Dr. Michael Grunenberg

Research

Research interests

My research revolves around understanding the dynamics of political communication and politics in agricultural and rural contexts as well as sustainability policy. I am particularly interested in how media influences political discourse and decision-making.

My current work focuses on the use of NLP and local LLMs to analyze political communication in the agricultural sector. Besides framing of certain agricultural topics, I elaborate narratives of sustainability.

Another central theme of my work is voting behaviour, especially the influence of climate policy on voting behavior in Germany. Using discrete choice models, I investigate how climate policy measures shape voters' preferences and what trade-offs arise. Moreover, I analyse electoral outcomes and turnouts in rural areas.

Additionally, network analytical lobbying research is part of my research.

Methodological experience

I employ a variety of computational and quantitative methods to analyze political processes and communication:

Further areas of interest

In addition to my core research areas, I am also engaged in exploring how science communication can be improved through digital tools and open source software. This includes the application of computational social science methods to enhance research and teaching.

Projects

I am involved in several research projects that aim to understand and improve political and policy processes. These projects often involve collaboration with international partners and focus on real-world policy challenges.