Where do governments turn for policy knowledge? In 185 countries, evidence cited in policy documents is dominated by a few Global North countries, with the 🇺🇸 at the centre. Our paper (w/ @seramirezruiz.bsky.social ) is now out in the July issue of @nathumbehav.nature.com. 🔗 doi.org/10.1038/s415...

The fundamental problem of causal inference in action. One can’t know whether a single event (eg a fire of historic proportions) was caused by climate change because we can’t know the other counterfactual. elpais.com/espana/2026-...

El PP desoye las llamadas a un pacto de Estado sobre el cambio climático

Los populares cuestionan la influencia del calentamiento global en los incendios, mientras se diluye la tregua política de los últimos días

elpais.com

My new book #WhatHappenedToLiberalDemocracy is out on August 11. Here is a brief message about my motivation for writing this book and its central thesis. Pre-order links are available here: shapingwork.mit.edu/what-happene.... I hope you will join me in the discussion.

The European Commission has just published its 2026 Rule of Law Report, and the findings on anti-corruption paint a stark picture. Here’s a quick analysis. Our analysis of recommendations issued across seven EU member states (2022 -2026) reveals persistent gaps between commitments and action ⬇️

In a new chapter in "Teaching Autocracy and Autocratic Politics" edited by @edwardgoldring.bsky.social, I reflect upon the not so wise words of Muammar Gaddafi, and discuss how best to design teaching on autocratic politics for undergrad and grad students. Link: books.google.no/books/about/...

Corruption isn't just envelopes under tables anymore. It's golden passports, undisclosed donations, fossil fuel lobbyists in climate talks. Transparency International's 2025 Annual Report shows how we're fighting back. ⬇️

Transparency International 2025: while corruption spreads, here's…

Transparency International's 2025 annual report: 14,000 people supported, 60+ systemic reforms, EU golden passports banned. See how the global…

transparency.org

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.

I was lucky to still overlap with him at Nuffield. He was still regularly having lunch in college and attending talks. Quite an honor.

American Statistical Association History of Statistics @hos-asa.bsky.social · 3w ago

3/ Sir David R Cox (15 Jul 1924- 8 Jan 2022) President RSS 1980 and multiple award winner (International Prize in Statistics; Guy Gold, Silver & Copley medals) he was the “most eminent statistician of the 20th century" he is best known for the Cox proportional hazards model.

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.

In the northern hemisphere, it’s time for a summer break. 🌞 Why not use the well-earned rest to catch up with your democracy reading list? Here are some tips of recent publications from the V-Dem community. Links to the latest books, policy briefs and journal articles in the thread 🧵👇 1(4)

ICYMI: our new issue is out now! ✨ Read it FREE through July 31: muse.jhu.edu/issue/5...

Really excited to see my new piece out in @jodemocracy.bsky.social. Drawing on evidence from two years of fieldwork, I show the underappreciated but central role that grassroots civic mobilization played in Tisza’s electoral victory—and thus in ending sixteen years of democratic erosion in Hungary.

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

Viktor Orbán was ousted by an innovative, grassroots, nationwide campaign run by local civic groups called Tisza Islands. Their success offers a new playbook for civic mobilization against aspiring autocrats. @hannafolsz.bsky.social muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...

"I have taken the rather tedious bus necessary precaution of quoting at length from each of the works I have reinterpreted in order to forestall, if possible, raising the suspicion that instead of having read these works in a new way I have not read them at all" (Polsby 1963, viii)

As sports dominate the headlines, can't wait to dig into the freshly arrived book by my colleague Andrew Bertoli @iepolisci.bsky.social!

It's out! The full "Handbook on Authoritarianism in the Arab World" is available open access here: www.bloomsburycollections.com/encyclopedia...

I'm excited to share that my book PROTECTIVE CLUBS is now available from Cambridge University Press! Available in hardcover, paperback, or digital editions: www.cambridge.org/9781009755801

A valuable contribution to the ongoing conversations in academia by Nils Gilman: www.persuasion.community/p/the-multiv...

