Dr. Ruben Van Severen
Question & answer
What is your research about?
My research focuses on how citizens view representative democracy and alternative forms of political decision-making, such as direct democracy, where citizens can directly influence policy choices, expert democracy, in which decisions are made by people with the right knowledge and skills, and autocracy, where one leader holds power. I study how individual characteristics, such as ideology and political cynicism, and contextual factors, such as social crises and political polarization, shape the way people evaluate these different forms of government.
Where does your interest in this topiccome from?
My interest partly comes from my background in psychology. I have always been fascinated by how people think, judge, and make decisions, also in a political context. People around me sometimes say that I try too hard to understand everyone, that I am the eternal seeker of nuance. But I think that is what democracy is really about: the idea that you create the best policies by listening to as many perspectives and interests as possible (with certain limits, of course). Maybe that link with my personal life is exactly why I find politics and democracy so fascinating
Why is your research socially relevant?
I believe that this type of research helps us understand whether, in a climate of political distrust, there are still credible alternatives or complements that can prevent people from completely rejecting the representative system and turning toward authoritarian solutions.
How would colleagues describe you?
Colleagues would probably describe me as kind, collegial, and genuinely interested in the well-being of others. Hopefully also as someone with a sense of humor, otherwise I really need to stop making jokes.
What do you hope to achieve in your academic career?
In terms of research: In the future, I want to better understand what kinds of negativity toward politics exist and how judgments about politicians feed into broader views about democracy. For example, I’m interested in the difference between moralizing judgments (“good versus bad”) and judgments about competence (“they’re just incompetent”). I think the first can more easily lead to a rejection of democracy, while the second perhaps encourages a more critical and constructive attitude
What is the first thing you do when an unexpected gap appears in your schedule?
Oh, I enjoy a lot of things. But what’s probably the most therapeutic for me is a good bouldering session in one of Ghent’s climbing gyms