Raf Reuse is a PhD candidate at the Department of Political Science of Ghent University. In 2021 he obtained his master's degree in Political Science (Belgian Politics). The subject of his master’s thesis was the impact of municipal council chairs on the position and the functioning of the council. Currently, Raf prepares a dissertation on ideological competition in local politics. More specifically, Raf will analyse local party manifestos and examine the role of ideology in local elections. His research is funded by the Special Research Fund of Ghent University.