Why do some authoritarian regimes build strong information control despite rapid digital uptake? Comparing Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, I show how exactly state capacities shape bureaucratic responses and effectiveness. Curious? Check out the details below: doi.org/10.1080/1356...

Wiring the Leviathan: state capacities and the political economy of ‘digital authoritarianism’ in Central Asia

Why do some authoritarian regimes build strong information control despite rapid digital proliferation? The political effects of digital uptake in autocracies are known to be context-specific, but ...

doi.org

Our Fall 2026 season is ready to go! Look at the great lineup we have for you all in the image and thread below. To join any or all, remember to join our mailing list: mailchi.mp/fe045331c9c7...

Our next session—and first as SWEEP—is this Friday!🌟 @bogatyrev.bsky.social presents "Military Casualties and Regime Support: Evidence from a Survey Experiment in Russia," work w/ @tarasenkogeorgy.bsky.social, Andrey Tkachenko, & @nikitasavin.bsky.social. @ildardaminov.bsky.social discusses.

My new article in East European Politics looks at how state capacity shapes the diffusion of #digitalauthoritarianism in Eurasia. Using Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan as cases, the article shows that borrowing authoritarian “blueprints” is one thing, but implementing them effectively is another.

Borrowed blueprints, broken systems: the moderating effect of state capacities on the diffusion of “digital authoritarianism” in Eurasia

Authoritarian diffusion theories explain cooperation among autocracies to sustain stability through resources or policy learning. Existing research centres on autocracy promotion or “authoritarian ...

doi.org

Check out an excerpt M/M tearjerker from Where Nomads dare to dream #bookaddiction #bookshelf #mustread #instabook #fortheloveofbooks #bookrecs #newbook #readersofinsta #tbrpile #whattoread #newbook #weekendreads #DiverseReads #contemporary #newadult #tearjerker

Check out an excerpt M/M tearjerker from Where Nomads dare to dream

Title: Where Nomads Dare to Dream Author: Ildar Daminov Publisher: NineStar Press Release Date: 06/23/2026 Heat Level: 2 - Fade to Black Sex Pairing: Male/Male Length: 346 Genre: Contemporary, new adult, high school, college, unrequited love, betrayal, political unrest, Central Asia, Austria, tearjerker Add to Goodreads Description Eighteen-year-old Timur Tuqay dreams of escape. A subdued life in a small Central Asian town feels suffocating—especially when you’re gay and secretly in love with your best friend. When a university scholarship takes Tim to Vienna, everything changes.

paperphoenixink.com

My Bluesky is mostly academic, yet I wanted to share that my #queer and #CentralAsia themed #novel titled "Where Nomads Dare to Dream" is getting published this June! Personally, it means a lot to me during #PrideMonth, and it's so exciting that it's gonna be printed too!

Indeed, I am :) Any suggestions or recommendations are very welcome!

Authoritarian Political Systems Group@apsgworkshop.bsky.social · 4mo ago

On the market! @ildardaminov.bsky.social: PhD candidate at @weareceu.bsky.social working on domestic and foreign policies of authoritarian and hybrid regimes, socio-political impacts of digitalization and digital technologies, governance, conflict and methodologies ildardaminov.wordpress.com

Artificial intelligence is often seen as a silver bullet for authoritarians that makes repression cheaper, faster, and more precise. But it has inherent weaknesses, and dictators can’t escape these dilemmas, write L. Jason Anastasopoulos and Jie (Jason) Lian. muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...

There are crucial elections in #Hungary 🇭🇺 this weekend. If you are looking for sharp and well-informed commentary on Hungarian politics, make sure you follow these excellent women! @veghzsuzsanna.bsky.social @gabrielagreilinger.com @zecsaky.bsky.social @eublogo.bsky.social

Russia, Venezuela, Iran, China, the Sahel region, the United States ... Want to know why state agents carry out brutal repression — or participate in illegal coups? Our new book "Making a Career in Dictatorship" provides answers — it just got published by @academic.oup.com: tinyurl.com/ystwm3tf

A very disturbing precedent.

Cas Mudde@casmudde.bsky.social · 8mo ago

The Oklahoma governor has signed an executive order to phase out tenure. In Tennessee, a similar law is being discussed, while Georgia already has one university without tenure - not to speak of "post-tenure review" being introduced in more and more states.

From Fork to Feelings: How Foods Shape Mental Health via the Microbiota–Gut–Brain Axis Latest review out in @annualreviews.bsky.social -Well done Aimone Ferri, Laise Paes & @elizschneider.bsky.social www.annualreviews.org/content/jour... @apcmicrobiomeirel.bsky.social @anatneuroucc.bsky.social

To Lam’s goals for Vietnam—double-digit growth, less bureaucracy, closer ties with democracies—are ambitious. Even some of his supporters say the general secretary might be trying too much, too quickly

Will the army hold up Vietnam’s big reforms?

Two visions for the country will collide at a five-yearly congress

econ.st

How do “fear dictators” become “spin dictators” once societies go online? My new open-access article in @democratization.bsky.social traces how the Lukashenka regime in #Belarus and its bureaucracy have retooled their information control in response to #digital uptake: doi.org/10.1080/1351...

