Kira Renée Kurz

The research project examines Shifting Expectations regarding political representation due to societal ageing by asking whether and how age groups differ in the perception and evaluation of political representation in ageing societies. Based on a comparative mixed-methods approach, it analyses which dimensions of representation are particularly relevant for younger and older citizens and how these perceptions are linked to interpretations and narratives of demographic change.

Journal Articles (*double blind peer reviewed)

2026

*Wurthmann, L.C.; Kurz, K.R. & S. Wagner: Breaking the German Cold War Taboo? The Generational Divide in Evaluating a Coalition Between CDU/CSU and The Left. In: German Political Science Quarterly (PVS). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11615-026-00649-7

*Fröhle, M.; Schleehauf, R.;  Reinbold, J.; Kurz, K.R. & S. Jäckle: From Swipes to Votes: The Role of the Voting Advice Application Voteswiper in Polarizing Voter Choices for the 2025 General Election in Germany. In: Policy & Internet, 18(1). https://doi.org/10.1002/poi3.70028

2025

*Schleehauf, R.;  Reinbold, J.; Kurz, K.R.; Fröhle, M. & S. Jäckle: Call of Duty? German public opinion on compulsory service in post-Zeitenwende times. In: Armed Forces and Society. https://doi.org/10.1177/0095327X251382550

Reinbold, J.; Kurz, K.R.; Schleehauf, R.;  Fröhle, M.; Jäckle, S.: Campaigning for Whom? Analyzing the Salience of Key Issues in Vote Choice Across Social and Partisan Groups during the German 2025 Electoral Campaign. In: ZVerglP. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12286-025-00644-z

*Kurz, K.R.; Wurthmann, L.C. & M. Gross: The Influence of Age on Citizens’ Preferences for Age-Related Descriptive Representation, In: Politics and Governance. https://doi.org/10.17645/pag.9251

2024

*Kurz, K.R., Kohl, L., Lünser, J.F., Mazza, N., Pagenstecher, A.Z., Reichenbacher, B., Stuiber, J. & C. Witzemann: „Political Demography“ – blinder Fleck der deutschen Politikwissenschaft? Eine einführende Literaturübersicht. In: Polit Vierteljahresschr. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11615-024-00557-8. Joint publication with students, based on my seminar preparations and their essays.

*Kurz, K.R. & F. Ettensperger: Exploring the conditions for youth representation: a qualitative comparative analysis of party parliamentary groups. In: European Political Science (23), 349–397. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41304-023-00460-7.

2023

*Kurz, K. R. & F. Ettensperger:  Introducing a new dataset: Age Representation in Parliaments on the Party-level. In: Statistics, Politics and Policy, 14(3), 357-374. https://doi.org/10.1515/spp-2023-0014.

 Kurz, K.R.: Mehr Demokratie wagen! Eine politikwissenschaftliche Replik auf die juristische Einschätzung zur Absenkung der Altersgrenze für das aktive Wahlrecht zum Deutschen Bundestag, In: Zparl, 54(2), 440-451, https://doi.org/10.5771/0340-1758-2023-2-440, listed in the Bundestag’s literature recommendations on electoral reform.

Book Chapters

2026

Kurz, K. R.:  Neuordnung der Konfliktstrukturen durch Generationenkonflikte? Eine literaturbasierte Diskurseinordnung. In: U. Wagschal & M. Fröhle: (Neu-)Ordnung: Transformationen, Reformen und Zeitenwenden, Veröffentlichungen der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Politikwissenschaft, Bd. 42, 59-80. Baden-Baden: Nomos. https://doi.org/10.5771/9783748955696-59

Editorships

2023/24 Kurz, K.R. & U. Wagschal (2023 & 2024): Political Demography, In: Statistics, Politics and Policy, 14(3) & 15(2)

• Kurz, K.R. & U. Wagschal (2023): Editors’ Note. In: Statistics, Politics and Policy, 14(3), 2023, pp. 327-329. https://doi.org/10.1515/spp-2023-2001  
• Kurz, K. R. & U. Wagschal (2024): Editors’ Note. In: Statistics, Politics and Policy, 15(2), pp. 115-116. https://doi.org/10.1515/spp-2024-2001

Book Reviews/Conference Reports

2024 Kurz, K.R.: Review of “Dommett, Katharine, Glenn Kefford and Simon Kruschinski. 2024. Data-driven campaigning and political parties—Five advanced democracies compared”. In: Z Vgl Polit Wiss, https://doi.org/10.1007/s12286-024-00608

Kurz, K.R.: Demokratiebildung – Potenziale, Grenzen, Perspektiven.  Veranstaltungsbericht: Schlaglichter vom DVPW-Kongress 2024. https://www.pw-portal.de/das-fach-politikwissenschaft/schlaglichter-vom-dvpw-kongress-2024-politische-bildung

• 2025
• * Comparative Politics Colloquium, University of Greifswald
• Annual Conference of the DVPW group on Party Research (Berlin)
• Annual Conference of the DVPW group on Elections and Public Opinion (Berlin)
• 9th Conference of the ECPR Standing Group on Parliaments (Barcelona)
• 2024
• * Research Colloquium, France Centre, University of Freiburg
• * Aarhus Workshop on Youth Politics
• DVPW Congress (Göttingen)
• Northern Political Science Association Annual Congress (Bergen)
• Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Politikwissenschaft (Tutzing)
• PRUF Graduate Conference on Party Research (Düsseldorf)
• *IParl Forschungskolloquium, Berlin
• 2023
• ECPR General Conference (Prague)
• EPSA Annual Conference (Glasgow)
• PRUF Graduate Conference on Party Research (Düsseldorf)
• Rencontre interdisciplinaire de la jeune recherche franco-allemande du CIERA (Paris)
• 2022
• Popfest 2022, The 28th Annual Population Postgraduate Conference (Florenz)

• March 2026
• Interview with DPA on Vote16 policies in the MV state election, featured on ZEIT Online and Süddeutsche Zeitung.
• 17.12.2025
• Interview with Süddeutsche Zeitung on the political attitudes of young voters.
• 17.12.2025
• Interview with Baden TV Süd on demographic change
• 21.11.2025
• Panelist „Society of the Future“, German Academic Scholarship Foundation, Freiburg
• 05.11.2025
• Panelist “Why are young men becoming increasingly right-wing and young women increasingly left-wing?”, University of Basel.
• 29.10.2025
• Science Slam on the political representation of young people on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the German Academic Scholarship Foundation, Freiburg
• 10/2025
• Magazine article in iz3w with Marius Fröhle: „Jugend, Rechtsruck und Polykrise: Generation Krise?“
• 11.03.2025
• Radio interview on the voting behavior of young people with UniFM, Freiburg