Alex Mierke-Zatwarnicki

Welcome! I am a Max Weber Fellow at the European University Institute in Florence, based at the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies. This past summer, I completed my Ph.D. in the Department of Government at Harvard University. I am currently on the academic job market.

My research focuses on political parties and group representation in advanced democracies. A central theme of my work is understanding how political actors navigate heterogeneity, both within and beyond their party. In my book project, which you can read more about here, I explore how outsider parties across the 20th century have drawn upon ‘identity politics’ to gain a foothold in electoral competition. 

To date, my work has been supported by a number of sources, including the Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, the German Academic Exchange Service, and the Weatherhead Center for the Study of International affairs. During my PhD, I held visiting positions at the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies in Cologne, the WZB Berlin Social Science Center, and the Center for the Study of Democratic Citizenship in Montreal. In addition to my PhD, I hold a Bachelor’s degree from the University of British Columbia and a Master’s degree from the University of Toronto, both in political science.