Politically In/Sane

In this insightful interview, Dr. Van der Linden, Professor of Social Psychology in Society at the University of Cambridge and author of #Foolproof, explores the psychology of misinformation, inoculation techniques, and the role of policy and education in combating disinformation.
Discover how psychological strategies and regulatory measures can help build societal resilience against misinformation threats.

Key topics
Inoculation theory and pre-bunking techniques
The role of education and policy in combating misinformation
AI threats and inoculation against AI-generated falsehoods

The conversation delves into the importance of polling in elections, the misuse of polls for political narratives, the public's understanding of polls and misinformation, the impact of technology on polling, the challenges of conveying uncertainty in polling, and the complexity of polling accuracy and interpretation.

Takeaways
Polls and their interpretation can be instrumentalized to spread misinformation or disinformation.

The public's understanding of polls and their significance is relatively low, and conveying uncertainty is challenging.

Why do political elites so often misread the public -- and why does it matter for democracy? In this episode of Politically In/Sane, Sarina Sharma-Welsh speaks with Dr. Miguel Pereira (LSE) about how politicians learn what voters want, why elite blind spots persist, and how social background, unequal political voice, and social media distort representation. The conversation explores distrust in institutions, polarization, and whether democratic accountability still works—and what it would take to rebuild it.

The episode explores political entrepreneurs like Nigel Farage, their strategies (issue entrepreneurship and anti-establishment rhetoric), and how they're disrupting traditional party systems across Europe and beyond. A conversation with Prof. Sara Hobolt.
Prof. Sara Hobolt: https://bsky.app/profile/sarahobolt.bsky.social

What really happens when politicians and public servants don’t see eye to eye? In this episode, Dr. Elisa Wirsching (LSE) unpacks the hidden power struggles inside local government and the NYPD. From strategic slowdowns to blurred lines of accountability, we explore how everyday decisions—and even elections—can be shaped by the quiet clash of bureaucrats and politicians.