“It’s not an intentional attack but it’s the unintended consequences. No one is looking at the cumulative effect, which has been as bad or worse than anything that’s happened in the US,” Labour has harmed universities as much as Trump, LSE head says giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...

Labour has harmed universities as much as Trump, London School of Economics head says

LSE vice-chancellor Larry Kramer points to domestic students’ fees, limits on international students and rise in employers’ national insurance

giftarticle.ft.com

I try to resist the impulse to read any single story as a sure sign of impending national/civilizational collapse. but at any given moment there are four or five things happening at once that I'm trying not to be a doomer about, which is about three too many

Catherina Gioino@catgioino.bsky.social · last wk.

I wrote about how much Americans wagered on sports betting in 2025 and how it’s more than they spent on movies, art, museums and music combined. Read my article @fortunemagazine.bsky.social fortune.com/2026/07/26/g...

This is yet another reminder that fascism has been normalized across much — but not all — of the so-called "advanced industrial democracies." The ultimate goal should be to re-stigmatize it, but the reality is that, at least for now, it's going to be a "normal" part of the political landscape. 1/2

Joshua Foust 🪖🎮@joshuafoust.com · last wk.

We’re pushing a month since Elon Musk was quoting from The Turner Diaries, and every single mainstream news and political figure has maintained an active account on his platform, enriching him.

unfortunately a widespread phenomenon: "Research income targets for Liverpool’s new academics ‘unfair’" - Growing pressure on probationary staff to win grants represents ‘material divergence’ from agreed policies, argue UCU leaders www.timeshighereducation.com/news/researc...

Research income targets for Liverpool’s new academics ‘unfair’

Growing pressure on probationary staff to win grants represents ‘material divergence’ from agreed policies, argue UCU leaders

timeshighereducation.com

If anyone wants to read about what efforts are being taken to regulate prediction markets, and how the Trump admin is trying to stand in the way... @robertralston.bsky.social and I wrote about this recently! theconversation.com/prediction-m...

Prediction markets are opening many new opportunities for unregulated insider trading and unethical bets – in the name of making a game out of politics

The rapidly growing popularity of prediction markets is sparking worries about the markets’ effects on US politics, where campaign staff has bet on its candidate’s electoral performance.

theconversation.com

We aren’t a serious country.

Plashing Vole@plashingvole.bsky.social · 3w ago

Congratulations to the government on saving 2700 jobs by nationalising British Steel. Now, about the 18,000 university jobs lost in the last 18 months, with more coming…

Zia Yusuf claims Farage is bravely "bringing forward" the judgment of "the ultimate authority": the people of Clacton. Two problems here: 1) He's insisting they judge *before* the full evidence has been heard, not *after*; 2) No constituency can exempt its MP from rules designed to protect us all

If England barely fights off the Norwegians, but then is too exhausted to resist France, you do realize we’re getting a tapestry about it

see this is why it was a mistake for the LSAT to get rid of the logic games

Stephen Nuñez@socio-steve.bsky.social · last mo.

FIFA is corrupt; Trump is corrupt; the Balogun call was bullshit; the suspension of the call was bullshit; the appeal of the suspension is bullshit. Wow this is like the perfect storm for a discourse. You have all sorts of possible stances to take. Have fun everyone.

I don't know if we can attribute everything to Greggs' patriotic decision to remove their Mexican menu items, but we can surely attribute some credit thereto.

How it started / how it’s going

Lauri Donahue@lauridonahue.bsky.social · last mo.

futurism.com/future-socie... lol

My grandkids have measles and I’m about to get kicked out of my nursing home since they had to fire all the Haitian nurses. But at least now I know that the students at some school I never heard of aren’t going to get trigger warnings anymore.

Prediction markets may not be only influencing international affairs; they could also affect the 2026 midterm elections. @mattmotta.bsky.social & @robertralston.bsky.social sound the alarm theconversation.com/prediction-m...

Prediction markets are opening many new opportunities for unregulated insider trading and unethical bets – in the name of making a game out of politics

The rapidly growing popularity of prediction markets is sparking worries about the markets’ effects on US politics, where campaign staff has bet on its candidate’s electoral performance.

theconversation.com

Not to make it All About Me but when you need a cite for how high gas prices affect public support for foreign policy (say because the WH just made this explicit) you can read my new @fpajrnl.bsky.social piece academic.oup.com/fpa/article/...

Pay Any Price? Measuring Americans’ Willingness-to-Pay for Sanctions on Russia and China

Abstract. Economic sanctions appear to be an inexpensive means for wealthy countries to punish or coerce targets. Not all sanctions are, or will be, cheap,

academic.oup.com

Prediction markets are turning US politics into a game. Today in @us.theconversation.com, @robertralston.bsky.social and I discuss how prediction markets could impact the Midterms, and why some efforts to regulate them are challenging Trump admin. priorities. theconversation.com/prediction-m...

Prediction markets are opening many new opportunities for unregulated insider trading and unethical bets – in the name of making a game out of politics

The rapidly growing popularity of prediction markets is sparking worries about the markets’ effects on US politics, where campaign staff has bet on its candidate’s electoral performance.

theconversation.com

new from @mattmotta.bsky.social and me: Prediction markets are opening many new opportunities for unregulated insider trading and unethical bets – in the name of making a game out of politics theconversation.com/prediction-m...

Prediction markets are opening many new opportunities for unregulated insider trading and unethical bets – in the name of making a game out of politics

The rapidly growing popularity of prediction markets is sparking worries about the markets’ effects on US politics, where campaign staff has bet on its candidate’s electoral performance.

theconversation.com

I am happy to share our new, open-access article in International Political Sociology: how enforced disappearance in Libya became a durable tool of authoritarian rule, from Italian colonial rule through Gaddafi to today. With Walid Ali & Iosif Kovras. Available here: doi.org/10.1093/ips/...

When you see the story about how the world now has its first trillionaire, and when you see the story about how laboratories in Congo have run out of supplies to test for Ebola, it is important to understand that in many ways these are the same story.

DfE pupil data is out today and shows that the number of private school pupils has dropped 5.6% since VAT was introduced. Not 25% like the independent schools council predicted. Or the 50% we saw in some right-wing papers. 5.6%.

It’s funny that rich people nurseries have low-no tech and just endless amounts of wood

Conor P. Williams@conorpwilliams.bsky.social · 2mo ago

A lot of people in K–12 education politics/policy are trying to convince themselves (and others) that U.S. families are desperate for schools to figure out how to *use* AI in schools. I think that that's wrong—and absolutely NOT what U.S. families want.

New report out today with my friends at Verasight writing up a couple new studies I designed on AI “digital twins” in polling. The upshot is basically these tools are very inaccurate unless you have raw polling data to build on (which defeats the purpose!)

Can AI "Digital Twins" Replace Human Survey Respondents? | Verasight

Verasight ran four experiments on AI "digital twins." Synthetic samples can match polls on Trump approval and the generic ballot, but fail systematically on almost everything else.

verasight.io

We are saddened to learn of the passing of Duck contributor @raulpachecovega.bsky.social. He was a friend to all on their social science journeys. If anyone would like to write a tribute, please DM us.

harmodio@harmodio.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Buen camino, profe Raúl Pacheco Vega. Fuiste y serás siempre el investigador más chido.

"The Office for Students, which regulates the sector, found this month that 43 per cent of universities were likely to have ended 2025-26 in deficit after “over-optimistic” attempts to boost student recruitment." giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...

See, the thing is that whether USAID was a cynical op to expand imperial influence or a sincere act of goodwill from the United States, all those Africans are still dead.

Ignotus@imnotactuallyhere.bsky.social · 3mo ago

America has always been like this, it just bothered with appearances before. It did mostly the same shit but while pretending it didn't or that if it did it was a mistake that wouldn't ever happen again (and then it would happen again). ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯

really hard to beat this as a symbol of institutional decay. the SEALs — a unit that has become infamously loose in discipline — escorting a corrupt politician without any discipline (Patel) on a party inside a hallowed watery graveyard for the fallen

Kyle Griffin@kylegriffin1.bsky.social · 3mo ago

NYT confirms — with new details: Last year, Navy SEALs used two boats to escort Kash Patel and nine others on what a Pentagon email called a 'VIP Snorkel' next to one of the military's most sacred sites, the underwater tomb of the U.S.S. Arizona. One Navy vet called the swim "horrifying."

Did not expect Mahmood to deny Starmer ILR but I guess those are the new Home Office rules.

FinTwitter@fintwitter.bsky.social · 3mo ago

UK PM STARMER TOLD BY HOME MINISTER MAHMOOD & OTHER SENIOR CABINET MINISTERS TO CONSIDER SETTING OUT DEPARTURE TIMELINE - TIMES

The Defense Department has requested funds for danger pay to troops that are at increased risk of taking hostile fire or other dangers. Rather than paying more danger pay, let's stop the illegal war of choice that's putting our troops in danger. www.militarytimes.com/news/your-mi...

Danger pay for US troops could double, expand to more regions

The U.S. defense budget request for Fiscal Year 2027 has raised the prospect of an increase in the monthly stipend paid out to troops in dangerous regions.

militarytimes.com

lol, typically understated by Barry Posen: "Barry Posen, a professor of political science at MIT and former director of its Security Studies program, said Hegseth appears to “have a preference for people who look like him.”" www.salon.com/2026/05/01/r...

Republican lawmakers increasingly concerned over Hegseth's ideological military - Salon.com

Conservatives are voicing criticisms after Hegseth unceremoniously fired a top military leader

salon.com

the thing dem pols need to internalize is this guy and his entire family will vote republican for the rest of their lives, regardless of the republican party literally ending their livelihood

Mr. Dan Zak@mrdanzak.com · 3mo ago

Brad voted Trump bc he promised to be “the most pro-farmer president you’ve ever had.” Instead, tariffs cut Brad’s export market; the war surged fertilizer prices by 70%. So Brad arranged his family’s final sale. “Farm is going dry,” said the ad. “Every cow must go.” www.nytimes.com/2026/05/03/u...

Have you been to/facilitated a writing retreat for faculty? If so, do you have any tips?