Adam Scharpf

Russia, Venezuela, Iran, China, the Sahel region, the United States ... Want to know why state agents carry out brutal repression — or participate in illegal coups? Our new book "Making a Career in Dictatorship" provides answers — it just got published by @academic.oup.com: tinyurl.com/ystwm3tf

Postdoc position within my group 3 years (100% TVl-13): stellen.uni-muenster.de/jobposting/2... ⏱️ 06.11.2026 If you have questions: get in touch!

I had the pleasure of speaking with @liberation.fr about Making a Career in Dictatorship and the broader implications of its findings.

A federal prosecutor draws a striking parallel between the career-pressure logic we document in Making a Career in Dictatorship and what's unfolding in the U.S. Department of Justice under the Trump administration - he even mentions our book! As reported by @epress.bsky.social in @newyorker.com 👇

My department - @ucdpolitics.bsky.social - is hiring two PERMANENT posts in any area of politics, international relations, theory, or development studies. Please apply if you are on the academic job market, and if you're not, please do us a solid & spread the word! Deadline NOV 9.

The call for proposals for the @epssnet.bsky.social Pre-Conference Workshops 2027 is now open: epssnet.org/2027-copenha... If you're interested in hosting a pre-conference workshop please take a look!

Pointierte und sehr lesenswerte Rezension von David Kühn @giga-hamburg.de zu unserem Buch Making a Career in Dictatorship.

Opportunismus ist der Kitt von Diktaturen! Darüber habe ich mit dem Spiegel gesprochen – und über unser Buch Making a Career in Dictatorship. 👇

📢 The Call for Papers for EPSS 2027 is open! After a fantastic first conference in Belfast, we’re heading to Copenhagen 🇩🇰, 24–26 June 2027. ⏰ Deadline: 13 Nov 2026 👉 Call for papers: epssnet.org/2027-copenha... 1/2

Remember to nominate your favorite EPSS paper for this award – nomination deadline coming up on August 31.

📣 We are hiring - please share! 👉 1-2 Postdoctoral Fellows with specialization in political data science or comparative politics as part of the ERC project “Authoritarian Threats to Scientific Knowledge” (AutoKnow)- PI Tore Wig. 📅3-4 years ⏳September 10, 2026. 🔗 www.jobbnorge.no/en/available...

“‘Making a Career in Dictatorship,’ a new book by two German political scientists, Adam Scharpf and Christian Glassel, reads like what you might get if you crossed Hannah Arendt’s ideas about the ‘banality of evil’ with a business school guide on how to get the most out of low performers.”

The next #EPSS conference will be in Copenhagen from 24-26 June 2027. The call for papers will be out in early fall and you can find all information here: epssnet.org/2027-copenha...

There are many images today of the far right mobilizing and marching, from Erfurt to DC. But today also marks the start of the Tour de France! Being a municipality located on the Tour de France route *reduces* the far-right vote share 🚴🏿🚴🏿🚴🏿 #tdf2026 #ef0407

Great slides—definitely worth checking out if you're interested in understanding armed conflict! @aaronclauset.bsky.social never disappoints.

Super grateful for a wonderful review of Making a Career in Dictatorship by the very sharp @kkrakows.bsky.social in @democratization.bsky.social One of my favorite lines: "Few books sustain this level of analytical momentum across chapters."

Looking for an absolutely riveting read to better understand security organizations? Check this out 👇🏻by Christian Gläßel & @ascharpf.bsky.social , just awarded first ever @epssnet.bsky.social book award 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Super thrilled and deeply grateful that Making a Career in Dictatorship has received the 2026 Best Book Award of @epssnet.bsky.social! #EPSS2026 😮🤩🎉 Many thanks to the award committee. Christian was in Belfast to receive it; I sadly couldn’t attend but would have loved to be there.

Dominik Vogel @dominikvogel.bsky.social zur Wehrhaftigkeit des Berufsbeamtentums: "Wenn eine autoritäre Bewegung mit demokratischen Mitteln an die Macht gelangt, können Staatsdiener*innen den Abbau der Demokratie und des Rechtsstaats nur sehr schwer allein aufhalten." 1/5

📢 PhD position in Political Science Join the ERC-funded #DEMOLAW project, studying the design, creation and survival of democratic laws across the US, UK and EU using computational methods. 📍 Zeppelin University Friedrichshafen 📅 Apply by 12 July 2026 #PhD #PoliticalScience #AcademicJobs

China’s Ministry of Public Security is frequently portrayed as a domestic law enforcement agency. But it’s also a global security actor – and it allows China to advance its vision of security abroad. More from @sheenagreitens.bsky.social, @cameronwaltz.bsky.social, & Sophie Zhuang:

Fußball ist Sport – und Politik. ⚽ Mehr dazu morgen beim Online-Roundtable des @giga-hamburg.de: „Fußball, Macht und Protest: Die globale Politik der Weltmeisterschaft 2026“ Anmeldung 👇: www.giga-hamburg.de/en/events/gi...

