Simon Hix
@simonhix.bsky.social
Stein Rokkan Chair in Comparative Politics, EUI. President of @epssnet.bsky.social. FBA, FRSA. Democracy, parties, elections, electoral systems etc. Live music. COYI
The New Power Map of the European Parliament 👇 I very much look forward to this panel discussion with @simonhix.bsky.social, @abiralsahlani.bsky.social, @jonassjostedt.bsky.social, @gvonsydow.bsky.social in Stockholm’s Kulturhuset on Friday, 9 October. Registration here: sieps.se/en/seminars/...
You know those (rare) papers that really make you proud? In new piece out at APR, we show that #AffectivePolarization likely spills onto other types of non-political polarization - notably, PREFERENCES FOR CATS VS. DOGS (aka “affective PAWlarization”) paper: tinyurl.com/jn48bypp data: osf.io/4p2zu
On rejoining the EU Support: 55% Oppose: 34% ... but on the conditions of single currency and Schengen membership Support: 35% Oppose: 43% via YouGov, Jun 2026 britainelects.substack.com/p/is-rejoin-...
Is Rejoin happening anytime soon?
Ten years on from the EU referendum
britainelects.substack.com
Whether you like the third runway or not, this is further proof that that the UK is utterly useless at delivering on major infrastructure projects
The Times and Sunday Times@thetimes.com · 6d agoAirport chiefs tell Andy Burnham that the deadline for expansion needs to be pushed back four years as ministers say the 2035 target ‘has always been ambitious’
I have blamed The agents That hacked Your website And which You probably Reasonably thought I controlled Forgive me I am rich And unaccustomed To taking responsibility
🧩 Do voters dislike parties that mix left and right positions? In ten countries, @rdassonneville.bsky.social, Patrick Fournier & @zeynsom.bsky.social find voters know less about such parties and like them less, in part because of the inconsistency itself. 🔗 doi.org/10.1080/0140...
Very excited to announce a new Political Methodology Seminar Series co-hosted by the @lsegovernment.bsky.social, @lsemethodology.bsky.social and European Institute. This bi-weekly series is designed to support ECRs applying state-of-the-art methodological tools to political science research.
Mara Weber@marathwe.bsky.social · last wk.📢 CALL FOR PAPERS! We invite submissions for the Political Methodology Seminar Series on frontiers in empirical political science and CSS. We welcome research examining political behaviour, public opinion, comparative politics, and CSS. Research on adjacent topics are also highly encouraged.
#OpenAccess from 2025 - A Crisis of Political Trust? Global Trends in Institutional Trust from 1958 to 2019 - cup.org/4gCcLuT - @viktorv.bsky.social, @drjennings.bsky.social, Gerry Stoker, @hannahbunting.bsky.social, @danjdevine.bsky.social, @lawrencemckay.bsky.social & Andrew Klassen #epop2026
AI is screwing up journal papers: Journal editor asks authors of 10 submitted papers to meet and discuss their paper. Of the 7 that showed up, 3 were unable to answer basic questions about the paper and 3 had difficulty when asked further questions on technical details… medium.com/@TmlrOrg/ask...
Asking Authors About Their Own Papers
By Nihar B. Shah
medium.com
📢 The Call for Papers for EPSS 2027 is open! After a fantastic first conference in Belfast, we’re heading to Copenhagen 🇩🇰, 24–26 June 2027. ⏰ Deadline: 13 Nov 2026 👉 Call for papers: epssnet.org/2027-copenha... 1/2
Call for Papers | EPSS Belfast 2026 Conference
Submit your abstract or full paper for EPSS Belfast 2026. Share cutting‑edge political science research, network with peers & contribute to academic impact.
epssnet.org
🚨 Madrid people, mark your calendars: the permanent seminar of the Instituto Juan Linz is back! We have a great series of speakers from across the social sciences this year. First talk this Friday with @llschenoni.bsky.social Here is the program for this Fall:
Europe may increasingly need to learn how to act together without always acting as one. My new CEPR Europe 2050 paper on Preserving Europe’s Capacity to Act: cepr.org/publications... Pre-order my new OUP book with Alex Kentikelenis: global.oup.com/academic/pro... /end
global.oup.com
One reason England does so well is our second generation immigrants outperform their peers which is not true in most OECD countries. We are also very good at integration. And it's v sad that this is never acknowledge in debates on immigration.
