Prof. dr. Joris Boonen

Joris Boonen (1987) is a political scientist (PhD KU Leuven, 2016) and holds master degrees in Comparative Politics (KU Leuven) and Journalism (EhB/VUB). He currently works as an assistant professor of data journalism (VUB), as a lecturer at the interdisciplinary bachelor Global Studies (Maastricht University), and as a researcher in global citizenship at the Global Minds @ Work research centre of Zuyd University of Applied Sciences (Maastricht). 

In his PhD (“Political learning in adolescence: the development of party preferences in a multiparty setting”) he studied the development of political and social attitudes among adolescents. His postdoctoral research centres around questions on political socialization, global citizenship education and intercultural competence development in higher education. 

Next to this, he has a strong interest in data journalism practice, and studies how can shape journalistic discourse in different ways and how data-drive technological developments can influence the digital journalistic landscape. He teaches on this topic in the master of Journalism (VUB) and regularly gives workshops on these topics for professional journalists. 

Selected publications

Boonen, J., Pluymaekers, M. (2020) Kwantitatief Onderzoek voor Journalisten: Verantwoord Nieuws Maken van Cijfers. Amsterdam: Coutinho. 

Grosch, I., Boonen, J., & Hoefnagels, A. (2023). Cultural intelligence and the role of international classroom composition: Insights from Dutch higher education. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 96, 101866.

Boonen, J., Hoefnagels, A., Pluymaekers, M., Odekerken, A. (2021). Promoting international learning outcomes during a study abroad: the moderating role of internationalisation at home. International Journal of Educational Management, 35 (7), 1431-1444. 

Boonen, J. (2019). Learning who not to vote for: The role of parental socialization in the development of negative partisanship. Electoral Studies, 59, 109-119.

Hooghe, M., & Boonen, J. (2015). The intergenerational transmission of voting intentions in a multiparty setting: An analysis of voting intentions and political discussion among 15-year-old adolescents and their parents in Belgium. Youth & Society, 47(1), 125-147.