Project IP-PAD

IP-PAD (Interdisciplinary Perspectives on the Politics of Adolescence & Democracy) – a Doctoral Network committed to exploring the intricate relationship between adolescent development and political engagement. In an era where today’s youth shape the democracy of tomorrow, understanding how their cognitive and brain development influences political behavior is more important than ever. Our approach integrates political science, developmental psychology, and neuroscience to tackle the pressing societal challenge of declining youth engagement with democracy.

Start of the project

Our journey started in 2023. We are funded by Marie Curie Training Network.

Goal of the project

Adolescence marks an important phase of development, shaped by both biology and culture. While political science has traditionally examined youth political engagement, it has often overlooked the intricate mechanisms at play. That’s where developmental psychology and neuroscience come into play, equipped with the tools to dissect how adolescents navigate social cues, exercise cognitive functions, and grapple with political concepts. IP-PAD stands for a unified approach. Recognizing that these disciplines have worked in isolation, we advocate for their fusion. Achieving a comprehensive understanding of adolescent political processing demands the integration of these two strands of inquiry.

Current status

The project runs from 2023 until 2026.

Researchers on this project

Bert Bakker

Gijs Schumacher

Joe Bathelt

Nina Chatsivili

Jakob Kasper

Gustavo Jesus

Celine Laffineur

Publications on project IP-PAD

1.Fasching, N., Arceneaux, K., & Bakker, B.N. (2023). Inconsistent and weak evidence for a direct association between childhood personality and adult ideology. Journal of Personality

Other projects from Hot Politics Lab

Project POLEMIC

Many claim that politicians make more, and more extreme, emotional appeals than ever before, because these appeals win over the emotional citizen. With highly emotive language people like Donald Trump or Geert Wilders are pounding on the portals to power.

Project OnderbuikNL

In the summer of 2016, during the annual three-day Lowlands festival (music and performing arts festival), Hot Politics Lab conducted experiments measuring physiological responses to political propaganda.