On April 9, 2019, the Berlin Landgericht dismissed a claim filed by the AfD fraction in the Thuringian state parliament against the WZB. The AfD fraction had attempted to force the WZB to abstain from making statements that the party viewed as contravening personality rights. The court reasoned that the study in question was a piece of academic research and thus could not infringe upon the fraction’s personality rights in any way.

Populism is booming, left, right, and at the center of national parliaments, in coalitions with mainstream parties or as wildly successful challenges to the political status quo. Populist parties’ success stems in part from their anti-elitist rhetoric. But what happens when populists are elected into the establishment they claim to oppose? New research by Werner Krause and Aiko Wagner reveals how the reasons voters elect populists shift depending on how established the populist parties are.

Positive social contact between members of ethnic or religious groups in conflict can reduce discriminatory behavior – while prejudice remains unchanged, a new study shows. It is based on a field experiment among Christian and Muslim young men, that was undertaken in a riot-prone city in Nigeria by WZB researcher Alexandra Scacco and Shana S. Warren (New York University). The study offers key insights for policy makers who implement peacebuilding and youth programming interventions in conflict and post-conflict regions.