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 studies politics and international relations from a political-psychological perspective. Her research interests include the microfoundations of democratic peace theory, political leadership, belief systems, stress-management for crisis decision-makers, and the impact of meditation on political behaviour. She teaches in the fields 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. (22 April 2023), TEDx talk: the power of selfgentleness. TEDxLU, Leiden. [lecture].
- Bakker F.E. (30 January 2020), Meditatie in de politiek. Leidt dat tot meer vrede?. Interviewed by Kitty Arends. [interview].
- Bakker F.E. (23 May 2018), Te hoge verwachtingen van democratie. Interviewed by Annika van de Wijngaard, Leidsch Dagblad. [interview].
- Bakker F.E. (3 July 2018), Proefschrift Femke Bakker laat theorie over democratische vrede wankelen. for Focus Wetenschap (NPO 1). [interview].
- Bakker F.E. (2 May 2018), Waarom voeren democratieën weinig oorlog met elkaar?. for Focus (Radio 1). [interview].
- Bakker F.E. (23 May 2018), Te hoge verwachtingen van de democratie. Interviewed by Wijngaard Anika van de. [interview].
- Eigenaar/Consultant