and North America. Their careful theory and analyses leave leaders with a richer understanding of the challenges to preserving democracy in the twenty-first century. 

  • 2024 Juliette and Alexander L. George Outstanding Political Psychology Book Award

    Alessandro Nai, University of Amsterdam; and Jürgen Maier, University of Koblenz-Landau
    For Dark Politics: The Personality of Politicians and the Future of Democracy

    Alessandro Nai (University of Amsterdam) and Jürgen Maier’s (University of Koblenz-Landau) book Dark Politics: The Personality of Politicians and the Future of Democracy, published by Oxford University Press, establishes a new frontier in research on the electoral implications of politicians’ personalities. The book introduces new data on the “dark triad” of narcissism, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism among electoral candidates worldwide. They explore how “dark” politicians campaign, when they win, how they govern, and which voters find dark personalities appealing. This agenda-setting book has important implications for understanding the rise of dark politics and the future of democracy around the world.

  • 2024 Jim Sidanius Early Career Award

    Carly Wayne, Washington University St. Louis

    The winner for the Jim Sidanius Early Career Award is Carly Wayne (Assistant Professor, Washington University in St Louis). While we received numerous very strong nominations, we feel that her file stands out for being particularly strong. As aptly summarized by her nominee, “You will see from her CV that she is an extraordinary young scholar, already widely published and having a major impact only 4 years after her PhD was granted. I count 1 award-winning Stanford Press book with Alex Mintz, another coauthored text at Cambridge, 12 peer reviewed papers already published, and many other papers under review or in preparation. Her dissertation won 3 major awards, including Best Dissertation in Political Psychology in 2019. At this writing, her work has already been cited more than 800 times according to Google Scholar, and her rate of impact is steeply increasing. She has been invited to give dozens of presentations at universities and workshops around the world, despite the pandemic, since 2019. This is an astounding level of productivity, impact, and acclaim for someone so young.” Dr Wayne is highly deserving of this award and we are thrilled to be able to announce her as the 2024 winner of the Jim Sidanius Early Career Award.

  • 2024 John L. Sullivan Mentorship Award

    Leonie Huddy, Stony Brook University

    The winner for the John Sullivan Award for Outstanding Mentorship is Dr. Leonie Huddy. Dr. Huddy’s letters of nomination and support were glowing, and scholars pointed to her incredible generosity as a tough but kind mentor, who pushed them to work harder and think more clearly about their concepts and ideas. They note her tireless work in the discipline, to mentor not only her own students at Stony Brook, but the entire community in political psychology, through her various collaborative projects, her networking initiatives, and her genuine interest in the success and careers of her mentees. One nominee stated, “You will not find a professor more generous with their time to meet, read work, and provide feedback than Dr. Leonie Huddy,” and this observation was confirmed over and over again by the supporting letter writers. Dr Huddy has had a long and successful career, and has spent a good deal of that time trying to support and improve the experiences of those she has worked with. She is highly deserving of this award.

  • 2024 Jeanne Knutson Award

    Paul Nesbitt-Larking, Huron University College

    The Jeanne Knutson Award for Outstanding Service to the ISPP goes to Paul Nesbitt-Larking. The nominator said in their letter of nomination, “Paul has very actively served in leadership roles in ISPP for 20 years.  He has chaired several committees, especially serving on the Erik Erikson (now Sidanius) Prize Committee and on several conference organising committees.  He has been President and Vice President, and has been an active and energetic member of the Executive Board. He also serves one the editorial board of Political Psychology. In addition to his citizenship for the organisation, he has an outstanding academic record in the field, with editorial or author roles in six books and an important series for Palgrave.  He has published extensively in academic journals and policy reports.  His work in particular reflects a very strongly international scope of research and commentary, which is congruent with ISPP’s agenda.  His work is very innovative and he is a leader in the field of narrative research. Paul is the kind of scholar who typifies what ISPP stands for, and the message we are purveying to the international academic and policy communities.” In addition to these qualifications, the Committee noted that Paul Nesbitt-Larking has been active in the Caucus of Concerned Scholars: Committee on Ethics and Morality, and has done yeoman service as a reviewer for the journal, Political Psychology.

