Sarah Bush
@sarahbush.bsky.social
professor of political science at the University of Pennsylvania studying democracy promotion, elections, women's rights, NGOs; new book: https://amzn.to/3RIvGc0
Crowded Out: The Competitive Landscape of Contemporary International NGOs by @sarahbush.bsky.social & @jenniferhadden.bsky.social via @universitypress.cambridge.org (2025) #AutumnReading
Crowded Out: The Competitive Landscape of Contemporary International NGOs : Bush, Sarah Sunn, Hadden, Jennifer: Amazon.ie: Books
Crowded Out: The Competitive Landscape of Contemporary International NGOs : Bush, Sarah Sunn, Hadden, Jennifer: Amazon.ie: Books
amazon.ie
An article about Trump's iconography citing our work in the UAE in the Guardian. A well-researched read! www.theguardian.com/commentisfre... @mcgillpolisci.bsky.social @cpsjournal.bsky.social @sarahbush.bsky.social @laurenrprather.bsky.social
The Guardian view on Trump’s omnipresence: commanding attention like a king | Editorial
Editorial: The president’s image and name are proliferating in Washington and beyond, overturning well-advised democratic taboos on glorifying sitting leaders
theguardian.com
Our research on authoritarian iconography was highlighted today in the Guardian
Aaron Erlich@aaronerlich.bsky.social · 4mo agoAn article about Trump's iconography citing our work in the UAE in the Guardian. A well-researched read! www.theguardian.com/commentisfre... @mcgillpolisci.bsky.social @cpsjournal.bsky.social @sarahbush.bsky.social @laurenrprather.bsky.social
Great to see new books by CSL members @jenniferhadden.bsky.social and @kathrynchelminski.bsky.social on display at ISA2026! (And hat tip to Jen's co-author @sarahbush.bsky.social )
New article out today in @iojournal.bsky.social that tackles a pressing question: As the US retreats from democracy promotion, will autocracies abandon liberal norms and return to overt repression? Our @danieladonno.bsky.social Jon Pevehouse and @cjschneider.bsky.social answer: not so fast.🧵1/
Looking forward to this book event on "Crowded Out" @watsonschoolbrown.bsky.social featuring the dream team of Patricia Bromley, Judith Kelley, and Kathryn Sikkink - the event will be streamed, so please join us online! events.brown.edu/watson/event...
Jennifer Hadden book event — The Future of International NGOs
Watson faculty member Jennifer Hadden and co-author Sarah Bush recently published a book titled “Crowded Out: The Competitive Landscape of Contem...
events.brown.edu
Excited that my article, "To Agree or Not to Agree: Hawks, Doves, and Regime Type in International Rivalry and Rapprochement," is now out at International Security. @intsecurity.bsky.social @mitpress.bsky.social @belfercenter.bsky.social. direct.mit.edu/isec/article...
To Agree or Not to Agree: Hawks, Doves, and Regime Type in International Rivalry and Rapprochement
Abstract. Existing scholarship emphasizes hawks’ advantages in making peace, but it is squarely focused on electorally accountable leaders, even though most international rivalries feature at least on...
direct.mit.edu
Global development in crisis: Responding to America’s retreat fiia.fi/en/publicati...
Global development in crisis: Responding to America's retreat
A definitive shift in both resources and rhetoric has upended the global development sector. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the policies of the new US administration, although many European sta...
fiia.fi
Glad to have my research with @jenniferhadden.bsky.social featured in this article: "After the aid cuts: What's next for INGOs?" www.devex.com/news/after-t...
After the aid cuts: What's next for INGOs?
“We all knew that we needed to change, and now we all have to change,” says Tessie San Martin, the CEO of FHI 360. “This has been an accelerant to the things that had to happen already.”
devex.com
Glad to have our @jenniferhadden.bsky.social @foreignaffairs.com article featured in @wsj.com by Walter Russell Mead - “Authors Sarah Bush and Jennifer Hadden put their fingers on one of the most important international developments of our time.” Thank you! www.wsj.com/opinion/the-...
Opinion | The Decline and Fall of NGOs
‘Civil society’ looked like the future when the Cold War ended. It doesn’t anymore.
wsj.com
Brilliant survey by @sarahbush.bsky.social and @jenniferhadden.bsky.social that puts the "foreign agent" laws into perspective. Those were/are a big part of the problem, but the factors driving the decline of NGOs' power in global governance go a lot deeper and wider.
The End of the Age of NGOs?
How civil society lost its post–Cold War power.
foreignaffairs.com
Rubio Restricts U.S. Criticism of Tainted Foreign Elections www.nytimes.com/2025/07/18/u...
Rubio Restricts U.S. Criticism of Tainted Foreign Elections
nytimes.com
Read @sarahbush.bsky.social and @jenniferhadden.bsky.social on how governments around the world are undermining NGOs—and making it harder for civil society to work on politically sensitive issues, including human rights and environmental protection.
