Zeth Isaksson
Max Weber Fellow & Researcher European University Institute · Stockholm University
Why do people vote the way they do? I work on that question from two angles: the long shadow of history and the rise of the radical right. I use registry, archival, and survey data with causal-inference methods.
Badia Fiesolana · Fiesole
Why do people vote the way they do?
Most of my work comes back to that question, and to a hunch that goes with it: the patterns we see in politics today often mirror ones from the past. I am a Max Weber Fellow at the European University Institute, working in comparative politics, historical political economy, political behaviour, and quantitative methods.
Empirically I work mostly with Swedish and post-socialist administrative and survey data, historical records, and quasi-experimental designs. My research has appeared in West European Politics, Energy Policy, Electoral Studies, Party Politics, Acta Politica, the Journal of Elections, Public Opinion & Parties, and Sociologia Ruralis, among others.
I received my PhD from Stockholm University in 2025 and have held visiting positions at the EUI, the WZB in Berlin, and Stockholm University's Department of Political Science. I am also a researcher on a Swedish Research Council project (2026–2028) on structural change and radical-right support.
I'm always open to new collaborations. Much of my research is single-authored — I think taking a project from first question to finished paper on your own is part of becoming a complete researcher — but the questions I care about are usually better in good company.
Publications
My work runs along two distinct profiles: historical political economy, and the radical right and rural political behaviour. For the most part they stay separate, but every so often they speak to one another.
11 peer-reviewed articles · 10 solo-authored
- 2026Social Mobility and Cross-Pressured PreferencesWest European Politics Forthcoming
- 2026Legacies of Communism: State of the Art and Future DirectionsPolitical Research Exchange
- 2026Jumping on the Bandwagon or off the Sinking Ship: Electoral Support and Candidate SupplyScandinavian Political Studies
- 2026How Car Culture Drives Political Preferences in Rural Regions: Evidence from SwedenSociologia Ruralis
- 2025Persistent Breeze from the Winds of Change: Political Behaviour Among Protest Participants After Democratic TransitionElectoral Studies
- 2025Repression, Party Ties, and Political Beliefs: Ideological Continuities Among Voters After SocialismParty Politics
- 2024Spirited Away: Access to Alcohol and Support for the Populist Radical RightElectoral Studies
- 2024Political Expectations and Electoral Responses to Wind Farm Development in Sweden (with Simon Gren)Energy Policy
- 2024Candidate Shortages and the Electoral Consequences for Radical Right-Wing Parties: Insights from SwedenJournal of Elections, Public Opinion & Parties
- 2024Behind the Wall: Did the Lack of Interaction Between East and West Contribute to the Rise of the Radical Right?Acta Politica
- 2023Political Effects of Rural School Closures: Evidence from SwedenJournal of Rural Studies
Dissertation
- 2025Political Behavior in the Shadow of SocialismStockholm University
In the pipeline
Revise & resubmit · Under review
- Social Mobility and the Two Faces of Gender BacklashR&R
- Turnout Without Turnover: Direct and Indirect Election in Sweden's Second Chamber, 1872–1908Under review
- From Repression to Participation: How Historical Political Repression Shapes Long-term Political ParticipationUnder review
In preparation
- Democratic Protests as a Catalyst for Long-term Political Participation
- Beyond Borders: Landed Elites, Rural Conflict, and Diverging Political Behavior in Transferred Regions
- The Political Circus
- Who Prioritizes Political Rights? (with Filip Kostelka)
- The Repercussions of Unequal Political Representation: How Swedish Pre-1911 Democratic Inequality Shaped Later Politics (with Jordi Domènech, Ilona Lahdelma & Jakob Molinder)
- The Unexpected Losers: Occupational Mismatch and Voter Turnout (with Llorenç Soler)
- CO2 Exposure, Environmental Trajectories, and Willingness to Pay for Environmental Taxes (with Filip Olsson & Pär Dalén)
Funding
Structural Change, Education, and the Radical Right: The Political Realignment of Young Men in Rural Sweden
