Carmen Walenta-Bergmann

Dr. Carmen Walenta-Bergmann is a Scientific Associate at the Institute for Political Science and Social Policy at Johannes Kepler University (JKU) in Linz, Austria. She completed her doctoral studies in economics and social sciences at JKU in 2023, following a Master's degree in Sociology from the Free University of Berlin and a Bachelor's degree in Sociology from Karl-Franzens University, Graz.

Her research focuses on comparative political science, political sociology, and social policy, with particular emphasis on political representation in Austrian municipalities, childcare policy, and the relationship between party positions and voter preferences on social policy issues. Walenta-Bergmann has conducted international research including stays at the Higher School of Economics in Moscow and the University of Molise in Italy.

Dr. Walenta-Bergmann has published in several high-impact journals including Journal of European Social Policy and Social Politics, with her work primarily examining Austrian social policy development at both national and subnational levels. Her publications demonstrate a consistent focus on empirical analysis of political representation and its effects on social policy outcomes.

Her notable achievements include:

• Peer-reviewed articles in Journal of European Social Policy (2024) and Social Politics (2023)
• Development of a research dataset on Political Representation in Austrian Municipalities
• Active participation in major political science conferences including IPSA and ECPR
• Membership on the program committee of the Austrian Political Science Association (ÖGPW) conference

As an early-career researcher who recently completed her doctorate, Dr. Walenta-Bergmann is establishing herself as a specialist in Austrian political representation and social policy analysis, with particular expertise in municipal-level governance and childcare policy development.