📣 Call for Proposals: JLPRC Fall 2026 Virtual Seminar Series For grad students, postdocs & non-tenured faculty in public law, law & courts, and legal studies. 5 sessions | Sept–Nov | 12–1pm ET | Zoom Deadline: Aug 21 Apply here: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F... @sivcheruvu.bsky.social

Grateful to have this out in @intsecurity.bsky.social. @jessicacweiss.bsky.social and I show how Cold War analogies obscure more than they reveal about US-China relations. 1/6

Faculty and staff at the University of Nottingham are on a grade strike (MAB) against 600 layoffs while university leaders take home fat checks. The good folks at my former employer deserve so much better. Stand with them by donating to their hardship fund:

University of Nottingham UCU branch@uonucu.bsky.social · 3mo ago

If you wish to support our efforts, you can do so here. Any funds donated here will be used to off set any loss income suffered by those of us mabbing. www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding... You can also donate here: UCU Nottingham LA63 Hardship Fund Account number: 20346359 Sort code: 60-83-01

Ooof. Read and publish agreements have flaws (see my blog) but not being included will make things difficult for Nottingham academics.

Margot Finn@eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 3mo ago

'The University of Nottingham has chosen not to renew five publishing deals this year as the research-intensive institution struggles under severe financial pressure.' Said to include T&F, CUP, OUP and Wiley. 1/3

But... new building? What about the shiny new building? It won an award you know.

Margot Finn@eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 3mo ago

'The key findings were said to be “surprisingly simple”: “a good student academic experience ultimately comes down to quality teaching, access to in person interaction with teachers and a strong sense of belonging”.' 2/3

💥New | Qualitative research can and should be more open and reproducible ✍️ @patrickdunleavy.bsky.social & @twm.bsky.social #OpenResearch #QualitativeResearch #AcademicSky

Qualitative research can and should be more open and reproducible - LSE Impact

Qualitative research has lagged behind quantitative studies in open research practices. A new book shows how & why qualitative research can be more open.

blogs.lse.ac.uk

Yesterday Kier Starmer announced Labour will nationalise British Steel, and save 2700 jobs. Today, the Uni of Nottingham put 2700 staff at risk of redundancy. This is just one university. Across the UK 15,000 higher education jobs need saving. Where is the rescue package for our universities?

It is good to see the Education Select Committee’s report on Higher Education and Funding. The Committee recognises the severity of the financial situation facing institutions in England and the knock-on effects on subject provision. 🧵

My policy brief on Judicial Capture is now out, as part of The Authoritarian Ecosystem collection by @wfd.org and PSA Courts are now sites of democratic contestation. They can accelerate backsliding or resist it. Understanding how they are captured matters. www.wfd.org/what-we-do/r...

The authoritarian ecosystem

wfd.org

2,700 staff at the University of Nottingham have received 'at risk' letters from the management. The same management which refused to cut their own pay, and the same management which refused to resign after losing £60 million on a disastrous attempt to build a new campus. #JoinAUnion

University of Nottingham UCU branch@uonucu.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Photo by @tregenza.bsky.social

🚨 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

Academic Job Market Trends in Politics and International Relations - Political Studies Association

Academic Job Market Trends in Politics and International Relations: Evidence from the UK, 2012-25 Authored by: Dr Ralph Scott, Dr Lawrence McKay, and Dr William Allen Read the full report here   Execu...

psa.ac.uk

The call for 2026 APCG Award Nominations is live! The deadline for nominations is May 1st. Nominate scholars for Best Dissertation, Best Graduate Student Paper, Distinguished Africanist, Best Article and Best Book! www.afpol.org/blog/2026-ap...

2026 APCG Award Nominations

The 2026 APCG Award nominations are now open and due May 1st! Nominate scholars for Best Dissertation, Best Graduate Student Paper, Distinguished Africanist, Best Article and Best Book.

afpol.org

Fantastic turnout yesterday for our Comparative Politics seminar with our alumnus Boniface Dulani (tallmanfromzomba.bsky.social) from @afrobarometer.bsky.social, discussing whether African democracy is at risk. Packed room and a lively discussion! @uoypolitics.bsky.social

We‘re very excited for the next edition of the Summer School for Women* in Political Methodology in Mannheim! ✨ Join us and apply until 1 March! More info in @melinscribe.bsky.social‘s thread below and here: summerschoolwpm.org Application form: sosci.sowi.uni-mannheim.de/wpm/

Melanie Sauter@melinscribe.bsky.social · 6mo ago

🚨 Join us for the next edition Summer School for Women* in Political Methodology in Mannheim 🚨 7 days of hands-on advanced methods + networking for PhDs, postdocs & early-career researchers. Free of charge (limited travel support). Deadline 1 March 2026: summerschoolwpm.org #methodsky #polisky

CRASSH is inviting scholars from the Global South to apply for funded Visiting Fellowships in Cambridge in Spring 2027 The fellowship theme is 'Enslavement: histories, legacies and afterlives' ⏳ Apply by 16 Feb 2026 www.crassh.cam.ac.uk/global-south-fellowships

If you are thinking about pursuing a political science PhD and are interested in authoritarian politics, broadly understood, consider applying for this funded opportunity:

European Consortium for Political Research@ecpr.bsky.social · 7mo ago

AUCD Ad Astra Doctoral Scholarship: Authoritarian Politics #ECPRMemberJobs 🎓 Minimum grade of 2.1 (GPA: 3.6) in a relevant Master's degree 🇮🇪 @ucddublin.bsky.social ⌛ Friday 6 February buff.ly/ETcFg6G #PolSciJobs #PoliSky #AcademicSky

📣 Junior scholars in public law & courts! The Junior Law & Politics Research Community is accepting proposals for our Spring 2026 virtual seminar series. Grad students, postdocs & junior faculty encouraged to apply! ⏰ Deadline: Jan 12, 2026 👉 docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Junior Law and Politics community sign-up

The Junior Law and Politics research community and seminar series is a vibrant network of junior researchers (graduate students, post-docs, assistant professors, other non-tenured faculty) in the fiel...

docs.google.com

PhD opportunity at the University of Oxford. The Morelli scholarship funds a doctoral student to work with me on on democratic backsliding, strategies of democratic defense and regeneration, or the rise of illiberalism. Deadline Jan 9. More information at users.ox.ac.uk/~ssfc0073/

Congratulations to @ailitripp.bsky.social for her new book, Why African Autocracies Promote Women as Leaders (OUP, 2025). Learn more about this important scholarship in our latest blog post: www.afpol.org/blog/new-boo...

New Book: Why African Autocracies Promote Women as Leaders by Aili Mari Tripp

Why African Autocracies Promote Women as Leaders (Oxford University Press, 2025) by Aili Mari Tripp contrasts authoritarian countries with democracies in Africa to explain how and why autocracies prom...

afpol.org

It's Election Time! Please vote for your new APCG officers. Voting will remain open through Monday, December 15, 11:59 pm Eastern Standard Time. www.afpol.org/blog/apcg-of...

APCG Officer Elections: Please Vote!

Voting will remain open through Monday December 15, 11:59pm Eastern Standard Time.

afpol.org

🚨Call for Papers ⬇️ Join us in Kraków

ECPR Standing Group on Law and Courts@ecpr-law-courts.bsky.social · 9mo ago

We are very excited about our #ecprgc26 Section on "Judicial Politics in an Age of Democratic Contestation" chaired by @thaliagerzso.bsky.social and @johank76.mastodon.nu.ap.brid.gy: ecpr.eu/Events/Event... and hope to see you all in Kraków (8-11 September 2026)!

Heading to ASA in Atlanta? Join APCG for our business meeting, social, and panels! 🎉 Full details here: www.afpol.org/blog/african...

African Studies Association Annual Conference: APCG Schedule

We hope to see you at the African Studies Association Annual Meeting in Atlanta, November 20-22. Please note the following APCG events:

afpol.org

NEW - How to Distinguish Human Error From Election Fraud: Evidence From the 2019 Malawi Election - https://cup.org/47pxPnc - Johan Ahlbäck & @ryanjablonski.bsky.social #OpenAccess

This year’s call for applications for the Prize Post Doctoral Fellowships in Politics at Nuffield College is now live! It’s a fantastic opportunity for newly minted PhDs to spend three years in a wonderful academic environment: www.nuffield.ox.ac.uk/the-college/...

Postdoctoral Prize Research Fellowships in Politics - Nuffield College Oxford University

nuffield.ox.ac.uk

🚨🚨 Final call! Propose a panel for the Law & Courts section at ECPR 2026 (Kraków 🇵🇱, 8–11 Sept). Submit by 31 Oct: 👉 Short title 👉 ≤80-word abstract 👉 1–2 co-chairs + ECPR emails 📧 Send your proposal to: thalia.gerzso@york.ac.uk & j.k.schaffer@gu.se @ecpr-law-courts.bsky.social

Grad students in political science and other social sciences! Consider applying to the great 2-week summer program in Qualitative and Multi-Method Research at Syracuse. Info is here: www.maxwell.syr.edu/research/cen...

Institute for Qualitative & Multi-Method Research

maxwell.syr.edu

TODAY: Join the APCG Online Colloquium!

African Politics Conference Group@africanpoliticscg.bsky.social · 10mo ago

🎓 The first APCG online colloquium of the semester is today, Thursday, Oct 23 at 5pm GMT! The session features Kelechi Amakoh’s paper, “Messages and Messengers: How Voters Evaluate Campaign Messages in Multiethnic Societies” 👉 Sign up to join: forms.gle/HL6SwsFUZM84QS6M7

We’re the party of the family. But we’ll deport your spouse for claiming child benefit. We’re the party of traditional values. But we’ll deport you if you become a stay-at-home parent. We’re the party for pensioners. But we’ll deport you if you retire on less than 150% of average pensioner income.

Sunder Katwala (sundersays)@sundersays.bsky.social · 10mo ago

The Conservatives have drafted the legislation. ANY one of the conditions being met leads to ILR being revoked. If annual income falls below £38,700 for six months (for any reason at all) The Secretary of State would also have the powers add whatever further conditions they want.

Paper alert 🚨 Researching national narratives and democratic processes? Check out this new article from @eunajo.bsky.social

Eun A Jo@eunajo.bsky.social · 11mo ago

I’m happy to share this paper in @cpsjournal.bsky.social on democracy and national narratives, with insights from South Korea and Taiwan. It is part of a special issue on postcolonial narratives with @paulschuler.bsky.social, @deandulay.bsky.social, + others. journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10....