Markus Freitag

Prof. Dr. Markus Freitag is a Professor of Political Sociology at the University of Bern. He studied political science, economics, and German language and literature at Heidelberg University, obtaining his Magister Artium in 1995, followed by a PhD in 1999.

• Positions: Post-Doc at University of Basel, ETH Zurich, University of Essex; Visiting Lecturer at University of Konstanz; Assistant Professor at Humboldt University Berlin; Chair of Comparative Politics at University of Konstanz (2005-2011)
• Current role: Director of the Institute of Political Science, University of Bern (since 2011)

His research focuses on political sociology, political psychology, comparative politics, social capital, and direct democracy. Key themes include:

• Emotional drivers of political behavior during crises (e.g., pandemic politics)
• Personality traits and voter decision-making
• Trust in institutions and associational life
• Intergroup conflict and polarization
• Swiss militia system and local governance
• Global analysis of regime preferences and social cohesion

Recent scientific publications emphasize affective polarization, pandemic preparedness, institutional trust, and arms export ethics, with empirical studies across Europe and post-conflict regions. His work appears in journals like British Journal of Political Science, Comparative Political Studies, and Political Psychology.

Prof. Freitag leads teaching courses at the University of Bern, including "Demokratie und Gesellschaft I" and "The Political Sociology of Crises", and collaborates with researchers such as Christopher Claassen, Sascha Göbel, Alina Zumbrunn, and Maximilian Filsinger.