Personal information
- Name: Simon Pieter Otjes
- Birth date: 11/05/1984
- Birth place: Schagen, Netherlands
- Nationality: Dutch
Education
University-level
- 2012 PhD in Political Science, Leiden University.
- 2008 Master of Philosophy in Political Science: Institutional Analysis Leiden University.
- 2008 Master of Arts in Philosophy of a specific scientific field: Social Sciences Leiden University.
- 2006 Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy of a specific scientific field: Social Sciences Leiden University.
- 2006 Bachelor of Arts in Political Science Leiden University.
Graduate Courses
- 2023 Course PhD supervision (ICLON, Leiden University).
- 2018 Speech writing course.
- 2018 Practical Project Management (NIMO).
- 2014-2015 University Teaching Qualification (ESI, University of Groningen).
- 2009 ECPR Standing Group Summer School on Political Parties.
- 2009 Quantitative Text Analysis (ECPR Summer School in Methods and Techniques).
- 2007 Analysis of Textual Data (Essex Summer School in Social Science Methodology).
- 2006 Teaching Working Group (ICLON, Leiden University).
Relevant Professional Experience
- 2019-now Assistant Professor Leiden University.
- 2019 Electoral Researcher at the National Headquarters of the Dutch Greens.
- 2018 Secretary Program Committee for the European Parliament Elections GreenLeft.
- 2017-2018 Senior Member of the Scientific Staff at Bureau De Helling, the think tank of the Dutch Greens.
- 2017 Lecturer Political Science at the Free University of Amsterdam.
- 2016 Secretary Program Committee for the Tweede Kamer Elections GreenLeft.
- 2016-2017 Policy Advisor of the Parliamentary Party of the GreenLeft.
- 2013 Secretary Program Committee for the European Parliament Elections GreenLeft.
- 2012-2021 Researcher at the Documentation centre Dutch Political Parties, University of Groningen.
- 2012-2014 Electoral Researcher at the National Headquarters of the Dutch Greens.
- 2011-2012 Researcher at Bureau De Helling, the think tank of the Dutch Greens.
- 2011-2012 Postdoctoral Researcher at Institute Public Administration, Leiden University.
- 2008-2011 PhD fellow at the Institute of Political Science, Leiden University.
- 2005-2008 Student Assistant at the Institute of Political Science, Leiden University.
Current PhD Supervision
- Thijs Vos (since 2021, Social Science, supervisors: Joop van Holsteyn and Tom Louwerse).
- Stefan Wirken (since 2020, Law, supervisor: Wim Voermans).
- Manuel Kaal (sinds 2020, Sociale Wetenschappen, promotor: Joop van Holsteyn, co-promotor: Tom Louwerse).
Completed PhD Supervision
- Charlotte de Roon (Graduated 2022, Social Science, supervisors: Ingrid van Biezen and Tom Louwerse)
Grants
- Dutch Research Council (NWO) XS Grant: Issue Competition at the Local Level.
Professional service
- 2023- Alternate member of the Group of Independent Experts on the European Charter of local self-government of the Council of Europe.
- 2023- Fellow of the Agricola School for Sustainable Development, Groningen University
- 2023- Advisory Board Acta Politica.
- 2023- Co-director Centre for the Study of Political Parties and Representation, Leiden University.
- 2022- Fellow of the Thorbecke Chair at Leiden University.
- 2022 Secretary of the Bachelor Taskforce, Institute of Political Science, Leiden University.
- 2021- Fellow of the Montesquieu Institute.
- 2021 Member of the Master Taskforce, Institute of Political Science, Leiden University.
- 2021- Member of the Research Committee, Institute of Political Science, Leiden University.
- 2020- Member of the Board Centre for Dutch Politics and Governance Leiden University.
- 2020- Member of the Board of Examiners, Institute of Political Science, Leiden University.
- 2020- Member of the Board of the Centre for Dutch Politics and Governance, Leiden University.
- 2020-2021 Member of the Jury Daniel Heinsius Thesis Price, Dutch and Flemish Political Science Associations (last year as chair).
- 2009 Member of the Jury for the Faculty of Social Science MA Thesis prize.
- 2006-2008 Member of the Program committee of the Faculty of Philosophy, Leiden University.
Relevant Volunteer Work (selected)
- 2022-now Member of the Referendum Committee of the GreenLeft
- 2019-now Member of the Editorial Board and Columnist De Helling.
- 2015-2016 Member of the Editorial Board of the Stuk Rood Vlees.
- 2014-2016 Member of the municipal Board of GreenLeft Groningen.
- 2014 Chair of the Program Committee for the Provincial Council Elections GreenLeft Groningen (province).
- 2012-2016 Member of the Editorial Board of the Hofvijver, Montesquieu Institute.
- 2012-2013 Member of the Candidate Selection Comittee GreenLeft Leiden.
- 2010-2012 Member of the Congress Presidium of the GreenLeft.
- 2009-2012 Treasurer of the Leiden Board the GreenLeft.
- 2009-2012 Member of the Editorial Board GreenLeft Magazine.
- 2009-2010 Member of Program Committee GreenLeft Leiden.
- 2007-2008 Member of the Committee of Ojik II of the GreenLeft. Member of the panel on principles.
- 2006-2009 GreenLeft Party Council Member for Leiden (also a member of Appeals Committee).
