Reto Bürgisser

Reto Bürgisser

Postdoctoral Researcher

University of Zurich

Welcome!

I am a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Department of Political Science (IPZ) at the University of Zurich. Previously, I was a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Bern. I hold a Ph.D. from the European University Institute.

My research lies at the intersection of political economy, comparative politics, and public policy. I am interested in how governments enact and citizens evaluate inclusive and sustainable economic, social, and environmental policies and their subsequent political implications. Currently, I am part of the NORFACE TECHNO and the ERC Welfare Priorities projects.

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Interests
  • Welfare States & Labor Markets
  • Fiscal & Environmental Policy
  • Technological Change
  • Growth Models
Education
  • PhD European University Institute, 2019

  • MRes European University Institute, 2015

  • MA University of Zurich, 2014

  • BA University of Zurich, 2011

Publications

(2023). Public Opinion on Welfare State Recalibration in Times of Austerity: Evidence from Survey Experiments. Political Science Research and Methods 11(1), 34-52.

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(2023). Policy Responses to Technological Change in the Workplace. JRC Working Paper Series on Social Classes in the Digital Age 2023/04, 1-21.

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(2023). Family Policy. The Oxford Handbook of Swiss Politics. Oxford University Press.

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(2023). Do Citizens Care About Government Debt? Evidence From Survey Experiments on Budgetary Priorities. European Journal of Political Research 62(1), 239-263.

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(2022). Wählerschaft und Perspektiven der Sozialdemokratie in der Schweiz. NZZ Libro.

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(2022). The Partisan Politics of Family and Labor Market Policy Reforms in Southern Europe. in Garritzmann, J., S. Häusermann, and B. Palier (eds.). The World Politics of Social Investment (Volume II): The Politics of Varying Social Investment Strategies. Oxford University Press.

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(2022). Familienpolitik. Handbuch der Schweizer Politik. NZZ Libro.

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(2021). Insider–Outsider Representation and Social Democratic Labor Market Policy. Socio-Economic Review 19(3), 1065–1094.

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(2021). Attitudinal Polarization Towards the Redistributive Role of the State in the Wake of the COVID-19 Crisis. Journal of Elections, Public Opinion and Parties 31(S1), 41-55.

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(2021). Trade-Offs Between Redistribution and Environmental Protection: the Role of Information, Ideology, and Self-Interest. Journal of European Public Policy 28(4), 489-509.

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(2019). The Politics of Welfare State Recalibration in Continental and Southern Europe. Ph.D. Thesis. Department of Political and Social Sciences, European University Institute.

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Ongoing Research

Book Project

  • The Politics of Welfare State Recalibration in Continental and Southern Europe (based on my Ph.D. thesis)

Technological Change

  • Policy Responses to Technological Change in the Workplace. JRC Working Paper Series on Social Classes in the Digital Age. 2023.
  • Can Policy Interventions Moderate Political Backlash to Structural Change? (with Thomas Kurer and Silja Häusermann)
  • White Collar Automation: Labor Market Entry and Political Preferences (with Thomas Kurer)
  • Support for the EU’s Next Generation Digitalization Initiative (with Aina Gallego, Alex Kuo, and Silja Häusermann)

Welfare State

  • How Perceived Distributive Effects Shape Labor Market Policy Support (with Silja Häusermann and Fabienne Eisenring). URPP Equality of Opportunity Discussion Paper Series #37)
  • Generational Variation in Welfare Preferences across the GALTAN Divide (with Matthias Enggist, Silja Häusermann and Michael Pinggera)
  • How Can Solidaristic Reforms Succeed? A Case Study of the German Grundrentereform (with Fabienne Eisenring and Silja Häusermann)
  • Social Democracy, Intra-Party Class Heterogeneity, and Labor Market Reforms

Political Economy of Climate Change

  • Can Information, Party Cues, and Compensation Increase Mass Support for Green Taxes? (with Isabelle Stadelmann-Steffen and Klaus Armingeon)
  • Perceived Climate Change Vulnerability and Environmental Policy Preferences (with Benedikt Seisl)
  • Are People Willing to Pay for the Twin Transition? Media Discourse and Mass Attitudes Towards Green and Digital Industrial Policies (with Björn Bremer, Fabio Bulfone, and Timo Seidl)
  • Decarbonization and Political Backlash

Fiscal Policy

  • Lower Taxes At All Costs? Evidence from a Survey Experiment in Four European Countries (with Björn Bremer). Draft
  • Class Constituencies of Liberalizing and De-liberalizing Social Democratic Parties in Government (with Klaus Armingeon)

Political Economy of Tourism-Led Growth

  • Sunshine States in World Markets: When States Capitalize on their Comparative Advantage in Tourism (with Donato di Carlo)
  • Tourism as a Developmental Strategy in Peripheral Economies (with Donato Di Carlo)

Teaching

University of Zurich

  • The Political Economy of Climate Change, MA Seminar, Spring Term 2024.
  • The Political Economy of Climate Change, MA Seminar, Spring Term 2023.
  • The Politics of the Welfare State, BA Specialization Seminar, Fall/Spring Term 2021/2022.
  • Political Consequences of Technological Change, MA Seminar, Spring Term 2021.
  • Swiss Economic and Social Policy in Comparative Perspective, BA Seminar, Spring Term 2020.
  • Political Consequences of Technological Change, MA Seminar, Spring Term 2020.

University of Bern

  • Causes and Consequences of the Crisis in Southern Europe, BA Seminar, Fall Term 2019.
    Awarded with the Excellence in Teaching Award by the Faculty of Business, Economics, and Social Science.
  • States and Markets: Introduction to Comparative Political Economy, BA Seminar, Spring Term 2019.
    Awarded with the Excellence in Teaching Award by the Faculty of Business, Economics, and Social Science.
  • Causes and Consequences of the Crisis in Southern Europe, BA Seminar, Fall Term 2018.

European University Institute

  • Introduction to Quantitative Methods, Ph.D. Seminar, Fall Term 2015 (with Fabrizio Bernardi).
  • Catch-Up Course in Data Analysis, Ph.D. Block Seminar, Fall Term 2015.

Supervision

  • 10+ MA theses
  • 15+ BA theses

Outreach

Media

Policy Briefs and Reports

Contact

  • Department of Political Science, University of Zurich, Affolternstrasse 56, 8050 Zurich, Switzerland,