Sam Freedman@samfr.bsky.social · 4w agoNew PISA data out England is now top ten in all three areas (reading, maths, science) and the second highest performing country outside of east Asia (after Estonia). This is a huge public policy success.
Saxony-Anhalt went to the polls, with the AfD falling just short of a majority. Here are some takeaways based on the preliminary results across all 218 municipalities and local socioeconomic characteristics. A thread 🧵(1 /n) Full analysis + write-up: juliuskoelzer.de/saxony-anhal...
Otherwise it will be deadlock, but the current admin will stay on until that is resolved.
This does look like a more likely outcome now but the question is which parties would tolerate such a government (all parties minus AfD, or if it would just be a figurehead for a AfD minority/AfD-BSW coal in all but name). I suspect it would be the ladder.
ZDF has now updated their forecast and it looks like BSW will be in (ARD has also slightly adjusted their score for them upwards). That means there would likely be a razor thin majority for AfD + BSW. Pre-election, Wagenknecht claimed that BSW won’t vote in a AfD PM- they favoured a technocratic PM.
A key issue is whether BSW will get above 5%. If they do, then it’s the worst possible outcome. If they don’t, AfD might not be able to govern, as the others would all vote against them. Either way, though, it’s a disaster for Germany and Europe.
No surprise there. Nb. the US didn’t really back the UK in the Falklands War or the Suez Crisis. Trump hints US would not back UK over Falkland Islands due to lack of Iran war support www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Falkland Islands: Donald Trump hints US would not back UK over Argentina
The US president says the UK was not "there to help me" in his ongoing war with Iran.
bbc.co.uk
Burnham wants “electoral reform” in Labour’s manifesto ahead of the next election. But, what type of electoral reform/ PR will he/they back? Work needs to be done … watch this space 😉 www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Burnham promises to bring optimism and ‘substantial change’ in first Commons speech as PM
The prime minister said Britain needed to be brutally honest about the ‘series of wrong turns’ it had taken in the last 40 years
theguardian.com
Brexit pretty bad for Sterling as a reserve currency: UK exports to non-EU and non-US customers now more often invoiced in USD than GBP. via Catherine Mann @ Jackson Hole: www.kansascityfed.org/documents/18...
Today’s must-read, IMHO.
Sam Freedman@samfr.bsky.social · last mo.New post out: Much of the right - led by Elon Musk - has decided the world's problems are caused by "suicidal empathy". I look at where this phrase comes from, why it's a profoundly wrong misdiagnosis, and a misunderstanding of what empathy is. (£/free trial) samf.substack.com/p/the-war-ag...
They might as well just call them “We Don’t Think They Are Too Bad Right”
Simon Hix@simonhix.bsky.social · 2mo agoI have no idea what “Hard Right” means! We have established terms: Far Right, Extreme Right, Radical Right. Why invent a new one? Bizarre how UK journos have adopted a term that no-one else in the world uses or understands. Pathetic parochialism I guess 🤷♂️ www.theguardian.com/world/2026/a...
I said exactly this to a journalist this week on the same topic. And linked to the @ecprtheloop.bsky.social blog by @timbale.bsky.social: theloop.ecpr.eu/why-we-need-...
Why we need to halt ‘hard right’ in its tracks
Far-right parties are doing well – so it’s important that we see them for what they are. Yet, in the UK, the label ‘hard right’ is catching on. Why is debateable. But, argues Tim Bale, it’s a misdescr...
theloop.ecpr.eu
Simon Hix@simonhix.bsky.social · 2mo agoI have no idea what “Hard Right” means! We have established terms: Far Right, Extreme Right, Radical Right. Why invent a new one? Bizarre how UK journos have adopted a term that no-one else in the world uses or understands. Pathetic parochialism I guess 🤷♂️ www.theguardian.com/world/2026/a...
I have no idea what “Hard Right” means! We have established terms: Far Right, Extreme Right, Radical Right. Why invent a new one? Bizarre how UK journos have adopted a term that no-one else in the world uses or understands. Pathetic parochialism I guess 🤷♂️ www.theguardian.com/world/2026/a...
The events at Ceuta show how Europe’s hard right now set the tone on immigration
The narratives of the right are seeping into mainstream EU policy, and Spain finds itself increasingly isolated in its humanitarian stance on borders
theguardian.com
Could Wenger be the candidate to defeat Infantino? (and I say that as a West Ham fan 😉)