  • 2024 Roberta Sigel Best Conference Paper by Early Career Member Award 1

    Elisabetta Mannoni, Political Science Department, LUISS, Rome

    “Pro-environmental voting: what it is, how to measure it, and its determinants among contemporary European voters”

    Elisabetta’s paper was highly commended by the Award Committee for reporting on an innovative piece of research that pushes forward conceptual understanding of pro-environmental voting in political psychology through an impressive analysis of large-scale multi-national data. The paper examined pro-environment behaviour through voting- specifically whether individuals vote for a party or candidate who emphasises environmental protection. It drew on the Chapel Hill Expert survey to categorise political parties in terms of their green credentials and then, on data from 26 European countries as part of the European Social Survey to assess the predictors of pro-environmental voting. Findings demonstrated, most notably, that pro-environmental voting was driven by moral obligation- i.e., people who felt responsible for environmental issues tended to vote for parties who emphasise environmental protection. Collective response efficacy, however, did not predict voting behaviour. Some demographic variations were also found, for example, younger voters tended to vote more in favour of environmental parties than older voters. Taken together, the paper demonstrates a novel conceptualisation and measurement of pro-environmental voting that makes an important contribution to the field. The Award Committee recognised the excellence of this research and commended Elisabetta for producing such a strong piece of research at an early career stage.

  • 2024 Roberta Sigel Best Conference Paper by Early Career Member Award 2

    Claire M. Gothreau , Aarhus University, Denmark

    The paper first authored by Claire was highly commended by the Award Committee. The research, which examined the underrepresentation of women in politics, represents one of the most comprehensive examinations of the phenomenon to date, drawing on samples from twenty countries across five continents, using a conjoint candidate choice experimental design. All main hypotheses and analyses were pre-registered. Findings showed that voters generally preferred women candidates. This pro-female bias held in 14 countries, with only one country evidencing a pro-male bias. Macro-level factors that predicted a preference for women candidates were country-level representation of women in parliament, gender equality, and levels of democracy, whereas individual-level factors that predicted this preference were being female, politically left-leaving, and low endorsement of hostile sexism. The scope, timeliness, and theoretical and methodological rigor of the research makes it a stand-out paper led by an early career researcher.

  • 2024 Best Dissertation Award

    Ramzi Abou-Ismail, University of Kent

    The winner for the Best Dissertation Award 2024 is Dr. Ramzi Abou-Ismail (University of Kent). While we received numerous very strong nominations and in the evaluation process read a number of excellent dissertations, we found that Ramzi Abou-Ismail’s dissertation “The Structure of Collective Violence Beliefs: Scale Development, Predictors, and Outcomes” stood out. In addition to theoretical innovations and methodological rigour, we focused on the societal relevance of the research in our assessment. In his outstanding dissertation, Ramzi Abou-Ismail, bridging social identity and dual process model approaches, developed a scale on collective violence beliefs. The scale looks at both outgroup members and leaders and was tested in Turkey, Syria, and Lebanon, three non-WEIRD countries (non-White, Educated, Industrialised, Rich and Democratic) as well as the United States. The findings have implications for peace-building and development of interventions to prevent collective violence. Moreover, the new, innovative instrument can be readily used in future research.

    Honorable Mentions

    Beatriz Besen, University of São Paulo

    We also recognise two honourable mentions for dissertations of Dr. Beatriz Besen (University of São Paulo, now visiting researcher at Barcelona Center of Discoursive studies) “Nos limiares do(a) político(a): (des/re)construindo trajetórias e narrativas de jovens ativistas das Direitas Radicais no Brasil e na Alemanha” and Dr. Naima Green-Riley (Harvard University, now assistant professor at Princeton University) “How to Win Friends and Influence People Overseas:  The U.S., China, and the Microfoundations of Public Diplomacy.”

