Our new virtual special issue highlights research on feminist institutionalism and the interactions between gender and institutional dynamics. Enjoy free access to the articles until the end of September ⬇️ buff.ly/BLRr3Z5 gendersky polisky
Meryl Kenny
@merylkenny.bsky.social
Head of Politics & IR at University of Edinburgh | gender & politics, political parties, parliaments, territorial politics, political representation | views own
Glad someone senior from the sector is pushing back. Labour MPs need to understand the serious real anger from graduates and the people who produce them. And the dangerous financial situation they have allowed to fester, or indeed worsened, in one of Britain’s leading sectors.
Labour has harmed universities as much as Trump, London School of Economics head says
LSE vice-chancellor Larry Kramer points to domestic student fees freeze, international student limits and rise in employers’ national insurance
ft.com
‘We urge the Government to prioritise this issue. Should this situation continue unchecked, the damage to the health of higher education, research and innovation will be profound and have long-lasting consequences.’ www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/news/stateme...
British Academy President: UK higher education crisis risks irreversible damage
As course closures, shrinking provision and widening regional inequalities threaten the future of UK higher education and research, President of the British Academy, Susan J Smith calls for an immedia...
thebritishacademy.ac.uk
Our study on gender differences in feelings of political efficacy and ambition among youth wing members is now out, open access, with @politicsgenderj.bsky.social ✨ www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
I was saddened to learn of the death of Raul Pacheco-Vega earlier this week. I’ve known Raul for a very long time. I’ve written something for my website. Read here: jovanevery.co.uk/in-memoriam-...
In memoriam: Raul Pacheco-Vega
jovanevery.co.uk
Brilliant analysis countering much of the "education is failing young people" and screen-phobia of the Milburn Report. It is 20 years of zero growth that means the job market is not there to support students and young people. Political class should look internally for the problem and not scapegoat.
Margot Finn@eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 3mo ago'Ages ago I suggested we think of the Labour Force Survey as a giant net dragged across the whole working population. It is bad enough at counting the population as a whole. But it has huge holes in it shaped exactly like a student.'
This is incredibly sad news. A generous scholar & person. What a huge loss.
Sociedad Mexicana de Sociología@smsociologia.bsky.social · 3mo agoLa Sociedad Mexicana de Sociología lamenta profundamente el fallecimiento del Dr. Raúl Pacheco-Vega, profesor del CIDE y FLACSO. Nuestras más sinceras condolencias a sus familiares, amigos y colegas cercanos. Descanse en paz
Number of universities in the QS Top 100 world ranking by country in 2026 USA = 27 UK = 17 Australia = 8 China = 5 South Korea = 5 A top five UK service sector export (c.£25bn) that we should probably support and champion more if we want to maintain an advantage.
📣Tomorrow: Stevenson Trust launch of the Scottish Election Analysis Report ⬇️ www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/after-the-... Stellar panel @profnicolamcewen.bsky.social @merylkenny.bsky.social @ailsahenderson.bsky.social
After the Votes are Counted: Making Sense of the Scottish Election Result
The Stevenson Trust hosts a discussion on the recent Scottish Election.
eventbrite.co.uk
Thinking a bit more about @samfr.bsky.social Observer piece about HE, and the FT's piece about the growth of Business degrees... I don't accept the argument that there's some transcendental sense of what a university is. Over the 1000+ years they've been around, they've changed a lot, and usually...
I'm in @theobserveruk.bsky.social today looking at why so many unis are in financial trouble and what the government needs to do to save HE. observer.co.uk/news/columni...
Why saving universities is far more than academic
Modern Britain needs young people with degrees – here’s how to make sure they still have somewhere to study them
observer.co.uk
Four weeks to go! 🗳️ We'll be publishing analysis on our blog every Thurs + Tues, looking at data beyond the immediate horse-race 🏇📊 First up, @cjcarman.bsky.social on what Scots think about changes to voting rights in recent years! scottishelections.ac.uk/2026/04/09/e...
Important if grim read
Ralph Scott@ralphscott.bsky.social · 5mo ago🚨 NEW REPORT! 🚨 What is the state of the UK academic job market in politics, and what does this mean for the field and #highered? In a new @psaecn.bsky.social report, @lawrencemckay.bsky.social @williamlallen.bsky.social and I find worrying trends in job adverts and HESA data from 2012-25 #PSA26
Harriet Taylor Mill officially recognised as co-author of 'On Liberty'! dailynous.com/2026/03/19/o...
“On Liberty” Now Officially Has Two Authors - Daily Nous
An edition of On Liberty published this month is the first to officially name Harriet Taylor Mill as a co-author alongside John Stuart Mill. The new volume is edited by Piers Norris Turner (Ohio State...
dailynous.com
I’ll be teaching about this (and more) again next year - Autocracy and Dissent in the 21st Century. Open to Edinburgh 3/4 years (and visiting students).
V-Dem Institute@vdeminstitute.bsky.social · 6mo ago📢 Out Now! V-Dem Dataset v16 & the V-Dem Institute Democracy Report 2026 💾 The V-Dem Dataset: v-dem.net/data/the-v-d... 📰 The Report "Unraveling The Democratic Era?”: v-dem.net/publications... 📈 Explore the new data with the V-Dem Graphing tools: v-dem.net/graphing/gra... #PoliSky #PoliSciSky 1/3
Turns out (says @jburnmurdoch.ft.com) it's not so much an oversupply of graduates in the UK (the same would be true of other similar countries but it's not) as an undersupply of the kind of jobs that a better-performing, more productive economy would supply.