The FIFA World Cup kicks off in less than three weeks ⚽🏆 Had the pleasure of discussing my research on sportswashing and its effects on German television @zdfde.bsky.social 👇 (Interview is in German)

Thrilled to see Making a Career in Dictatorship featured in The New York Times @nytimes.com My favorite line: “[The book] reads like what you might get if you crossed Hannah Arendt’s ideas about the ‘banality of evil’ with a business school guide on how to get the most out of low performers.”

„Wählen wir die Demokratie ab?“ Liberale Demokratien sind weltweit unter Druck — und autokratische Kräfte gewinnen an Einfluss Wie ernst ist die Lage? Was können wir tun? Darüber diskutiere ich nächste Woche am @ipz.bsky.social 📍Mo, 18.05., 18:15, Aula Uni Zürich Anmeldung 👇 ema.uzh.ch/RTKL3

Really enjoyed presenting my new book Making a Career in Dictatorship at the @uni-konstanz.de today. Great discussion and thoughtful questions. Big thanks to @geraldschneider.bsky.social @nilsweidmann.bsky.social @leuffen.bsky.social for organizing the event!

I am looking for a postdoc to join my team at the University of Bremen. 5-year-contract, top-up to 100% possible for most of the contract period. Apply by 04 May 2026. If you have questions about the position, send me an email! www.uni-bremen.de/en/universit...

Got Theory? @ascharpf.bsky.social uses Henry #Kissinger’s International Seminar to test a #theory of #SoftPower targeting in educational #exchange programs. Read his full article here: doi.org/10.1353/wp.2...

📚 Book Talk am Bodensee 🗓 Do, 23.04.2026 🕖 19:15–20:45 📍 Zeppelin Universität Für alle, die sich für Politik, Geschichte & Autokratien interessieren. Ich freue mich auf den Austausch! Vielen Dank an @debremaria.bsky.social & @steffenhurka.bsky.social für die Einladung. Mehr Infos & Anmeldung: 👇

📣We are hiring! The LOBBYMETRY project invites applications for a 2-3 year PostDoc / Assistant Professor. Focus: understanding informational lobbying and evidence selection in policymaking through participant observation. Deadline: 26 May candidate.hr-manager.net/ApplicationI...

@au.dk is hiring 3 postdocs (2 yrs) on personality cults & strategic communication in autocracies, led by Jakob Tolstrup & Alexander Baturo. They're looking for profiles with text-as-data, survey experiments and/or Chinese politics experience. Start fall 2026. Looks like a great opportunity!

Putins Regime rekrutiert jetzt sogar an Eliteuniversitäten! Was dahinter steckt – und warum Karrieredruck eine wichtige Rolle spielt – erklären wir in unserem neuen Op-Ed im Tagesspiegel. 👇

📢 We're hiring! | PostDoc Position (3 years) in CALi-project (Citizens' Administrative Literacy) I'm looking for a PostDoc researcher to join my DFF-funded project on Administrative Literacy at the @pa-sdu.bsky.social fa-eosd-saasfaprod1.fa.ocs.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/Candid...

Our new book, MAKING A CAREER IN DICTATORSHIP (Oxford University Press), is available in hardcover. Oxford offers 30% off with the code at checkout for the hardcover 👇 Code: AUFLY30 (or simply get the much cheaper softcover) Unlock the secrets of navigating authoritarian regimes!

How does an authoritarian leader build — and maintain — a fiercely loyal security force? And how much of that playbook shows up in developments around the U.S. Department of Homeland Security? We followed @donmoyn.bsky.social’s invitation and wrote a guest post - based on our new book 👇

Foreign influencers help authoritarian regimes: while they may not sway domestic audiences already saturated with propaganda, they can reshape the perceptions of more credulous foreign publics journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10....

Just arrived: MAKING A CAREER IN DICTATORSHIP. Featuring original visualizations throughout, the book reconstructs an entire military organization using career data from 15k officers. A deep dive into how the security apparatus in autocracies really works. Excited to finally hold it in my hands.

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