Biography
Dr Dilling is an assistant professor in political science and qualitative methods. His research is on the emergence and resilience of democratic institutions, political parties, and the far right. He is particularly interested in how political parties change and adapt to new challenges and what this means for the future of democracy. Dr Dilling is the author of 'Parties under Pressure: The Politics of Factions and Party Adaptation', published by the University of Chicago Press and winner of the 2025 Brian Farrell Prize by the Political Studies Association of Ireland. His sole- and co-authored work has also been published in the British Journal of Political Science, Political Research Quarterly, Political Studies Review, Social Science History, German Politics and Society, Journal of Political Science Education, and edited volumes on party politics. Before joining Trinity, Dr Dilling worked at Oxford University and Swansea University. He also was a visiting researcher at Yale University and the University of Vienna. Dr Dilling holds a PhD from Oxford University (Nuffield College). His doctoral thesis is the recipient of the Walter Dean Burnham Award by the American Political Science Association for the best dissertation in the field of politics and history.
Publications and Further Research Outputs
- Matthias Dilling, Parties under Pressure: The Politics of Factions and Party Adaptation, Chicago, University of Chicago Press, 2024Book, 2024, URL
- Matthias Dilling; Felix Krawatzek, The populist radical right as memory entrepreneur? The prominence, sentiment, and interpretations of history in the German parliament, British Journal of Political Science, 54, (4), 2024, p1296 - 1317Journal Article, 2024, URL
- Matthias Dilling, Political Parties and Interest Incorporation: A New Typology of Intra-Party Groups, Political Studies Review, 22, (1), 2024, p193 - 206Journal Article, 2024, URL
- Sukriti Issar; Matthias Dilling, Analyzing failed institutional change attempts, Political Research Quarterly, 75, (1), 2022, p203 - 215Journal Article, 2022, URL
- Matthias Dilling, Denominational conflicts and party breakthrough: The negative case of the All-German People's Party, Social Science History, 46, (3), 2022, p505 - 529Journal Article, 2022, DOI
- Matthias Dilling, Kanzlerwahlverein no more? Failed internal coalition building and the CDU/CSU" 2021 campaign, German Politics and Society, 40, (3), 2022, p88 - 109Journal Article, 2022, URL
- Matthias Dilling, Two of the same kind? The rise of the AfD and its implications for the CDU/CSU, German Politics and Society, 36, (1), 2018, p84 - 104Journal Article, 2018, URL
- Matthias Dilling; Leah Owen, Designing politics and IR assessments in the era of AI: An empirical investigation into ChatGPT's output across Bloom's revised taxonomy, Journal of Political Science Education, 2024Journal Article, 2024, DOI , URL
- Die CDU: Repräsentationsgarantien und -defizite einer Volkspartei in, editor(s)Elmar Wiesendahl , Parteien und soziale Ungleichheit, Springer, 2017, pp89 - 121, [Matthias Dilling]Book Chapter, DOI
- Das Wählerpotential von Rechts- und Linksaußenparteien: Unideologische Protestwahl? in, editor(s)Gerhard Hirscher; Eckhard Jesse , Extremismus in Deutschland: Schwerpunkte, Vergleiche, Perspektiven, 2013, pp397 - 434, [Matthias Dilling; Viola Neu]Book Chapter, DOI , URL
- Matthias Dilling, Review of Germany and the Confessional Divide. Religious Tensions and Political Culture, 1871 " 1989, by Mark Edward Ruff; Thomas Großbolting , German Politics and Society, 41, (3), 2023, p113-117Review, DOI
- Matthias Dilling, Introduction to Process Tracing, 2023, -Miscellaneous, DOI
- Matthias Dilling, Introduction to Archival Research, 2023, -Miscellaneous, DOI
- Matthias Dilling, Hartwig Pautz, Chantal Sullivan-Thomsett, and John Callahan, Authenticity Over Imitation: Lessons from the 2025 German Election, Political Insight, 16, (1), 2025, p4 - 7Journal Article, DOI
Research Expertise
I have an active research agenda and growing publication record on the study of the resilience of democratic institutions, with a particular focus on political parties, the far right, and German politics. E. E. Schattschneider"s (1942) verdict that the fate of democracy is inseparably linked with the state of political parties seems more alive today than ever. Many mainstream parties have been unable to make voters feel like their concerns are being addressed. Their decline has gone beyond all expectations, being pushed aside by far-right parties that threaten the very foundations of liberal democracy. The rise of the far right and decline of mainstream parties points toward a major puzzle in the study of contemporary democracies and party politics. On the one hand, research on populism, radicalism, and the far right often portrays mainstream parties as paralyzed organizations, pushed aside by new parties and movements. On the other hand, the party politics literature highlights that mainstream parties often have the experience and resources to adapt. However, why some mainstream parties have been more successful in responding to and containing the far right has remained an open question. My research uses qualitative and mixed-methods research to answer that question by pursuing two strands of work. The first research strand seeks to unpack the grievances and strategies that underpin the far right"s success. The second research strand investigates the origins, development, and effects of mainstream parties" strategic responses to new challengers like the far right. Germany is a prominent case in my work and often embedded in a comparative design for its methodological advantages and empirical importance.
Politics,
Recognition
- Completion grants, University of Oxford, Nuffield College and Department of Politics and IR (£3,000 overall)
- Scholarship holder, Konrad Adenauer Foundation
- Brian Farrell Book Prize, Political Studies Association of Ireland 2025
- PhD studentship, London School of Economics and Political Science (declined)
- Walter Dean Burnham Award, American Political Science Association for the best dissertation in the field of politics and history
- MPhil studentship, Oxford University, Nuffield College
- John Fell Fund, OUP Research Fund (Co-I, with G. Capoccia and F. Krawatzek, £9,977.94)
- Research fund, Oxford University, Department of Politics and IR (£809.00)
- Nuffield - Yale Exchange Program
- PhD studentship, European University Institute (declined)
- International Association for the Study of German Politics (£1,000.00)
- DPhil studentship, Oxford University, Nuffield College and Department of Politics and IR
- UKRI Seedcorn Fund, Swansea University, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (£9,456.00)
- Travel grants, Nuffield College and American Political Science Association (£1,955 overall)
- Political Studies Association
- Co-convenor, German Politics Specialist Group, Political Studies Association, United Kingdom
- Political Studies Association of Ireland
- American Political Science Association
- Reactionary Politics Research Network
- Council for European Studies, Historical Study of States and Regimes Research Network
- International Association for the Study of German Politics