Can elite divisions undo dictatorships? @schaferd.bsky.social, @javierpadilla.bsky.social and I examine the electoral consequences of elite divisions in dictatorships. @politicsjournal.bsky.social journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/... A thread 🧵
The WhoGov Project
@whogov.bsky.social
The WhoGov Project seeks to extend our knowledge on political elites. It expands, integrates & manages several existing datasets, such as the WhoGov dataset, Paths to Power, and AutGov. It also has an annual conference. Webpage: https://whogov.net/
New publication! "The onset of civil armed conflicts and personalization of power in dictatorships" argues that dictators concentrate power after the outbreak of civil conflicts. By @bernatpuertas.bsky.social in @conflictmanagement.bsky.social journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
Sage Journals: Discover world-class research
Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.
journals.sagepub.com
The WhoGov Project mourns the passing of King Harald V of Norway. He championed compassion and an inclusive vision of Norway where every citizen belonged. We have coded many royals as a part of our project, and the world would be a much better place if more of them were like Harald.
NEW from @govandopp.bsky.social - When Do Shadow Ministers Become ‘Realities’? Evidence from the UK, 1964–2024 - https://cup.org/4hQrIxA - @profnjallen.bsky.social & John Bartle #OpenAccess
Very excited to share a little piece of my work that means a lot to me: my first solo-authored article is now out in the Journal of Peace Research! In “She Who Pays for Stereotypes,” I show how gender stereotypes can shape military spending. academic.oup.com/jpr/advance-...
She who pays for stereotypes: female leaders and military spending
Abstract. The elections of Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah in Namibia and Claudia Sheinbaum in Mexico as the first female presidents mark a milestone in the histori
academic.oup.com
From our FirstView: Portraits of Power: Facial Appearance and the Tacit Domain of Political Selection in China by JUNYAN JIANG and SONGPO YANG. doi.org/10.1017/S000...
Portraits of Power: Facial Appearance and the Tacit Domain of Political Selection in China | American Political Science Review | Cambridge Core
Portraits of Power: Facial Appearance and the Tacit Domain of Political Selection in China
doi.org
The WhoGov Project mourns the death of Dolly Parton, a true leader.
We are so grateful to everyone who participated in the 2026 WhoGov Mini-Conference on Political Elites and made it such an enjoyable and enriching experience. The tentative dates for the next edition are 19–20 August 2027, and the call will come out in early 2027. We already can't wait!
Thanks a lot for a insightful (and fun!) keynote @dzobrien.bsky.social and @tiffanydbarnes.bsky.social! Glad to hear that you had a good time and hope to see you, and other amazing scholars, again in one of the next iterations of the conference!
Diana O'Brien@dzobrien.bsky.social · 2w agoBack from the 3rd annual @whogov.bsky.social conference at @uio.no ! A terrific few days with scholars of political elites and Oslo’s excellent grad students. Very grateful to give the keynote--Who Governs and Why it Matters: Lessons from Cabinet Appointments--alongside @tiffanydbarnes.bsky.social.
Publication day was last weekend. Book cake was this weekend🥳 Available for $35 with Cornell (unfortunately does not come with cake): cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501...
Does losing an election affect politicians' democratic attitudes? A large literature documents a winner–loser gap among voters, but evidence on political elites was long scarce. A series of recent studies has narrowed this gap. A thread on the state of the evidence. 🧵
We are excited for the keynote at next week's mini-conference on political elites: @dzobrien.bsky.social and @tiffanydbarnes.bsky.social will present "Who Governs and Why It Matters: Lessons from Cabinet Appointments" on Thursday the 20th, 13–14. If you are in Oslo and want to attend, let us know
Conference — WhoGov
WhoGov workshops, conference panels, and data clinics for the research community.
whogov.net
Why & how did #elites in #GreatBritain expand the #franchise between 1830 & 1918? In their July article, @chitbazoo.bsky.social, @cboix.bsky.social, Sonia Giurumescu, & Paulo Serôdio develop a #theory of #democratization to answer this question. doi.org/10.1353/wp.2... #voting #data #MPs #voters
Are politicians gatekeepers of democracy? Will they reject candidates for party leadership or coalitions to protect it? We ran pre-registered experiments on 2,000 Norwegian politicians. They do gatekeep, but it’s conditional. osf.io/preprints/so...
