Here you can find information on my current projects and my publications.
I am particularly interested in research on Comparative Political Institutions, Comparative Political Behavior and Causal Inference applying Quantitative Methods in the social sciences. My major focus is on Judicial Politics in cross-European comparison. To me Judicial Politics is a research area explicitly analyzing the effects of legal institutions and the relevance of judicial attitudes and behavior with regard to (1) the political content, (2) the political process, and/or (3) the political institutions.
Current Projects
Submitted for Review
Engst, Benjamin G. “Legal Signals and Policy Shifts. Estimating the Effect of Autolimitation.”
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Clark, Tom S. / Benjamin G. Engst / Jeffrey K. Staton. “Estimating the Effect of Leisure on Judicial Performance.”
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Engst, Benjamin G. / Sebastian Sternberg / Thomas Gschwend “How Judicial Integrity Generates Public Support for Judicial Nominees.”
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Ongoing
Bass, Leeann / Benjamin G. Engst. “Signaling in the Spotlight: Judicial Manipulation of Accountability.”
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Lichtmannegger, Christina / Benjamin G. Engst. “Domestic Responses to European Developments: Europeanization and the Extent of Intra-Ministerial Change.”
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Engst, Benjamin G., Philipp Meyer. “Constitutions without Protection? Judicial Strength in a State of Emergency.
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Journal Article (* peer review)
Engst, Benjamin G. / Thomas Gschwend / Nils Schaks / Sebastian Sternberg / Caroline E. Wittig. 2017. “Zum Einfluss der Parteinähe auf das Abstimmungsverhalten der Bundesverfassungsrichter. Eine quantitative Untersuchung.” [The Influence of Party Identification on Judicial Votes at the German Federal
Constitutional Court. A Quantitative Assessment.] JuristenZeitung 72 (17): 816-826.
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*Sternberg, Sebastian / Thomas Gschwend / Caroline E. Wittig / Benjamin G. Engst. 2015. “Zum Einfluss der öffentlichen Meinung auf Entscheidungen des Bundesverfassungsgerichts. Eine Analyse von abstrakten Normenkontrollen sowie Bund-Länder-Streitigkeiten 1974 – 2010.” [On the Influence of Public Opinion on decisions of the Federal Constitutional Court. An Analysis of Abstract Judicial Reviews and Federal State Disputes 1974 – 2010] Politische Vierteljahresschrift 56 (4): 570-598.
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Chapters in Edited Volumes
Engst, Benjamin G. 2017. Die vierte Gesetzeslesung. Verfassungsgerichte des deutsch-österreichischen Modells als Vetospieler. [The ’Fourth Reading’. Constitutional Courts as Veto Players.] In: Roland Lhotta, Oliver Lembcke, Verena Frick (eds). Politik und Recht: Umrisse eines politikwissenschaftlichen Forschungsfeldes. Baden-Baden: Nomos: 281-301.
Engst, Benjamin G. / Christoph Hönnige. Modern Times? Das Internet vor dem Bundesverfassungsgericht. [Modern Times? The Internet before the German Federal Constitutional Court.] Accepted for publication in: Andreas Busch, Yana Breindl, Tobias Jakobi (eds). Arbeitsbuch Netzpolitik. Wiesbaden: VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften.
Public Scholarship
Engst, Benjamin G. / Thomas Gschwend / Christoph Hönnige. 2016. “Zum Dilemma des Verfassungsgerichtszugangs kleiner Oppositionsparteien. Was sagen eigentlich die Zahlen?” Verfassungsblog.de (VerfBlog). http://verfassungsblog.de/zum-dilemma-des-verfassungsgerichtszugangs-kleiner-oppositionsparteien-was-sagen-eigentlich-die-zahlen/