Philipp Lutz
Welcome!
I’m a political scientist at the University of Geneva (SNF Ambizione Fellow) and the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (Assistant Professor).
I study the politics of immigration in liberal democracies, focusing on how governments navigate the tension between economic pressures for openness and political demands for closure. Specifically, my research examines how citizens form perceptions and attitudes on the issue of immigration, how states cooperate at the European and international levels to regulate migration, and what drives migration policy-making from a comparative perspective.
You’ll find my research projects, including publications, datasets and public engagement as well as my CV on this site.
Feel free to get in touch.
Upcoming
- 1 September 2026 — Start NWO project ‘The Normative Integration Regime: How Differential Expectations Shape Immigrant Societies’ at VU Amsterdam Project description
News
- 8 July 2026 — New article published: My article with Serena Does, “Seeing Divides: Citizens’ Biased Perceptions of Political Cleavages”, is now out in Political Behavior. We bridge cleavage theory with the study of group meta-perceptions to ask how citizens mentally map political divides. Using original survey data from Germany on immigration, we introduce a method to decompose perceptual error into three cognitive biases — egocentrism, conservatism, and false polarization — and show that these biases interact asymmetrically across the cleavage, so that the structure of citizens’ misperceptions mirrors and reinforces the structure of political conflict itself. Link to the publication
- 7 July 2026 — New article in print: My article with Stefan-Manser Egli, “Integration for whom? The migration bias in social norms”, is now out in European Societies. In this study, we bring together critical integration research with quantitative survey research to conceptualise and test the idea of a ‘migration bias’ in social norms. Does the idea of integration come with double standards in social expectations towards natives and immigrants? Our survey experiment in Switzerland finds supportive evidence, most strongly in the social domain, and only for the German-speaking region. Link to the publication
- 22 June 2026 — New article published: My reflection article co-authored with Diego Caballero-Velez about refugee protection as a public good in international governance is now published in the latest issue of ‘Perspectives on Politics’. We systematise the benefits that states can gain from refugee protection, and develop the argument that we should look beyond the standard rational-choice approaches and conceive of states’ understanding of refugee protection as politically constructed. Link to the publication
- 17 June 2026 — Postdoc vacancy: I am hiring a postdoctoral researcher (0.8 FTE, 6 months) at VU Amsterdam for my NWO-funded project The Normative Integration Regime: How Differential Expectations Shape Immigrant Societies. The project investigates the informal social norms Dutch society holds toward immigrants — and how they differ from expectations of native citizens — through a survey experiment among 2,500 residents. The position suits a recent or finishing PhD, with co-authorship on project outputs. Applications close 15 July 2026. Vacancy & application
- 15 June 2026 — MITA dataset update: The MITA (Migration Provisions in Preferential Trade Agreements) dataset has been officially updated to extend its global coverage through 2024, revealing how mobility, rights, and control provisions on international migration are integrated into trade agreements around the world. Alongside the updated dataset, we have launched the interactive MITA Data Explorer App that allows users to easily visualize trends and patterns. Dataset / MITA Explorer App / Background paper
- 12 June 2026 — Media comment Swiss referendum: This Sunday, Swiss voters will decide on a ballot proposal to write a population limit into the country’s constitution, a far-right popular initiative seeking to drastically reduce immigration. Polls suggest a narrow race. The voter mobilisation is high as well as the international interest. I spoke to Euractiv about possible consequences if the initiative is approved. Read the article
- 18 May 2026 — Blogbeitrag zu Schweizer EU-Solidarität: Der neue EU-Migrationspakt der nächsten Monat in Kraft tritt enthält einen neuen Solidaritätsmechanismus. Die Teilnahme daran ist für die Schweiz freiwillig. Die Implikationen dieses Entscheids diskutiere ich zusammen mit Maud Bachelet in einem Beitrag für DeFacto. Deutsche Version / Version française
- 13 May 2026 — New article published: In a new article published in ‘European Union Politics’, I investigated together with Florian Trauner and Philipp Stutz how the Dublin system redistributes asylum responsibilities among member states. We demonstrate that against the common perception, Dublin transfers contribute to more fairness among states as a result of uneven compliance with the Dublin rules. Link to the article / Accepted version / Summary blog post / Press release
- 5 May 2026 — New research grant: I’m happy to share that the Dutch Research Council (NWO) has awarded funding for my project ‘The Normative Integration Regime: How Differential Expectations Shape Immigrant Societies’. The project examines immigrant integration in the Netherlands through the lens of differential normative expectations. A job opening will follow soon. Press release / Project summary