- 2026European University Institute — €1,265
- 2025Karl Staaf Foundation — 37,500 SEK
- 2025Stiftelsen Siamon — 11,000 SEK
- 2024European Consortium for Sociological Research — €1,750
- 2024Helge Ax:son Johnson Foundation — 10,000 SEK
- 2024Gustaf Björklund Memorial Fund — 21,235 SEK
- 2024Elisabeth & Herman Rhodin Fund — 8,765 SEK
- 2017Best Bachelor's Thesis in History, Uppsala University — 10,000 SEK
- 2017Henrik Gahn Scholarship — 15,000 SEK
Courses & supervision
Courses
- Introduction to Quantitative Methods (PhD)European University Institute · Fall 2026 · Convenor
- Crash Course in Quantitative Methods (PhD)Kyiv School of Economics & Kyiv National Economic University · Fall 2026 · Convenor
- Globalization (BA)Stockholm University · Spring 2024, 2025 · Seminar leader
- Basic Methods (BA)Stockholm University · Spring & Fall 2022 · Seminar leader
Supervision
- Master's theses2 · Stockholm University · both students now in research positions
- Bachelor's theses2 · Stockholm University
- External examiner, master's thesisUniversity of Oslo · 2022
Pedagogical training
- EUI Teaching CertificateEuropean University Institute · completing spring 2027
- University Teaching & LearningStockholm University · 5 weeks full-time
Presentations
- APSA Annual Meeting · Boston
- Max Weber Annual Conference · Florence
- Centre for Baltic and East European Studies (CBEES) · Stockholm
- Research Group Seminar, Dept. of Political & Social Sciences, EUI · Florence
- EPSA · Madrid
- Contested Solidarities (CEU) · Vienna
- Politics Inside & Outside Parliament in Central & Eastern Europe — Workshop · Stockholm
- Lunch Seminars in Comparative Politics, Lund University · Lund
- East European Politics Graduate Workshop · Online
- Life Styles and Politics — Workshop · Stockholm
- Political Behaviour in Central & Eastern Europe — EUI · Florence
- Sociologidagarna, Swedish Sociological Association
- EPSA
- SWEPSA
- Stockholm Sessions on Migration · invited · Stockholm
- Higher Seminar in Political Science, Linnaeus University · Växjö
- European University Institute · invited · Florence
- ESSHC
- ECPR General Conference
- SWEPSA
- Centre for Collective Action Research (CeCAR) · invited · Gothenburg
- Anti-Racism Working Group Seminar · invited · Stockholm
- Swedish Institute for Social Research (SOFI) · invited · Stockholm
- Political Periodisations — Workshop · Uppsala
- SNES PhD Workshop · Malmö
- NESS
- SWEPSA
- Centre for Local Government Studies (CKS) · invited · Norrköping
- SWEPSA
Academic service
Boards
- Department Board, Political & Social SciencesEUI · 2025– · Elected Max Weber Fellows representative
- Board of the Faculty of Social SciencesStockholm University · Substitute PhD representative
Referee for
Comparative Political Studies (2) · Electoral Studies (2) · Political Behavior · Political Studies · Environmental Politics · Election Law Journal · Nations and Nationalism · Social Problems · Social Science Research · Genus
Selected coverage
A recognised expert on Swedish politics and the radical right in both the 2022 and 2026 Swedish general elections, featured in hundreds of news articles, radio and TV programmes, and podcasts. In 2022 I was among the most referenced Stockholm University researchers in a single day, with over 500 article mentions worldwide.
- APSwedish voters go to polls to choose a new parliament as hard right bids for role in government2026
- France 24Swedish far-right eyes role in government2026
- AftonbladetRekordmånga har röstat i utsatta områden2026
- Sveriges RadioVarför växer det politiska gapet mellan män och kvinnor?2026
- SVTStora skillnader i ungas valdeltagande2024
- APSwedish conservatives close to election win amid crime fears2022
- Al JazeeraParties in Sweden election 'completely even' as far right surges2022
- NBC NewsSweden's right-wing opposition slightly ahead in election still too close to call2022
- Dagens NyheterHögervind bland unga ökar stödet för kärnkraft2022
- Aftonbladet"Jag skäms inte att säga att jag röstar på SD"2022
- Sveriges RadioKritiserad klimataktion kan påverka stödet för Miljöpartiet2022
The full record
A complete list of publications, grants, presentations, and service is in my CV.
Get in touch
Affiliation
European University InstituteDept. of Political & Social Sciences
Badia Fiesolana, Fiesole (Florence)