The End of the Age of NGOs?
How civil society lost its post–Cold War power.
foreignaffairs.com
Insightful and important piece on the rise and fall of NGOs by @sarahbush.bsky.social and @jenniferhadden.bsky.social. Sobering analysis of the factors that have led to the waning power of civil society worldwide.
Foreign Affairs@foreignaffairs.com · last yr.“Overall, the NGO sector has less political opportunity and capacity than it once had,” write @sarahbush.bsky.social and @jenniferhadden.bsky.social. “The result is an end to the era of NGOs—a boon to autocratic governments that have seen their advocacy as a threat.”
“Overall, the NGO sector has less political opportunity and capacity than it once had,” write @sarahbush.bsky.social and @jenniferhadden.bsky.social. “The result is an end to the era of NGOs—a boon to autocratic governments that have seen their advocacy as a threat.”
The End of the Age of NGOs?
How civil society lost its post–Cold War power.
foreignaffairs.com
Trump Is Undermining Policies Against Transnational Repression www.lawfaremedia.org/article/trum...
Trump Is Undermining Policies Against Transnational Repression
The Biden administration made policies to protect exiles and diasporas a priority. Trump 2.0 has already undercut these efforts.
lawfaremedia.org
"A must-read for scholars of organizational theory, international institutions, and global civil society." Crowded Out: The Competitive Landscape of Contemporary International NGOs by @sarahbush.bsky.social & @jenniferhadden.bsky.social, Out Now & #OpenAccess #PoliSci #NGO 💙📚 cup.org/4ni11SN
Crowded Out
Cambridge Core - Comparative Politics - Crowded Out
cup.org
With @sarahbush.bsky.social & @laurenrprather.bsky.social we document the rise of low-quality election monitors who legitimate host elections regardless of fraud & show that authoritarian-led regional IOs--esp. those anchored by Russia--have pioneered the tactic link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Zombies ahead: Explaining the rise of low-quality election monitoring - The Review of International Organizations
The international election monitoring regime has become considerably more complex in the twenty-first century. Although the number of organizations engaged in high-quality election monitoring has plat...
link.springer.com
📢 New Book! I’m so happy to share that “Crowded Out” – my new book coauthored with @jenniferhadden.bsky.social – is now out with @universitypress.cambridge.org. Here’s why we hope you’ll want to read it. 🧵 1/
The International Collaboration Section is thrilled to announce its 2024 award winners! Many thanks to the award committee members for their hard work. 🧵
Thought provoking and creative! I converted a final paper assignment to an oral exam assignment in my spring class in large part due to AI concerns, and I was extremely happy with the results.
Seva@seva.bsky.social · last yr.I've been experimenting with AI-proof assignments for a long time. Last semester, that meant Soviet video games and sci-fi short stories --and it worked pretty well. My latest Substack essay below. "Teaching in the Age of AI: How I avoided a shitty semester" hegemon.substack.com/p/teaching-i...
This is a very good and detailed piece on the impacts of the administration’s proposed reorganization of the Bureau of Democracy, Rights, and Labor (DRL) www.justsecurity.org/114200/state...
The State Department Reorg Guts Human Rights Diplomacy
"Congress should urge Secretary Rubio to modify the proposed plan in ways that would sustain bipartisan U.S. efforts to advance democracy and human rights across the globe."
justsecurity.org
My fantastic colleague @sarahbush.bsky.social has a new book ("Saturation Point"), which is featured in Penn's Arts and Science magazine. omnia.sas.upenn.edu/story/satura...
Saturation Point
In her new book, Associate Professor of Political Science Sarah Bush explores the increasingly crowded landscape of international NGOs.
omnia.sas.upenn.edu
Checking in from parental leave to share my latest paper with @carnegiedcg.bsky.social! What's behind the contemporary anti-gender backlash? How does it manifest across different countries and regions? And why has it been difficult to mount an effective response? 🔽 🔽 🔽
Carnegie Democracy@carnegiedcg.bsky.social · last yr.🆕| The backlash against gender equality playing out across the world is not just a passing "culture war." Rather, it is a key front in a broader cultural and political realignment. Read @saskiabr.bsky.social's latest for @carnegieendowment.org👇
We have some very exciting new books from @cambridgeup.bsky.social, including 'Tolkien and the Mystery of Literary Creation' by Giuseppe Pezzini for all the #LOTR fans, 'Global Challenges to Democracy', and many more. 🤩 Check them out here: 🔗 www.cambridgebookshop.co.uk/collections/new-books
In a new essay, Robert Keohane and the late Joseph Nye argue that soft power matters, even in the short run—and warn that by fixating on coercion, “Trump is neglecting a key source of American strength.”
The End of the Long American Century
Trump and the sources of U.S. power.
foreignaffairs.com
