Here's my book mini review of the month where I recommend a sociology (!) book to everyone:

And here we go again. Dropping the actual investigation is profoundly bad, if not exactly surprising. Is there anything those of us who still care about expertise and accountability can do to pressure Cambridge to reconsider? I mean, apart from continuing to sign letters, boycott and ridicule them.

Here's my book mini review of the month where I recommend a sociology (!) book to everyone:

The September issue of "Policy, But Better" is out: where to find me in DC (Oct 1 reception + Oct 3 reader meetup), Berkeley (Oct 8-11), and the UK (LSE, Oxford, KCL, Brighton, Newcastle), plus the month's best links: www.popularbydesign.org/p/policy-but...

The September issue of "Policy, But Better" is out: where to find me in DC (Oct 1 reception + Oct 3 reader meetup), Berkeley (Oct 8-11), and the UK (LSE, Oxford, KCL, Brighton, Newcastle), plus the month's best links: www.popularbydesign.org/p/policy-but...

The far right looks set to finish first in yet another German state while the mainstream right loses ground. Yes, people vote for these parties because they don't like immigration. But governments don't have to restrict migration to save democracy due to possible backlash:

The far right looks set to finish first in yet another German state while the mainstream right loses ground. Yes, people vote for these parties because they don't like immigration. But governments don't have to restrict migration to save democracy due to possible backlash:

#OpenAccess from 2022 - Do Anti-immigration Voters Care More? Documenting the Issue Importance Asymmetry of Immigration Attitudes - https://cup.org/4xuHVgl - @akoustov.bsky.social #epop2026

It has been embarrassing reading this and similar critiques, because they accuse the report of not doing things that it manifestly does do (like adjusting for time to accumulate citations). I hope everyone involved is more careful in their regular work. You hurt your causes by flubbing this hard.

Alex Usher@alexusherhesa.bsky.social · 4w ago

Here is my letter to the MacDonald Laurier Institute on the subject of their appalling research. Use as you will. I recommend sending something of your own, though. And if you know anyone associated with MLI - and Board directors, say - send it to them, too.

I wrote this piece for an Australian magazine last month, but I am reposting it now with Germany in mind where the AfD just took almost 44 percent of the vote in one of its states. I see a lot of denial from folks both on the left and right on what this all means and how to do better.

#APSA2026 was a blast. I'm honored to receive the Best Migration Book Award for "In Our Interest" from my favorite professional community. I'm also grateful to folks who checked up on me and who appreciated my stances and provocations even when we disagree. The future is bright.

#APSA2026 was a blast. I'm honored to receive the Best Migration Book Award for "In Our Interest" from my favorite professional community. I'm also grateful to folks who checked up on me and who appreciated my stances and provocations even when we disagree. The future is bright.

Absolutely shameful, and arguably even worse than when Nature endorsed Biden in 2020—misrepresenting publicly known facts and openly protecting fraud, all in the name of clearly ideological goals. At the very least, Nature owes its readers a correction.

Nature@nature.com · 4w ago

Editorial: The death of Jason Arday must prompt deep reflection go.nature.com/4h5J0Gm

Absolutely shameful, and arguably even worse than when Nature endorsed Biden in 2020—misrepresenting publicly known facts and openly protecting fraud, all in the name of clearly ideological goals. At the very least, Nature owes its readers a correction.

Nature@nature.com · 4w ago

Editorial: The death of Jason Arday must prompt deep reflection go.nature.com/4h5J0Gm

The Ariely case is another devastating blow to academic credibility. Just like Cambridge with Arday, Duke stood by Ariely despite all the evidence of fraud. It spent three years investigating a retracted paper with fabricated data but kept him. www.dukechronicle.com/article/duke...

‘Insane data’: Duke professor Dan Ariely accused of additional research fraud

New evidence released Monday shows that Dan Ariely, professor of business administration in the Fuqua School of Business, likely tampered with or fabricated data in an influential research paper from ...

dukechronicle.com

“That strength is diminished when members of our society — citizens and noncitizens alike — must self-censor and ‘behave’ or suffer the government’s retaliation.” www.fire.org/news/breakin...

Cofnas suspension has been lifted, according to posts from Cofnas himself, and from the US Ambassador to Belgium, who says he is in direct contact with the head of the university over an agreement for Cofnas to complete his one year post at Ghent bsky.app/profile/sund...

Sunder Katwala (sundersays)@sundersays.bsky.social · last mo.

Nathan Cofnas and the US Ambassador to Belgium say that the University of Ghent have now lifted his suspension, thanking the US government for supporting him (with threats of retaliation). The Ambassador says that Cofnas will be able to complete his one year appointment to March 2027.

One profoundly sad thing I've come to realize over the past weeks is that many academics don't understand the point of academic freedom or signing petitions, for that matter. It's all really just about supporting good people you agree with against bad people you disagree with.

TIL that I'm a "morally vacuous Nazi who is on a multiday crashout after facilitating the death of a Black academic" from a fellow academic on bsky who didn't like the open letter I signed. This seems like a nice, well-functioning social media website facilitating free exchange of ideas.

This is well said. I understand why some journalists and normal folks may not get the point of academic freedom to voice controversial (and bad or even despicable!) ideas. But seeing academics themselves (pretending?) not to get it has been extremely depressing to me.

Sasha Gusev@sashagusevposts.bsky.social · last mo.

Seeing some arguments for firing Cofnas like this one, that (scare quotes) academic freedom should not apply to pseudo-scholarship and taxpayers shouldn't fund scholar-activism. I think this is wrong. /1

I wish more academic folks on the left with strong anti-racist views would sign this too.

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

This is the first open letter I've signed. I encourage all academics who still care about higher ed's credibility to do it. We're at a crossroads: if we can't uphold academic freedom even for those whose views are despicable, we won't agree on anything else. johnarmstrongmaths.com/openletters/...

This is the first open letter I've signed. I encourage all academics who still care about higher ed's credibility to do it. We're at a crossroads: if we can't uphold academic freedom even for those whose views are despicable, we won't agree on anything else. johnarmstrongmaths.com/openletters/...

All you need to see is that @akoustov.bsky.social signed it

Alright folks, we need to talk. I'm seeing excessive Pangram policing in my feed again, usually as "for my friends, everything—but for my enemies, AI detection." So, let's just have a simple rule: You are only allowed to dismiss someone's writing if it's 100% AI. Nothing less.

While many folks lament the loss of trust in higher education, the bigger issue is the loss of trustworthiness. Regular people are not supposed to do their own research on things like masks or plagiarism—they *should* just be able to take what institutions like Cambridge tell them for granted.

While many folks lament the loss of trust in higher education, the bigger issue is the loss of trustworthiness. Regular people are not supposed to do their own research on things like masks or plagiarism—they *should* just be able to take what institutions like Cambridge tell them for granted.

However tragic this story is, all I said on the matter still stands. Cambridge and other institutions involved should still be held accountable. They will now try to absolve themselves by pointing to the tragedy, but those of us who still care about expertise should not let them do it.

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

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.

Peak BlueSky is where someone calls something a concentration camp, and gets criticized for not being harsh enough

I'll be spending the second half of October in the UK for a short tour to present my new book project, Immigration for Realists. If you'd like to organize a seminar or meet up, let me know!