Paulus Wagner

Paulus Wagner is an Associate Researcher at Sciences Po's Centre for European Studies and Comparative Politics (CEE) and the Laboratory for Interdisciplinary Evaluation of Public Policies (LIEPP). He defended his PhD in Political Science in November 2023, funded by LIEPP. His educational background includes a Research Master's in Social Sciences (Comparative Development Studies) from EHESS Paris, an MA in International Political Economy from King's College London, and a BA in Translation and Interpreting from the University of Vienna and Russian State University of Humanities, Moscow.

Wagner's research examines citizens' attitudes toward social policy, with a focus on welfare chauvinism in far-right populist contexts. Using mixed-methods approaches, including 150 biographical interviews with German and Austrian workers, he analyzes how labor market experiences and welfare state interactions foster exclusionary attitudes. His work challenges modernization theories by emphasizing meso-level social disintegration in organizations.

His publications explore populism dynamics, welfare state politics, and radical voting patterns, with recurring themes in European far-right governance and working-class political economy. Research employs comparative frameworks and interdisciplinary methodologies spanning political sociology and policy analysis.

Wagner has conducted research stays at UC Berkeley's sociology department and holds professional experience in journalism (Die Welt, ZDF), diplomacy (Austrian Embassy in Zagreb), and the energy sector (OMV Vienna).