The University As We Know It Is Finished

That’s a good thing.

persuasion.community

The Myth of Authoritarian Efficiency. Article published with Jørgen Møller in Persuasion. www.persuasion.community/p/the-myth-o...

The Myth of Authoritarian Efficiency

When it comes to getting stuff done, democracies win every time.

persuasion.community

This year we awarded our first APSG Best Paper Award from all papers presented in our events during 2025. The committee was formed by Lauren Young (@ucdavis.bsky.social), @jacobnyrup.bsky.social (Oslo), and @elvinongpolsci.bsky.social (Singapore) 🏆 An the winners are...

This week we hosted our 4º summer conference in QMUL with support from the @qmul-sse-cgd.bsky.social and with this amazing line up! Thank you to all who took part of it! Stay tuned for the CfP for our next edition!

📣 Deadline approaching: July 3. The next round of the "Computational Linguistics for the Political and Social Sciences" workshop takes place in Hamburg ⚓️(w/ KONVENS) on September 14-15. With just a couple of weeks left, we're excited to see what you'll send our way ⬇️ sites.google.com/view/cpss202...

CPSS 2026 @ KONVENS

This is the 6th edition of the workshop on Computational Linguistics for the Political and Social Sciences (CPSS), co-located with the KONVENS conference. Our main goal is to bring together researcher...

sites.google.com

Article published in Persuasion: No, We’re Not Reliving the 1930s. History shows us that there’s reason for hope. www.persuasion.community/p/no-were-no...

No, We’re Not Reliving the 1930s

History shows us that there’s reason for hope.

persuasion.community

I’ll be at @eui-eu.bsky.social this Thursday and Friday to present ongoing work on whether social norms can be used as interventions to help safeguard democracy. Talk: Thursday, 4pm Seminar Room 2, Badia Fiesolana www.eui.eu/events?id=58... Come by, say hi, or message me if you’d like to meet up.

We're hiring 2 postdocs at @uio.no on my ERC-Cog project on how authoritarian regimes shape scientific knowledge. 3–4 years, U. of Oslo. Deadline: 10 Sept 2026. Great dept., terms, well funded, bustling & green Scandi capital. Apply! 👉 jobbnorge.no/en/available-jobs/job/303060/postdoctoral-fello

Postdoctoral Fellow  (303060) | University of Oslo

Job title: Postdoctoral Fellow  (303060), Employer: University of Oslo, Deadline: Thursday, September 10, 2026

jobbnorge.no

It's time for our final speaker series of the semester! On Wednesday, @mstalinski.bsky.social will present work on "The Prosocial Ranking Challenge: Reducing Polarization on Social Media without Sacrificing Engagement". w @danbischof.bsky.social @mwegemann.bsky.social @thiloalbers.bsky.social

New book on democracy. #OpenAccess Seven Myths about Democracy by Jørgen Møller & Svend-Erik Skaaning, Routledge taylorfrancis.com/books/oa-mon.... Challenges (full or partial) misunderstandings about the meaning, trajectory, causes, and consequences of democracy.

Seven Myths about Democracy | Jørgen Møller, Svend-Erik Skaaning | Tay

This timely book challenges seven widespread misconceptions about democracy that continue to shape public and academic debates about its past, present, and

taylorfrancis.com

🥁 Join us next Wednesday (May 13, 5pm Berlin time) for an exciting talk by Sean J. Westwood @seanjwestwood.bsky.social on "The potential existential threat of large language models to online survey research". Join our newsletter 🗞️ or send me a DM for more details: tada.cool

Thrilled to have participated in the International Scientific Week of the University of Aleppo, at late April! The insights – especially from the research presented by the Philosophy department’s scholars – were truly inspiring. #Scientific_Week_of_the_University_of_Aleppo

On Wednesday at 12.00, we welcome @cathrinmohr.bsky.social in Münster, presenting her working paper "Hysteresis and Selection in the Rise of Fascism: The “Ordinary Men” of the Nazi Party" @danbischof.bsky.social @mwegemann.bsky.social @thiloalbers.bsky.social