A fear dictator who is spinning? Conceptualizing authoritarian responses to digital uptake through the case study of information control in Belarus

Contemporary authoritarian regimes increasingly rely on digital technologies in their information control strategies, such as censorship, surveillance, and propaganda. However, the digital transfor...

doi.org

📢 #CfP We invite panel & paper proposals for “The Many Faces of Digital Authoritarianism” section at @ecpr.bsky.social ECPR General Conference 2026 (8–11 September, Jagiellonian University, Kraków.) Check our preliminary panels: ecpr.eu/Events/Event... 📅 Deadline: 5 January 2026 (midnight UK time)

The Many Faces of Digital Authoritarianism

European Consortium for Political Research

ecpr.eu

New Publication Alert! Discover how Kazakhstani senators subtly contest power through "embedded rhetorical contestation" in elite debates in @ildardaminov.bsky.social latest research. #Authoritarian #Parliaments #Kazakhstan #PoliticalScience tinyurl.com/wwaae67

Whispers of dissent? Analyzing the rhetorical alignment of the elites with the authoritarian incumbent through parliamentary discourse in the Kazakhstani Senate

Parliaments are often thought to be key arenas of elite signaling in authoritarian regimes. This paper examines the patterns of rhetorical alignment between individual elite members of parliament a...

tandfonline.com

Simply amazing that the Supreme Court declared an end to legal race discrimination in the affirmative action case two years ago and now allows overt racism in both immigration arrests and redistricting. Using race to help minorities? Bad. Using it to discriminate against them? Very, very good.

Kelsey Reichmann@kelseyreichmann.bsky.social · 10mo ago

BREAKING: Supreme Court GRANTS Texas request to restore redistricting maps apparent 6-3 ruling with the liberals in dissent @courthousenews.bsky.social

What does rebuilding Syria look like from inside the new government? On the latest WOMENP podcast, Minister Hind Kabawat—currently the only woman in the cabinet—discusses the country’s fragile transition and her mission to bring more women into positions of power. ecfr.eu/podcasts/epi...

One year after Assad: Syria’s struggle for security, recovery and reform

Ellie Geranmayeh speaks with Syrian minister Hind Kabawat about the country’s turbulent first year after Assad, the challenges ahead, and her push to bring more women into leadership during Syria’s…

ecfr.eu

“The kids are alright. The real problem might be older generations projecting their own racial anxieties onto them.” This is a must-read piece by two of the finest scholars of U.S. politics, @adambonica.bsky.social & @jakemgrumbach.bsky.social

The Shocking Truth About Gen Z Voters Is That They’re Pretty Great

Stop panicking: They are the most progressive generation ever, especially on race. If that surprises you, you’ve been listening to the wrong story.

newrepublic.com

#CfP Hossein Kermani is organizing the workshop "The interplay of physical and digital authoritarianism: Methodological and theoretical challenges and approaches" on April 7-10, 2026 at Vienna University. Please find the details here: ecpr.eu/Events/Event... @ecpr.bsky.social

The interplay of physical and digital authoritarianism: Methodological and theoretical challenges and approaches

European Consortium for Political Research

ecpr.eu

🔍🇰🇿 Even in #authoritarian #parliaments, not all voices speak in unison. My new paper examines possible pockets of rhetorical dissent or "embedded rhetorical contestation" in #Kazakhstani Senate debates. The paper is now in OA thanks to @weareceu.bsky.social: shorturl.at/YoY9h

Whispers of dissent? Analyzing the rhetorical alignment of the elites with the authoritarian incumbent through parliamentary discourse in the Kazakhstani Senate

Parliaments are often thought to be key arenas of elite signaling in authoritarian regimes. This paper examines the patterns of rhetorical alignment between individual elite members of parliament a...

tandfonline.com

NEW - Autocratic Audiences and Linguistic Complexity - https://cup.org/4hBO2t0 "findings contribute to an understanding of authoritarian co-optation, elite incentives, responsiveness, and propaganda" - Nikita Khokhlov & Alexander Baturo #OpenAccess

NEW! The public opinion effects of antisemitic elite cues: a survey experiment on the Hungarian Soros campaign in @eepolitics.bsky.social w/ @bencehamrak.bsky.social @erinjenne.bsky.social G.Simonovits. Soros cues worked through partisan motivated reasoning & not antisemitism doi.org/10.1080/2159...

Very happy to join in and excited to participate this semester!

Scholars Working on East European Politics@sweep-workshop.bsky.social · 12mo ago

🎉 We're excited to share our Fall/Winter 2025-26 schedule! We have a stellar lineup of research highlighting cases from Central Europe to Central Asia🎉 Workshops are on Fridays 5pmCET/11amET/8amPST with links+papers shared on our list-serv the week before. Sign up here⤵️ eepg-workshop.github.io

Excited to announce the publication of my article in Comparative Political Studies on how crises shape the ideological legitimation strategies of authoritarian regimes. journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10....

"If we want to protect children, we should be fighting for privacy laws, protecting encryption, and learning from Bluesky's model, where they allow third party algorithmic feeds and moderation tools."

Analysis | ‘Sammy’s Law’ would help parents monitor kids online. It’s gaining steam.

The parents of a teen fentanyl poisoning victim are finding allies in Congress for a bill intended to save others from the same fate.

washingtonpost.com

Full-Time Assistant Professor of Political Science and Government www.ipsa.org/na/job-offer...

A great piece. Practically, we need more research looking into thwarting autocratization.

Journal of Democracy@jodemocracy.bsky.social · last yr.

Turkey’s opposition is gaining popularity and may still be able to tilt the playing field to their advantage — despite the regime’s tightening repression, argue Berk Esen and Sebnem Gumuscu. "How to Fight Turkey’s Authoritarian Turn" muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...

#AcademicSky #SciPub #PeerReview #PhDSky #OpenScience #AcademicResearch #AcademicWriting #ScholarlyPublishing #AcademicPublishing #AcademicChatter #Comics 🧪

Very proud <3

Franziska Wagner@franziskawagner.bsky.social · last yr.

I am extremely happy to announce that I have successfully defended my PhD dissertation. This would not have been possible without the years of supervision by @zsolt.bsky.social. I am also very grateful for my panel @marikenvelden.bsky.social, Gábor Simonovits & @andrasbozoki.bsky.social