Lunchtime Seminars by Maurits Meijers

Lies, Damned Lies, and Politics: How Citizens Make Sense of Political Deception and What it Means for Democracy 

Abstract 

Politicians across the world are routinely accused of lying. But what do citizens actually understand by political lying, and does it matter for how they feel about democracy? This lecture presents findings from the DEMO-LIES project on the citizen side of political deception. Drawing on conceptual work on the definition of political lying, qualitative focus group evidence from Flanders, and a nationally representative panel diary study conducted in the Netherlands, I examine three questions. First, what counts as political lying — and do citizens agree? Second, how strongly do prior political attitudes shape perceptions of political deception? Third, what are the downstream consequences of perceiving politicians as liars for citizens’ evaluations of politicians and parties, their satisfaction with democracy, and their support for liberal democracy? The findings suggest that perceptions of political lying are deeply partisan, highly context-dependent, and consequential: citizens who perceive political lying to be widespread show markedly lower democratic support. The lecture concludes by situating these findings within the broader challenge of political deception for representative democracy. 

Bio

Maurits Meijers is Research Professor of Political Science at the University of Antwerp. His research examines how representative democracy comes under pressure from political lying, populism, and party behaviour, and how citizens and elites respond. He is Principal Investigator of DEMO-LIES, an ERC-funded project studying political lying accusations, how citizens perceive them, and what they mean for democratic citizenship across Western democracies.

Europe’s Populist Condition 

In this talk, Dr Emmy Eklundh will present her latest book, Europe’s Populist Condition. Challenging the notion that populism is an anomaly in European politics, this book argues that the main threat to democracy is the exclusionary nature of European democratic traditions. Drawing on decolonial studies, feminist theory, psychoanalysis, and democratic theory, the book reveals how liberal democracy in Europe promotes a fantasy of equality while its politics enacts the exact opposite. By exposing these injustices, the book makes a bold case: populism is not our main problem (or solution), but simply another facet of the ills of liberalism. The book is essential reading for understanding the future of democracy in Europe. 

Bio

Emmy Eklundh is Senior Lecturer at Cardiff University. Her research is located in the interface between European Politics and political and social theory. Emmy uses radical democratic frameworks to further our understanding of democracy in Europe, the challenges to our current liberal order, but also the possibilities for democratic reform.