OK folks, Arday is gone now. But we—academics and everyone else who still cares about truth and public trust—cannot let it go yet.

Alexander Kustov@akoustov.bsky.social · 4d ago

Had Arday exaggerated less and made up his quotes instead of plagiarizing, nobody would have noticed—this type of research is simply not falsifiable. But what does this all say about academic standards in Cambridge, sociology, and education? It is no wonder academics are losing public trust.

Let's talk about something positive for a moment. I'm writing an article on using AI for scientific public engagement. One use I'd like to see more of is turning a published paper into an accessible interactive data companion. If you've seen other good examples, let me know.

In all seriousness, the detail here is totally shocking

OUT TODAY! 🥳 A straightforward, non-technical guide to thinking like a quantitative social scientist. Written for students, journalists, and curious citizens. A lot of thought and heart went into this. I genuinely hope folks enjoy it!

"Academic freedom is a privilege and it makes no sense for us to incessantly antagonize the mainstream society whose good graces we depend on" www.popularbydesign.org/p/reality-ma... Very good stuff from @akoustov.bsky.social

Reality May Have a Liberal Bias, but the Social Sciences Still Need Conservatives

Or why I was wrong about viewpoint diversity

popularbydesign.org

After calling his critics "dumb," while never explaining his smart strategy of endorsing partisans apart from the need to "fight," the president of AAUP blocked us. Just like Carolyn Rouse of Anthropology or Cambridge U, academic leaders are failing us. Not very savvy indeed.

Alexander Kustov@akoustov.bsky.social · 3d ago

If you've been wondering, like me, how AAUP picking sides in a Dem Senate primary supposedly fights GOP attacks on higher ed, there's no conspiracy. After listening to and looking at their leadership, it seems it's just a bunch of self-selected lefty humanities professors who are not very savvy.

The open secret is that Cambridge never had a good rep among empirical social scientists, especially compared to its name recognition—I couldn't name a single scholar in my field there. But I should say I'd now think twice before engaging with any work from that institution.

This is random, but I recently walked to Canada and was surprised by the amount of AI-generated street signage everywhere. Has anyone tried to explicate the AI image style the way folks have done with AI writing? Is it about the font, the color choice, or something else?

If you've been wondering, like me, how AAUP picking sides in a Dem Senate primary supposedly fights GOP attacks on higher ed, there's no conspiracy. After listening to and looking at their leadership, it seems it's just a bunch of self-selected lefty humanities professors who are not very savvy.

For me, that was the most damning part of the whole thing. That a presumably senior professor of color is afraid of publicly voicing their concerns about a clear case of misconduct tells you all you need to know about the state of free speech and ideological diversity in academia:

Alexander Kustov@akoustov.bsky.social · 4d ago

Had Arday exaggerated less and made up his quotes instead of plagiarizing, nobody would have noticed—this type of research is simply not falsifiable. But what does this all say about academic standards in Cambridge, sociology, and education? It is no wonder academics are losing public trust.

When will any of these people who willingly organized to defend clear academic misconduct, or were gullible enough to go along with it, repent, apologize, or be held accountable in any way for spreading misinformation?

Good Law Project@goodlawproject.org · last wk.

Jason Arday is the youngest Black professor in Cambridge's history – and now rightwing newspapers are trying to smear him with untrue accusations of plagiarism. Not on our watch. Add your name in solidarity with Jason here: https://goodlaw.social/jg0w

Had Arday exaggerated less and made up his quotes instead of plagiarizing, nobody would have noticed—this type of research is simply not falsifiable. But what does this all say about academic standards in Cambridge, sociology, and education? It is no wonder academics are losing public trust.

The Leopard in the Basement is STILL a Sensible Name@tlitb.bsky.social · 4d ago

Hey, @goodlawproject.org. I think it's all over for Jason Arday. He's lost the Guardian. www.theguardian.com/education/ng...

Hey, @goodlawproject.org. I think it's all over for Jason Arday. He's lost the Guardian. www.theguardian.com/education/ng...

Playbooks, plagiarism and a pig’s head: new claims surrounding a star Cambridge professor

Jason Arday was regarded as an academic superstar, but then questions about his work prompted scrutiny of his backstory and counterclaims of racism

theguardian.com

My essay on the need for conservatives in social research has gotten traction, but folks have been pushing me to give concrete examples of why it may be useful to have right-wingers in your department. Let me tell you about the still influential but rather silly idea of "right-wing authoritarianism"

Alexander Kustov@akoustov.bsky.social · last wk.

OK, this may be the first essay that lost me some friends. I'm increasingly losing patience with leftist social scientists who flatly deny that their fields discriminate against conservative ideas. Here's my case for why this bullshit needs to stop, even if you're not conservative yourself:

This is all very shameful, and a clear result of AAUP's complete ideological homogeneity.

