Mathias Poertner

Dr. Mathias Poertner is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the Department of Government, London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). He specializes in political behavior, democratic representation, political parties, and political methodology, with a focus on Latin America and Europe. His research employs experimental methods, surveys, and qualitative fieldwork to study participation and representation shaped by social identities like partisanship, ethnicity, and gender.

Dr. Poertner earned his Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley. Prior to LSE, he held positions at Texas A&M University and a postdoctoral fellowship with the Evidence in Governance and Politics (EGAP) network. His work has been recognized with prestigious awards, including the Gregory Luebbert Prize and the Jack Walker Award.

His research explores new parties' organizational roots in Latin America, immigrant integration challenges, and the role of social identities in political engagement. Notable publications include Native Bias: Overcoming Discrimination Against Immigrants (Princeton University Press, 2022) and his forthcoming book Creating Partisans: The Organizational Roots of New Parties in Latin America (Cambridge University Press, 2024).

Dr. Poertner’s interdisciplinary approach bridges quantitative and qualitative methods, addressing issues such as electoral behavior, corruption’s impact on trust, and feminist backlash against Muslim immigrants. His work frequently engages with policy-relevant questions in democratic governance and immigrant integration.