‘Is university still worth it?’ is the wrong question
The graduate earnings premium isn’t really measuring what most people think
ft.com
*PSA Mackenzie #BookPrize Shortlist 2025-26* Congratulations to Prof. Elizabeth Evans @elizabethjevans.bsky.social & Dr Stefanie Reher for ‘Disability and Political Representation', published by Oxford University Press @academic.oup.com ➡️ Find out more buff.ly/X13TKjK #Books #Politics #Disability
Mackenzie Book Prize 2025-26 Shortlist Announced - Political Studies Association
Thank you to all who nominated a book for this esteemed prize which celebrates the distinctive contribution these works have made to advancing Political Studies. From an impressive number of entries,…
buff.ly
I am heart sore this morning at the death of Jeane Freeman, a wonderful Cabinet colleague. Jeane gave selfless service to Scotland especially as Health Secretary during Covid. In designing Scotland’s social security system, she put dignity and respect at its heart. (1/2)
When people talk about the idea that some universities must go under, there’s a certain tendency to behave as if these smaller local campuses are negligible- regrettable casualties perhaps but not ‘real’ universities. This report does a great job of illustrating why that’s wrong.
Alison Stenning@alisonstenning.bsky.social · 7mo agoEverything in this report reflects on what we value, for communities, for peripheral places, for young people, for education, for the future - and it looks like we’ve got it all wrong.
‘If I think about what this means, I want to cry’: what happens when a city loses its university?
‘If I think about what this means, I want to cry’: what happens when a city loses its university?
When Essex University’s Southend campus opened, it was a message of hope for a ‘left behind’ UK seaside town. Its closure will be felt far beyond its 800 students, some of whom will not get their degrees
theguardian.com
🙋Did you know that Edinburgh's "official" Hogmanay festivities are an ancient tradition dating back to the last century? 🎆 1993 to be precise. The event was dreamed up by Edinburgh Marketing and Unique Events Ltd. to "[package] Edinburgh more effectively" and thus "improve the visitor experience" 🧵👇
🙏 Josephine Ortleb for hosting @odihr.pl at the @bundestag.de 🇩🇪. We hope that the lectures by the guests from the @scotparl.bsky.social - @merylkenny.bsky.social, @petrahrens.bsky.social and me have inspired discussions on gender-sensitivity of the parliament www.instagram.com/reel/DSIV5vh...
Josephine Ortleb, MdB on Instagram: "Wenn im Bundestag nur jede dritte Stimme weiblich ist, haben wir ein Problem. Heute war ich als Bundestagsvizepräsidentin Gastgeberin eines parlamentarischen Früh...
36 likes, 2 comments - josephineortleb on December 11, 2025: "Wenn im Bundestag nur jede dritte Stimme weiblich ist, haben wir ein Problem. Heute war ich als Bundestagsvizepräsidentin Gastgeberin ein...
instagram.com
It’s here! Gendering Party Politics published with Oxford University Press & available in all good bookshops in hardcover & paperback. Edited by @merylkenny.bsky.social and @elinbja.bsky.social academic.oup.com/book/61464
Gendering Party Politics: Feminist Institutionalist Perspectives
Abstract. Gendering Party Politics explores the relationship between gender and political parties through a feminist institutionalist lens. Across 17 chapt
academic.oup.com
Interesting piece “From my experience of universities, one of the most important elements of that is the culture around the senior management table, which is not the governing body,” he said. “You cannot have…an overbearing culture where essentially the executive is run in a hierarchical system.”
Research Professional News@resprofnews.bsky.social · 11mo agoUniversities ‘must avoid same traps as Dundee’, says former VC Anton Muscatelli urges institutions to take governance failings that led to bailout “very seriously indeed” www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-u...
In less jest - yes, it's good if universities can help students develop skills for the labour market. However, the pointless venom of the current government about one of the few world class sectors in the British economy is tiring, enervating and just plain sad. Get a grip lads.
An actual quote from the Secretary of State for Business and Trade Too often people go to university to ‘explore research and knowledge’ Look forward to Wes S saying 'too often people go to hospital to have operations' or Heidi Alexander saying 'too often people go to the station to catch a train'
*NEW PSA BLOG* A hard-hitting report by @britishacademy.bsky.social illuminates how large areas of the UK are/becoming cold spots for #HE degrees in #SocialSciences & #humanities. PSA CEO @seasonedcomms.bsky.social highlights the issues and impact
New British Academy report shows degree course cold spots across the UK | The Political Studies Association (PSA)
Our friends at the British Academy (BA) have produced a hard-hitting new report which shows that financial difficulties or strategic choices in our universities have led to large swathes of the UK…
buff.ly
We've got a chunky @britishacademy.bsky.social report out looking at the emergence of 'cold spots' where you can't study arts, humanities or social science subjects close to home. We call for an urgent review of HE funding & monitoring of at risk subjects www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/news/univers...
University course closures leave students unable to study many SHAPE subjects close to home - report
A new report shows that students are shut out of SHAPE education in their home regions, as large swathes of the UK are ‘cold spots’ for humanities, social sciences and arts degrees.
thebritishacademy.ac.uk