AAUP@aaup.org · 6d ago

The AAUP is proud to endorse Dr. Abdul El-Sayed for U.S. Senate in the Michigan Democratic primary. Dr. El-Sayed is a fierce champion for debt-free & tuition-free higher education & will be an invaluable ally for academic freedom & higher education as a public good in Washington.

This is all very shameful, and a clear result of AAUP's complete ideological homogeneity.

AAUP@aaup.org · 6d ago

The AAUP is proud to endorse Dr. Abdul El-Sayed for U.S. Senate in the Michigan Democratic primary. Dr. El-Sayed is a fierce champion for debt-free & tuition-free higher education & will be an invaluable ally for academic freedom & higher education as a public good in Washington.

When I heard about this it was hard to believe, but now it's public. The US Administration is planning the full destruction of Optional Practical Training, the US's largest single source of global talent. I wrote about the effects of eviscerating OPT earlier this week: www.piie.com/blogs/realti...

Exclusive | U.S. Weighs $100,000 Fee for Foreign Students Wanting to Work After Graduation

The proposed policy would particularly affect Silicon Valley, Wall Street and universities.

wsj.com

My essay on the need for conservatives in social research has gotten traction, but folks have been pushing me to give concrete examples of why it may be useful to have right-wingers in your department. Let me tell you about the still influential but rather silly idea of "right-wing authoritarianism"

Alexander Kustov@akoustov.bsky.social · last wk.

OK, this may be the first essay that lost me some friends. I'm increasingly losing patience with leftist social scientists who flatly deny that their fields discriminate against conservative ideas. Here's my case for why this bullshit needs to stop, even if you're not conservative yourself:

Integrating immigrants increasingly falls to regional governments, but what do these policies actually look like? Mariri Niino and I have a new open-access @psjeditor.bsky.social paper examining how Japanese prefectures use "multicultural coexistence" in their planning: doi.org/10.1111/psj..... A 🧵

OK, this may be the first essay that lost me some friends. I'm increasingly losing patience with leftist social scientists who flatly deny that their fields discriminate against conservative ideas. Here's my case for why this bullshit needs to stop, even if you're not conservative yourself:

OK, this may be the first essay that lost me some friends. I'm increasingly losing patience with leftist social scientists who flatly deny that their fields discriminate against conservative ideas. Here's my case for why this bullshit needs to stop, even if you're not conservative yourself:

Reupping this. We’re hiring in American Politics. I’m on the committee and happy to chat by email, zoom, or at APSA. It’s a great department in a great city. Plus you get to sit with the cool kids (the comparativists) jobs.utoronto.ca/job/Toronto-...

Most people keep to their bubble, but this week I've seen at least a few academics discovering their more conservative colleagues and learning in real time that some of their beliefs are reasonable, not just ignorance or incuriosity. It's a small thing, but it makes me genuinely optimistic.

Most people keep to their bubble, but this week I've seen at least a few academics discovering their more conservative colleagues and learning in real time that some of their beliefs are reasonable, not just ignorance or incuriosity. It's a small thing, but it makes me genuinely optimistic.

Three kinds of guest essays we're after at Popular by Design: a case study of a policy, an evidence review that takes a position, or an original empirical finding too timely or descriptive for an academic journal. If one of these is sitting in your drawer, we'd like to read it!

Alexander Kustov@akoustov.bsky.social · 2w ago

Popular by Design keeps growing, and we're now open to guest posts on policies that work! We're looking for essays too evidence-heavy for an op-ed and too timely to wait on peer review. If you have a fitting post idea, or know someone who does, subscribe, pitch us, and spread the word:

As part of the viewpoint diversity debates, I was asked which views are actually missing among sociologists. My serious answer is that sociology would benefit from more practicing colleagues who hold and can voice some genuine conservative beliefs such as that inequality is not always a problem.

Popular by Design keeps growing, and we're now open to guest posts on policies that work! We're looking for essays too evidence-heavy for an op-ed and too timely to wait on peer review. If you have a fitting post idea, or know someone who does, subscribe, pitch us, and spread the word:

This is your annual Gallup migration appreciation post. Only 29% of Americans now want immigration decreased, down from 55% just two years ago, and 31% want it increased, almost back to the all-time high of 2020. Repeat after me: in this house, we believe that thermostatic opinion is real.

This is your annual Gallup migration appreciation post. Only 29% of Americans now want immigration decreased, down from 55% just two years ago, and 31% want it increased, almost back to the all-time high of 2020. Repeat after me: in this house, we believe that thermostatic opinion is real.

Popular by Design keeps growing, and we're now open to guest posts on policies that work! We're looking for essays too evidence-heavy for an op-ed and too timely to wait on peer review. If you have a fitting post idea, or know someone who does, subscribe, pitch us, and spread the word: