Femke Bakker
Senior assistant professor
- Name
- Dr. F.E. Bakker
- Telephone
- +31 71 527 6188
- f.e.bakker@fsw.leidenuniv.nl
- ORCID iD
- 0000-0003-2827-9317
Femke E. Bakker is Senior Assistant Professor at the Institute of Political Science.
Femke E. Bakker is Senior Assistant Professor Political Science. She studies politics and international relations from a political psychological perspective. Her main areas of interest include microfoundations of IR theory, democratic peace theory, political behaviour, political leadership, beliefs systems, liberal values and meditation. She teaches in the field of political psychology, international relations and research methods.
Currently, Bakker is working on two research projects. Can Lovingkindness Meditation Support Tolerant Political Behavior, supported by the Mind and Life Institute’s PEACE grant, studies the impact of meditation on political behavior. With dr. Niels van Willigen, Bakker investigates if and how the personal beliefs of political leaders can potentially influence (foreign) policy outcomes.
Bakker is also an associate researcher of the Laboratory of Comparative and Social Research (LCSR) and serves as book reviews editor for Acta Politica.
Dr. Bakker studied political science at Leiden University, obtaining her Research Master degree (cum laude) in 2012 and her PhD in 2018. Her PhD thesis, written under supervision of Prof. dr. Petr Kopecký, dr. Niels van Willigen and dr. Michael Meffert tested the microfoundations of democratic peace theory. Her dissertation was awarded with the ECPR Jean Blondel Prize and received an Honorable Mention by the ISPP.
› Curriculum vitae Femke Bakker
PhD supervision
Femke Bakker is available to supervise PhD students and invites PhD research proposals in the areas of:
- Microfoundations of International Relations
- Beliefs and (foreign policy) decision-making
- Democratic Peace Theory
See for more information on PhD positions:
Senior assistant professor
- Faculteit der Sociale Wetenschappen
- Instituut Politieke Wetenschap
- Bakker F.E. (13 October 2021), De mens(ch) in de politiek. Stuk Rood Vlees [blog entry].
- Bakker F.E. (5 May 2021), De vrijheid om tolerant te zijn. Stuk Rood Vlees [blog entry].
- Bakker F.E. & Willigen N.J.G. van (2021), Policy documents and the beliefs of foreign policy decision-makers: a next step in operational code analysis. In: Schafer M. & Walker S.G. (Eds.) Operational code analysis and foreign policy roles: crossing Simon's Bridge. New York: Routledge. 111-128.
- Willigen N.J.G. van & Bakker F.E. (2021), Trauma and belief systems: an operational code analysis of Dutch Prime Minister Rutte and the downing of flight MH17, Risk, Hazards & Crisis in Public Policy 12(2): 215-233.
- Bakker F.E. (13 November 2020), De wetenschap van de havik en de duif in de politiek. Politieke Adem [podcast].
- Bakker F. E. (2020), The microfoundations of normative democratic peace theory. Experiments in the US, Russia and China, Political Research Exchange 2(1): 1753084.
- Bakker F.E. (19 February 2020), Positive politics: how meditation can help to foster tolerance. Insight Timer Blog: Insight Timer [blog entry].
- Bakker F.E. (30 January 2020), Meditatie in de politiek. Leidt dat tot meer vrede? Interviewed by Kitty Arends for BodhiTV [interview].
- Bakker F.E. (2019), Bringing Kant Back in. A conceptualization and measurement of liberal norms for democratic peace studies. Politicologenetmaal 2019, Antwerp.
- Bakker F.E., Van Willigen N. & Warmerdam D. (2019), The effect of role change on the operational codes of US presidents: from George H.W. Bush to Donald J. Trump. ISA 2019, Toronto.
- Van Willigen N. & Bakker F. (2019), Trauma and foreign policy change; an operational code analysis of Dutch Prime Minister Rutte and the downing of flight MH17. 6th European Workshops in International Studies 2019, Krakow.
- Van Willigen N. & Bakker F. (2019), Trauma and foreign policy change; an operational code analysis of Dutch Prime Minister Rutte and the downing of flight MH17. Politicologenetmaal,, Antwerp.
- Bakker F.E. (3 July 2018), Proefschrift Femke Bakker laat theorie over democratische vrede wankelen for Focus Wetenschap(NPO 1) [interview].
- Bakker. F.E. (23 May 2018), Te hoge verwachtingen van de democratie. Interviewed by Anika van de Wijngaard [interview].
- Bakker F.E. (23 May 2018), Te hoge verwachtingen van democratie. Interviewed by Annika van de Wijngaard(Leidsch Dagblad) [interview].
- Bakker F.E. (15 May 2018), Hawks and doves. Democratic peace theory revisited (PhD thesis. Political Science, Social and Behavioural Sciences, Leiden University). Supervisor(s) and Co-supervisor(s): Kopecký, P., Willigen, N. van; Meffert, M.