    Naima Green-Riley, Princeton University

    We also recognise two honourable mentions for dissertations of Dr. Beatriz Besen (University of São Paulo, now visiting researcher at Barcelona Center of Discoursive studies) “Nos limiares do(a) político(a): (des/re)construindo trajetórias e narrativas de jovens ativistas das Direitas Radicais no Brasil e na Alemanha” and Dr. Naima Green-Riley (Harvard University, now assistant professor at Princeton University) “How to Win Friends and Influence People Overseas:  The U.S., China, and the Microfoundations of Public Diplomacy.”

Keynotes

Catarina Kinnvall, ISPP President, Lund University, Sweden
Presidental Address

Grievances as Loss: Ontological insecurity, postcolonial melancholia, and masculinism. This presentation will address the particular narratives and discourses that respond to increased feelings of uncertainty, anxiety and fear, so called ‘ontological insecurities’, and their connections to postcolonial imaginaries of increasingly authoritarian polities. I discuss how such narratives and discourses are emotionally governed and psychoanalytically resonant in their focus on imaginary pasts and futures and how they are accelerated by the ubiquity of hybrid media that have allowed for increasingly populist authoritarian forces to efficiently spread their emotional messages. In the presentation I spell out how specific grievances and attachments are being rethought, re-justified and reimagined through postcolonial pasts and practices, and how narratives of ‘trauma’, ‘nationhood’ and ‘masculinism’ explain the desires, violence and ruptures involved in postcolonial bordering and gendered subject formation. In addition, I discuss how, and to what extent, resistance is possible.

Elizabeth Lira, Alberto Hurtado University, Chile
Reparation and Recognition of victims of human rights violations

The year 2023 marked the 50th anniversary of the military coup in Chile that led to a 17-year dictatorship characterized by human rights violations. The violence resulted in thousands of victims, prisoners and tortured, victims of forced disappearance and extrajudicial executions. The talk will be a reflection on the process of recognition and reparation of the victims and their families as part of the policies of the transition from dictatorship to democratic government through the establishment of truth, justice, and memory, which today constitute transdisciplinary fields of research, professional practices, and political action.

Agustín Espinosa, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú
Democratic Weakening from Citizen Decision-Making: Political Moral Laxity as a Consequence of Perverse Political Socialization

Political structures and dynamics characterized by a high prevalence of structural violence, corruption and systemic malfunctioning, as in the case of some Latin American societies, seem to produce in citizens reasonings such as “all politicians are the same so it is acceptable to vote for a candidate who steals, but do the work” or “it is right to vote for those politicians we consider as the ‘lesser evil.'” The above shows that the political systems to which we are exposed act as socializing forces with a potential impact on how we will position ourselves before the public, the collective, the private and the individual as dimensions of the political. Types of reasoning such as those mentioned previously have been systematized and have allowed the coining of the concept of Political Moral Laxity, which comprises “a set of beliefs and political attitudes of citizens who tolerate, and even favor, dishonest, transgressive and corrupt actions carried out by politicians and authorities.” Although these actions could individually or collectively benefit those who accept them, they can cause harm or damage to other citizens and society in general, establishing tensions between the private and the public, where the latter is constantly left aside. This presentation will emphasize the social conditions in which Political Moral Laxity occurs and gains strength, as well as, the potential consequences it has for democracy.

Call for Papers / Conference Theme / Submission

Conference Theme: Dismantling Democracy: Insecurity, emotions and authoritarian populism

President: Catarina Kinnvall (Lund University, Sweden)

Program Co-chairs: Molly Andrews (University College London), Neil Ferguson (Liverpool Hope University), Siugmin Lay, (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile)

Submission Deadline: 29 November 2023

Our Call for Papers can be viewed HERE.

Event Site

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