Laia Balcells
@laiabalcells.bsky.social
Catalan American; Yale educated political scientist; Georgetown professor. Mother of two. Views here are personal. Reskeets are not endorsements.
Dan Silverman wrote a nice thread on our JOP paper examining the effects of the US Holocaust Memorial Museum on attitudes.
Dan Silverman@dmsilverman.bsky.social · 6d agoDoes visiting a major Holocaust museum impact your political views? New study in JOP by @laiabalcells.bsky.social et al uses a field experiment at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum to see They find a visit: -stokes more “never again” universalist views -has limited and fleeting fx on antisemitism
Lucan Way and I have been writing about competitive authoritarianism for more than 25 years. We never thought we'd write this piece. www.journalofdemocracy.org/articles/com...
Competitive Authoritarianism in America | Journal of Democracy
The United States has slid into competitive authoritarianism. The slide has been modest and remains reversible—but it is real. Even after Donald Trump, American democracy will remain fragile.
journalofdemocracy.org
Ian Shapiro Says the Left’s “Preemptive Capitulation” to Neoliberalism Paved the Way for Populism democracyparadox.com/2026/09/30/i...
Ian Shapiro Says the Left's "Preemptive Capitulation" to Neoliberalism Paved the Way for Populism - Democracy Paradox
Ian Shapiro explains how the left's preemptive capitulation to neoliberalism after the Cold War paved the way for today's populist backlash
democracyparadox.com
They find weaker effects on attitudes toward Jews and antisemitism Some ⬆️ in feeling thermometer but it’s short term, and ⬇️ in stereotypes but only if you weren’t already warm toward Jews and its short term as well
Their premise is that the USHMM has both universal messages about democracy, appeasement, and atrocity prevention — and specific ones about Jews and antisemitism They find pretty solid effects on the former, especially opposition to appeasement and desire to prevent atrocities. “Never again” landed
Does visiting a major Holocaust museum impact your political views? New study in JOP by @laiabalcells.bsky.social et al uses a field experiment at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum to see They find a visit: -stokes more “never again” universalist views -has limited and fleeting fx on antisemitism
Laia Balcells@laiabalcells.bsky.social · last wk."Consequential histories: A field experiment at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum" Just accepted at the Journal of Politics www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...
"Consequential histories: A field experiment at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum" Just accepted at the Journal of Politics www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...
Consequential histories: A field experiment at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum | The Journal of Politics: Vol 0, No ja
journals.uchicago.edu
I'm happy to say I have managed to report all 12 faked systematic reviews that we discovered on PubPeer. The corresponding URLs are in the ALT text. I'm awaiting responses from most of the publishers/authors -- other than one author admission:
Paul Gardner@ppgardne.bsky.social · 3mo ago1/8 Systematic reviews and meta-analyses are at the top of the evidence hierarchy. They influence clinical practice, policy and future research. So I was surprised to find a series of 12 reviews with remarkably similar PRISMA literature-search figures.
Gen AI is clearly changing the way some researchers are working. Now more than ever we need to evaluate the quality of the contributions more than the number of contributions. And academic systems that tend to value more the latter than the former need to be changed.
Princeton Niehaus Center (@niehauscenter.bsky.social) now accepting applications for 2027–28 postdoctoral fellowships: niehaus.princeton.edu/fellowships Deadline: Thursday, October 15, 2026
Apply for our Fellowships
Apply NowThe Niehaus Center for Globalization and Governance (NCGG) at Princeton University's School of Public and International Affairs invites applications for postdoctoral research associates from ...
niehaus.princeton.edu
They finally noticed: www.cbc.ca/news/health/...
Stressed out about politics? It could be impacting your health | CBC News
Political stress is a distinct type of stress that refers to how political events, decisions and actors, can cause anxiety, even depression, and other health impacts. Academics like a team of research...
cbc.ca
Started the morning with my kids reading Coat of Many Colors (Imagination Library had sent us the book) and listening to her singing it. We then listened and sang "I will always love you". Thank you, Dolly Parton. R.I.P.
Interesting article by @laiabalcells.bsky.social @eliasdinas.bsky.social and Ethan vanderWilden out in BJPS on past perpetratorhood and prejudice They show that priming historical Spanish persecution of Jews generates sympathy among non-nationalistic Spaniards but backlash among strong nationalists
there will be many ways to celebrate dolly parton and the one I want to point out is that she was a friend of Miss Piggy
Why we should NOT be reassured by the idea that Trump very likely won't be able to rig the election. The fact that he's trying is very, very bad and there's no guarantee he won't succeed.
Filipe Campante@filipecampante.bsky.social · last mo.To paraphrase my friend @brendannyhan.bsky.social: if those things were happening in another country, anyone would recognize this as a 12-alarm fire. Here we’re basically left telling ourselves, “but he won’t be able to pull that off!”
New pre-APSA "workshop": tennis social! 🎾 Wed Sep 2, 3–6pm at MIT, w/ @jguardado.bsky.social & @evlieb.bsky.social All levels welcome - even Djokovic fans 😜 Details + sign up (join list even if you can't make it this year): docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
Pre-APSA tennis social at MIT
When: Wednesday, September 2nd, 2026, 3-6 pm. Where: MIT Outdoor Tennis Courts (Briggs, courts 7/8/9). 133 Amherst Alley, Cambridge, MA 02139 Organizers: Joan Ricart-Huguet (jricart-huguet@loyola.ed...
docs.google.com
I don't know anything about this story, but I know what it is like to be bullied on social media, as it happened to me once many years ago (led by a man who is still obsessed, apparently). There are very ugly people on the internet, unfortunately.
Sending love to friends who, like me, are feeling especially close to this tragedy today. There is so much I want to say, but for now, just sending love. Take care of yourselves.
Trump: "Very importantly, vaccinations for hepatitis B, covid-19, and influenza, among others, are no longer recommended for all children"
From May 2026 - National Attachment, Past In-Group Perpetratorhood, and Out-Group Attitudes - cup.org/3Pe9gDf - @laiabalcells.bsky.social, @eliasdinas.bsky.social & Ethan vanderWilden #OpenAccess
I would love to hear a FIFA official explain why Argentina got that VAR review on Egypt’s goal scoring play and not vice versa. Not even why they didn’t grant Salah the penalty; maybe they wouldn’t have. But why no review? Why yes for one team and not for another?
I don't know, I don't think Messi is an altruistic god.
NOW OUT ON FIRSTVIEW!! It’s Not #Polarization; It’s the #Radicalization of the #Political #Right By @pettertornberg.com doi.org/10.1017/S153...
When they said, "wear a suit," I just assumed… Find a public pool near you at nycgovparks.org.
Cape Verde advance!!!!! From the Cape Verdean Association in Bridgeport, Connecticut
I thought it was a welcome to naturalized US citizens.
Helen Kennedy@helenkennedy.com · 3mo agoWelcome? This witless chowderhead doesn't know that passports are issued to US citizens for use traveling abroad? Welcome? Christ, he's so relentlessly stupid.
