Participation and Democracy: Dynamics, Causes ... - Jacobs University

Acknowledgement
Writing this PhD thesis was a long process that would not have been possible without the
help and support of many others:
First and foremost, I’d like to thank Chris Welzel for encouraging me to pursue an
academic career and a PhD under his supervision. His generous support and his curiosity
and enthusiasm for research have been motivation and inspiration. Most valuably, he has
introduced me to the potentials of survey research and especially to the fascinating world
of the World Values Survey.
I also want to thank Klaus Boehnke and Ferdinand Müller-Rommel for their support and
for agreeing to become members of my dissertation committee.
Furthermore, I thank my colleagues Nicola Bücker, Yuliya Salauyova, Daniel Fuss and
Bernhard Gißibl for their encouragement and friendship and for sharing this special time
in our lives. I’d like to thank Julian Wucherpfennig for his assistance and our stimulating
discussions. I am also grateful to Matthijs Bogaards for his encouraging words and
helpful academic advice.
Finally, I want to thank my family and friends: Over the past years, Jana Steinert, Claus
Hilgetag, Holger Kenn, Antonia Gohr and Steffi Markert have supported, consoled,
advised and encouraged me. I am grateful for their friendship.
My family has been my greatest source of comfort and strength. I would like to thank my
parents and brothers for their unbelievable unconditional love and support.