Pit Rieger

Data Analyst and Postdoctoral Researcher
CV institute website github X bsky

I am a political scientist with a background in statistics working as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Zurich. I study how parties behave in response to voter preferences and party competition, and how these dynamics influence electoral and legislative outcomes across European party systems and within EU politics.

I obtained my PhD from ETH Zurich in Switzerland. My doctoral research focused on the behavior of coalition governments in the policymaking process of the EU. During this time, I also contributed to the ERC project EUROBORD which studies EU (dis)integration from a bordering perspective.

PR

Education

2022 - 2026 Ph.D. Political Science (ETH Zurich)
Fall 2024 Visiting Scholar (Duke University)
2019 - 2022 M.Sc. Statistics (ETH Zurich)
2016 - 2019 B.Sc. Social Science (University of Cologne)

Work Experience

2026 - Postdoctoral Researcher (University of Zurich)
2021 - 2026 Scientific Assistant (ETH Zurich)
2019 - 2021 Student Research Assistant (University of Zurich)
2019 - 2019 Freelance Data Scientist
2017 - 2019 Student Research Assistant & Teaching Assistant (University of Cologne)

Publications

Rieger, P. (2026). Tying the hands of coalition partners in international negotiations: Public dissent and constraining powers. European Journal of Political Research. [Paper] [Replication files]

Demirci, B.B., Freudlsperger, C., Rieger, P. & Schimmelfennig, F. (2026). Measuring European integration as boundary formation - the EUROBORD dataset. European Union Politics.[Paper] [Data]

Rieger, P. (2025). Monitoring coalition partners in the EU: strategic committee appointments in the European Parliament. Political Science Research and Methods. [Paper] [Replication files]

Rieger, P. (2025). From Delegation to Defiance: Voter Support for Party Differentiation in Coalition Governments. Party Politics. [Paper] [Replication files]

Kelemen, R. D., Slapin, J. B., Fenzl, M., & Rieger, P. (2025). Out of Sight Out of Mind? Voter Attitudes about Cooperation with Radical Parties in Europe. Journal of European Public Policy. [Paper] [Replication files]

Nasr, M. & Rieger, P. (2024). Bringing Geography Back In: Borderlands and Public Support for the European Union. European Journal of Political Research. [Paper] [Replication files]