- Bakker F.E. (2 May 2018), Waarom voeren democratieën weinig oorlog met elkaar? for Focus(Radio 1) [interview].
- Bakker F.E. (2018), Book reviews editor Acta Politica Member of editorial staff Acta Politica .
- Bakker F.E. (2018), Measuring hawkish beliefs about conflict resolution. Leiden.
- Bakker F.E. (2017), Hawks & Doves. Democratic Peace Theory Revisited. An experimental cross regime investigation. Politicologenetmaal 2017 (01/06/2017-02/06/2017, Leiden).
- Bakker F.E. (2017), Book reviews editor Acta Politica Member of editorial staff .
- Bakker F.E. (2017), Hawks, Democracy and Peace? An experimental cross regime investigation. Annual Meeting ISPP (29/06/2017-02/07/2017, Edinburgh). In: Bakker, F.E. (Eds.).
- Bakker F.E. & Overeem P. (2019), Statesmanship Beyond the Modern State, Perspectives on Political Science 48(1): 46-55.
- Bakker F.E. (2017), Do liberal norms matter? A cross-regime experimental investigation of the normative explanation of the democratic peace thesis in China and The Netherlands, Acta Politica 52(4): 521-543.
- Bakker F.E. & Rotondi V. (2016), Democratic Peace and the Norms of the Public Revisited.. Barcelona: World Association Public Opinion Research (WAPOR) regional conference “Political Trust in Contemporary Representative Democracies".
- Bakker F.E. & Rotondi V. (2016), Vote for Your Family! Particularism, Support for Democracy and Support for Shari’a in the Arab World, Review of Middle East Economics and Finance 12(2): 115-137.
- Bakker F.E. & Rotondi V. (2015), A particular view of democracy. A study into the influence of particularism on the support for democracy and support for Shari’a in the Arab world CONSIRT working papers no. 10: CONSIRT. [Working paper]
- Avtalyon-Bakker F. (2015), Review of 'The politics and ethics of identity, in search of ourselves' Review of: Lebow R.N. (2014) The politics and ethics of identity, in search of ourselves, St Anthony International Review 10(2): 223-225.
- Avtalyon-Bakker F.E. (20 December 2014), Mijn Ruslandervaring: ‘rockstars’, student-assistenten en data. Blog Stuk Rood Vlees. Stuk Rood Vlees. Amsterdam: Mantra & Wordpress [blog entry].
- Avtalyon-Bakker F.E. (2014), Liberal norms and support for the use of violence in comparative cross-regime perspective: evaluating the presence and influence of liberal norms. Conference paper 4th International Annual Research Conference: “Cultural and Economic changes under cross-national perspective” of the Laboratory for Comparative Social Research (LCSR), St. Petersburg .
- Avtalyon-Bakker F.E. (6 November 2014), Ik voel, dus ik ben? Emoties in internationale betrekkingen. Stuk Rood Vlees. Amsterdam: Wordpress [blog entry].
- Avtalyon-Bakker F.E. (2014), Do liberal norms exist, and where do they exist? A cross-regime exploration of liberal norms.
- Avtalyon-Bakker F.E. (2014), Review of Deconstructing the ‘Democratic Peace. How a Research Agenda Boomeranged, by Michael Haas. Review of: Haas M. (2014) Deconstructing the ‘Democratic Peace. How a Research Agenda Boomeranged, Australian Journal of International Affairs .
- Avtalyon-Bakker F.E. (5 April 2014), Politicologen, durf meer te experimenteren!. Stuk Rood Vlees. Amsterdam: Wordpress [blog entry].
- Avtalyon-Bakker F.E. (31 January 2014), Voorbij de dichotomie van ‘democratie’ en ‘niet-democratie’. Stuk Rood Vlees. Amsterdam: Wordpress [blog entry].
- Avtalyon F.E. (7 January 2014), Democratieën vechten niet met elkaar? Nog steeds géén ijzeren wet!. Stukroodvlees.nl. Amsterdam: Wordpress [blog entry].
- Avtalyon-Bakker F.E. (2013), Counting heads? Ethnic voting in Europe. Amsterdam.
- Avtalyon-Bakker F.E. (2013), Democracies, autocracies, liberal norms and the use of force. An experimental approach to the democratic peace thesis.. Gent. [other]
- Avtalyon-Bakker F.E., Van Willigen N.J.G. & De Bièvre D. (2013), Research note: Democratic peace explanations and the need for a new research agenda. Politicologenetmaal 2013. Gent.
- Avtalyon-Bakker F.E. (2013), Rawls and regime change. A study into the internal justification of the 2003 US intervention in Iraq, Res Publica 55(2): 209-231.
- Eigenaar Lila Meditation (meditatietraining en coaching)