About me

Michael Bruter joined the LSE in 2001 having previously been employed by the University of Houston (USA) and the University of Hull. Prof. Bruter received his undergraduate degree from the Institut d'Etudes Politiques of Bordeaux (France), two Masters from the Universities of Hull and Bordeaux, and his PhD from the University of Houston (USA). In addition to his position at the LSE, where he leads the ECREP initiative in Electoral Psychology, he is Adjunct Professor of political science at the Centre for the Study of Democratic Citizenship at McGill University in Montreal and Europa Fellow at the Australian National University.

Michael has published seven books and multiple articles in the fields of elections, political behaviour, political psychology, identities, public opinion, extreme right politics, and social science research methods. He has directed nearly 30 research projects as sole principal investigator representing a total funding in excess of £2.5 million. His ECREP project on electoral psychology in 25 countries received multiple prizes such as the award for Best International Research from the Market Research Society. Michael has also held guest professor positions in such universities as Columbia, McGill, Melbourne, Sciences Po Bordeaux and Strasbourg, Salzbourg, etc. He has given over 20 keynote speeches in prestigious locations including the House of Lords, Assemblee Nationale, European Parliament, EU-Canada Summit on Youth Participation, Te Pa Pa National Museum of New Zealand and has advised leading institutions such as the Council of Europe, European Commission, Committee of the Regions, multiple Electoral Commissions and Governments.

Electoral psychology
Electoral ergonomics
Youth politics
Citizenship and identity
European Union
Elections
Public opinion
Extreme right
Europe polling/voting behaviour
Western Europe

GV264: Politics and Institutions in Europe
GV390 Government Dissertation Option
GV398: Inside the Mind of a Voter: Research in Electoral Psychology
GV4A2: Citizens' Political Behaviour in Europe: Elections Public Opinion and Identities

Youth Participation in Democratic Life
(Palgrave Macmillan, 2016; with Cammaerts, Harrison, et al)

This book is concerned with the contexts, nature and quality of the participation of young people in European democratic life. The authors understand democracy broadly as both institutional politics and civic cultures, and a wide range of methods are used to analyse and assess youth participation and attitudes.

Political Science Research methods in action
(Palgrave Macmillan, 2013; with Lodge)

Through accounts from innovative research projects by world-leading political scientists, this volume offers a unique perspective on research methodology. It discusses the practical and intellectual dilemmas researchers face throughout the research process in a wide range of fields from implicit attitude testing to media analysis and interviews.

Asia in the eyes of Europe: images of a rising giant
(Nomos, 2012; with Bersick, Chaban et al.)

Using brand new data derived from a media analysis, public opinion survey and interviews of media professionals in eight EU countries this study shows how much the European media speak of Asia and its actors, what image they convey of it and why.

Mapping Extreme Right Ideology
(Palgrave Macmillan, 2011; with Harrison)

An explanation of variations in the discourses and electoral success of 25 extreme right parties across 17 European political systems. The book shows how the European extreme right is mapped by the positions of parties and voters on two ideological dimensions, and how the match between these determines electoral success.

The Future of our Democracies
(Palgrave Macmillan, 2009)

The Future of our Democracies offers a panorama of the motivations, activities, and perceptions of young members of 15 political parties spanning the entire ideological spectrum, in the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Norway, and Hungary. Using a new comparative mass survey and in-depth interviews, Bruter and Harrison look at what makes some young people engage in party politics against the tide of political apathy from their peers. The book provides an unprecedented sense of how these unusual young people see their political involvement, their party, their society, and how they envisage the future of our democracies. It shows how three types of young party members, moral-, social-, and professional-minded are characterised by radically different perceptions, hopes, and ideas about the future. The book follows their trajectories, from the origins of their membership to how they envisage their future and that of our democracies.