- 2006-2008 Member of the Education Committee of the Faculty of Philosophy (Leiden University).
- 2005-2006 Board member of DWARS GreenLeft Youth (campaign coordinator and secretary).
- 2004 International Green Volunteer (with the American Greens).
Organization of scientific conferences
- Co-organiser workshop “Local Party Politics” at Ghent University, Belgium 4-5 April (with Raf Reuse, Marie-Christina Juen en Martin Gross).
- Organizer workshop “Creating a Digital Infrastructure and Automated Text-Analysis Methods for the Analysis of Party Competition: The Comparative Local Manifesto Project” at Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg, Germany 3-7 April 2023 and Groningen University, Netherlands 13-14 June 2023 (with Michael Jankowski).
- Chair workshop “Party politics at the local level” at the ECPR Joint Sessions 25-28 April 2023, Tolouse, France (with Marie-Christina Juen).
- Chair section “Parliaments: Internal and External Organization of Democratic Representation” at the ECPR General Conference 22-26 August 2022, Innsbrück, Austria (with Flemming J. Christiansen).
- Chair panel “Political Behaviour in Regional and Local Councils”” at the ECPR General Conference 22-26 August 2022, Innsbrück, Austria (with Martin Gross).
- Chair panel “The Populist Radical Right and the European Welfare State: Current Challenges and Perspectives” at de ECPR General Conference 6-9 September 2016, Oslo, Norway (with Sarah de Lange).
- Chair session “Determining the lines of conflict in politics” at the Annual Conference of the Dutch and Flemish Societies for Political Science 11-12 June 2015 Maastricht, the Netherlands (with Mark Bovens, Anchrit Wille, Harmen van der Veer en Pieter de Wilde).
- Co-organiser Workshop “What’s Left of the Radical Right” Radboud University 19-21 January 2015 Nijmegen, the Netherlands (with Andrej Zaslove).
- Chair session “What’s Left of the Radical Right? The Social-Economic Programmes of Radical Right-Wing Populist Parties” ECPR General Conference 3-6 September 2014 Glasgow, United Kingdom (with Sarah de Lange).
- Organizer workshop “Radical Rightwing Populists and the Economy” Documentation Centre Dutch Political Parties 3-4 October 2013 Groningen.
- Chair workshop “The Ideological Dimension of Parties” at the Annual Conference of the Dutch and Flemish Societies for Political Science 30-31 May 2013 Ghent, Belgium (with Nicolas Bouteca and Régis Dandoy).
- Chair workshop “The Parliamentary Arena” at the Annual Conference of Dutch and Flemish Societies for Political Science 9-10 June 2012 Amsterdam, the Netherlands (with Tom Louwerse en Peter van Aelst).
- Organizer Graduate Summer Workshop “Political Parties, Migration and Public Rhetoric in Contemporary Europe” 3-5 June 2010 Leiden, the Netherlands (with Sergiu Ghergina and Paul Flather).
- Chair workshop “The New Wave – The Nature, Causes and impact of populist, new and niche parties on European Democracies” at the Annual Conference of Dutch and Flemish Societies for Political Science 27-28 May 2010 in Leuven, Belgium (with Stijn van Kessel, Teun Pauwels, Matthijs Rooduijn).
- Chair workshop “Comparing Different Conceptions and Measures of Party Positions” at the Annual Conference of Dutch and Flemish Societies for Political Science 29-30 May 2009 in Nijmegen, the Netherlands (Brandon Zicha).
Prizes
- Best article at the ECPR Standing Group on Interest Groups for Allern, E.H., V.W. Hansen, D. Marshall & S. Otjes (2019) “Organizational Ties between Interest Groups and Political Parties: Towards a Test of the Resource Exchange Model” paper presented at the workshop Interest Group Research in Southern Europe and Beyond: Findings and Perspectives, Lisbon, Portugal 24 October 2019.
- Best article in Res Publica 55 for Otjes, S. & T. Louwerse (2013) “Een bijzonder meerderheidskabinet? Parlementair gedrag tijdens het kabinet Rutte-I” Res Publica 55(4).
Reviewer for
Research Fund Flanders, Estonian Research Council, National Science Centre (Poland), European Journal of Political Research, British Journal of Political Science, Political Psychology, Political Behavior, West European Politics, European Political Science Review, Party Politics, Swiss Political Science Review, Political Studies, Legislative Studies Quarterly, Electoral Studies, The International Journal of Press and Politics, Journal of Common Market Studies, European Union Politics, Environmental Politics, Environmental Values, Journal of Information Technology and Politics, Journal of Comparative Politics, Politics, Public Library of Science, Acta Politica, Central European Politics, East European Politics and Societies, Austrian Journal of Political Science, Scandinavian Political Studies, Political Research Exchange, Journal of Elections, Public Opinion and Parties, Government and Opposition, Italian Political Science Review, Comparative European Politics, Representation, Politics, Religion & Ideology, European Political Science, Data in Brief, Politics and Governance, Games, Interest Groups and Advocacy, Innovation: The Journal of Social Science Research and the Erasmus Journal of Philosophy and Economy.
Guest editor for Politics of the Low Countries. Article editor for Sage Open.
Relevant skills
Language
- Dutch (native)
- English (fluent)
- German (passive)
Software
- Excel (statistics)
- SPSS (statistics)
- R (statistics)
- Stata (statistics)