Álvaro Canalejo-Molero

I am a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Lucerne, where I contribute to the SNSF-funded project DIGIPOL and serve as a Senior Researcher at the Chair of Political Behavior and Communication. I am also affiliated with the Digital Society Initiative at the University of Zurich.

I earned my PhD in Political and Social Sciences from the European University Institute in 2023. During my doctoral studies, I was a Visiting Fellow at the London School of Economics and Political Science and later served as an External Lecturer at the University of Lucerne.

Originally from the city with the most UNESCO heritage sites in the world—Córdoba, Spain—I am always open to inquiries or collaborations. Feel free to contact me.

Thanks for visiting!

Research Interests

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My research lies on the fields of comparative politics, political behavior, and public opinion, with a particular interest in the intersection of party politics, public attitudes, and behavior. I also have a keen interest in research design and methodology, particularly mixed-methods, experimental, and causal inference designs, to tackle pressing social questions. Below is a summary of my main research topics.

Elections, Democracy, and Affective Polarization

Since my doctoral studies, I have examined how election outcomes under conditions of affective polarization shape democratic attitudes and behaviors. My dissertation argued that while new party entry positively impacts democratic engagement, this effect is often overshadowed by hostility toward mainstream party winners. Building on these findings, my current research explores whether elections create a winner-loser gap among politicians and investigates the mechanisms driving the erosion of losers’ consent in polarized societies. Concerned about the negative implications of partisan animosity for democracy, I also study the potential of depolarizing interventions in multi-party systems, including the effectiveness of tools such as Voting Advice Applications.

The Politics of Digitalization

Following my PhD, I have developed a research agenda focused on the politics of digitalization. Moving from the supply to the demand side of electoral politics, the adoption of digital technologies has proven to effect electoral behavior, but its politicization has been limited nevertheless. In the DIGIPOL project we investigate whether digitalization creates fertile ground for a new political conflict and how political parties address digitalization issues, an increasingly pressing topic given the shift toward AI.

Spanish Politics and Regional Identities

Finally, I have a keen interest in Spanish politics (1, 2), particularly the role of multiple national and regional identities in shaping political behavior and democratic commitment. My research seeks to deepen our understanding of how these overlapping identities contribute to political disaffection and explore whether the design of asymmetric federal institutions can mitigate such challenges.