Michael Becher

“Inevitable Inequality? Unions, Fatalistic Beliefs, and Support for Redistribution”

Michael Becher is Assistant Professor of Political Science in the School of Politics, Economics, and Global Affairs at IE University in Madrid. His research focuses on the consequences of institutions for the functioning of democracy. The overarching goal of his research agenda is to understand when institutional change can make democracy work better—in terms of delivering accountable, equitable, and responsive government—in the face of major challenges like economic inequality, technological change, and authoritarian populism. For example, he has examined the impacts of electoral rules and labor unions.

Michael Becher studied economics and political science at the University of Mannheim and then received his doctorate in Politics (with a Joint Degree in Social Policy) at Princeton University. Before joining IE University, he held positions at the University of Konstanz and the Institute for Advanced Study in Toulouse. Michael’s research was published in academic journals like American Journal of Political Science, American Political Science Review, British Journal of Political Science, Journal of Politics, as well as cross-disciplinary journals like PNAS, and received multiple awards (e.g., the McGillivray Award for Best Paper in Political Economy at APSA). He was External Senior Fellow at the University of Konstanz’s Cluster of Excellence on The Politics of Inequality.)