Professor Michael Bruter


Professor of Political Science and European Politics, Department of Government

Michael Bruter

Michael Bruter is a Professor of political science at LSE and Director of the Electoral Psychology Observatory. He has developed a distinguished research profile in the sub-field of voters’ psychology, political behaviour, and political science research methods.

Bruter has been the recipient of over €5 million in research grants to lead projects in electoral psychology, first time voters, and electoral hostility (why people hate each other because of elections and how to resolve the resulting rifts), using a broad range of innovative quantitative and qualitative methodologies.

He has also served as expert witness on cases pertaining to voters’ psychology tried by the Irish High Court and Irish Supreme Court, given keynote speeches to the EU-Canada meeting on youth participation, the Council of Europe-European Commission cross-group on young voters, events at the European Parliament and the House of Lords, and advised and worked with multiple Electoral Commissions.

Bruter’s latest book, co-authored with Sarah Harrison is entitled “Inside the Mind of a Voter” and will be published by Princeton University Press in 2020. He has also published another seven books, and numerous articles in such journals as Comparative Political StudiesPublic ChoiceNature: Human Behaviour, American Behavioural ScientistJournal of Common Market StudiesJournal of European Public Policy, etc. and numerous chapters on voters’ psychology, political behaviour, identity, and social science research methods.


Expertise: electoral psychology; electoral ergonomics; political behaviour, political science; voter's psychology


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