Are some political systems inherently more unstable than others? Yes! Countries with high government turnover fifty years ago tend to still have high turnover today. But it's not destiny. Some countries got more stable (Argentina, Turkey) and others more volatile (Tunisia, Romania).
Do you teach about authoritarian regimes? Check out this new book! I snuck my way in it and shared my coup game you can play with your students.
Edward Goldring@edwardgoldring.bsky.social · last mo.“Teaching Autocracy and Autocratic Politics” is now out. To my knowledge, this is the first book that considers how instructors can teach about autocracy in a university setting. www.e-elgar.com/shop/gbp/tea...
The WhoGov Project has a new webpage 🎉 It brings our datasets, publications, team, and news together in one home. We have big plans for expanding the dataset and building the project, and we'll keep it updated. Take a look (and join our mailing list): whogov.net
WhoGov — Data on governing elites
Mapping the people who govern us — worldwide and across centuries. WhoGov provides open, global data on the members of government, from 1966 to today. Hosted at the University of Oslo.
whogov.net
And how do they see it? 👑 Tiphaine Le Corre, @profjanegreen.bsky.social & Alexander Yeandle review evidence to examine how elite discourse impacts #PublicOpinion about #Immigration
To what extent do political elites influence public opinion about immigration? | European Journal of Political Research | Cambridge Core
To what extent do political elites influence public opinion about immigration?
buff.ly
🤝 Do parties reward allies or recruit rivals for cabinet? ➡️ Alexander Herzog and David Schmuck show that rather than favoring moderates, parties prefer loyal MPs: strong government defenders and fierce opposition critics are more likely to become ministers www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
In the 1960s the average US cabinet member was in the early fifties. Yet, we have seen a gradual increase, and today they're over 60.
Which generation dominates governments around the world? In most countries (102), Generation X now runs the cabinet. Boomers cling to power in 59, while Millennials dominates the government in just ten. Data from July 2025.
You won't find many millennials in most European governments; instead they are dominated by Gen X and boomers. The exceptions are Scandinavia, Ukraine, Moldova, Montenegro, and Malta.
New public pre-print with @aarslew.bsky.social and Martin Bisgaard 🧵 We introduce a perspective on democratic erosion that focuses on quiet anticipation among political elites: what do they think happens to those who cross a strongman that challenges democracy? www.researchgate.net/publication/...
(PDF) The Imagined Strongman: How Elites Anticipate the Cost of Opposing Trump
PDF | What happens to politicians who speak up against a strongman that challenges democracy? Political scientists typically answer this question using... | Find, read and cite all the research you ne...
researchgate.net
Until the middle of the 20th century, few countries had political leaders that were women. These were monarchs, who rose to their positions because of their royal lineage.
Do you struggle to remember who is in government? Be glad you're not Japanese. Japan has the world's highest cabinet turnover: a dizzying 72% of cabinet members are replaced from one year to the next. Nepal (62%), South Korea (58%), and Peru (58%) come next.
There are clear gender patterns in which type of government portfolios women are put in charge of. Women are far more likely than men to head ministries like women's affairs and family. Defence or natural resources almost never go to a woman.
The preliminary program for our mini-conference on political elites on the 20th and 21st of August is out. You can find it here: bit.ly/whogov2026_p.... If you are in Oslo and want to drop by for a panel or five, you are more than welcome.
From our FirstView: Vetting for Virtue: Democracy’s Challenge in Excluding Criminals from Office by SIGURD S. ARNTZEN, @fiva.no and RUNE J. SØRENSEN. doi.org/10.1017/S000...
