every quantitative measure is actually a stack of qualitative assumptions in a trenchcoat
Wendy Y. Li
@wendyyli.bsky.social
Sociologist studying the political workforce, lobbying, regulation, trade policy, and democracy. Postdoc at SNF Agora Institute, Johns Hopkins University. Based in DC. Philly at heart. www.wendyyli.com
Watching the new Saban doc on ESPN and really struck by how Saban credits a pivotal turning point in his career to his conversations with a psych professor. Fund the social sciences!!
We are hosting our third Peopling Politics mini-conference this spring in Philadelphia - March 4-7. Abstracts are due October 15th; let me know if you have questions. See peoplingpolitics.com for more on our network & what we're aiming to do. Apply at essnet.org.
apparently someone didn't get the message that you're not supposed to put it in writing yet...
Prem Thakker ツ@premthakker.bsky.social · last mo.New: Jasmine Crockett was offering government relations & lobbying services on a campaign-funded website. It was taken down after Zeteo reached out. Experts say they’d never seen something like this before. Rules bar members from lobbying and from using campaign funds for non-campaign purposes.
NEW: In late 2024, FBI investigators had enough evidence to launch a sweeping bribery probe that could ensnare top lawmakers, including Sen. Susan Collins. Then Trump was reelected and eviscerated the FBI and DOJ teams handling public corruption probes.
The FBI Anti-Corruption Squad Was Circling Susan Collins — Until Trump Got in the Way
After the FBI caught a defense contractor’s CEO making illegal campaign contributions, it sought to launch a sweeping political bribery probe involving Collins and others. Then the second Trump admini...
propublica.org
Excited to attend my first APSA conference next week! I'll be on two panels: 1) a roundtable on Placing People Back at the Center of American Politics, and 2) a paper session presenting on Political Campaign Career Trajectories (w/ Alex Torpey). Please reach out if you'd like to meet up!
Excited to attend my first APSA conference next week! I'll be on two panels: 1) a roundtable on Placing People Back at the Center of American Politics, and 2) a paper session presenting on Political Campaign Career Trajectories (w/ Alex Torpey). Please reach out if you'd like to meet up!
Zero sociology awards from the NSF. It's effectively gone. (Including, but not limited, to the ASA Dissertation awards.)
Dan Garisto@dangaristo.bsky.social · 2mo agoFinally, this has gone a bit under the radar, so I want to highlight it: The social, behavioral and economic sciences directorate (SBE) has simply ceased to deliver grants to many of its subareas. Any topic not specifically OK'd by the Trump administration is receiving zero new awards.
I wrote this because most journalists facing this pressure can’t. The paper we count on to check authoritarianism spiked an investigation into the Democratic Party because the party’s lawyers threatened to sue. Holding authoritarians accountable starts with holding your own side accountable.
With Fear and Favor
Institutions don’t have courage. They have incentives.
data4democracy.substack.com
Regarding the "what's going on with sociology?" articles, I beg a journalist to actually sit in on some classes, both at the undergrad or grad level, and interview sociologists (especially non-TT, or practitioners) outside of the usual outspoken few academics.
It is really amazing how much more free time I have this summer - it's the first time in years I haven't been on the job market and am not going to the big conferences. Feeling so grateful for this reprieve.
Personnel is policy. We can talk about new regulatory schemes to address corporate power, but sometimes it is as simple as installing personnel who don't feel like they have to constantly consult and privilege business interests. Note that there are many other avenues to engage with city hall.
The Wall Street Journal@wsj.com · 3mo agoNew York City’s business elites are long accustomed to direct access to City Hall, where even Democratic mayors felt the need to court the city’s wealthiest and most influential corporate leaders. That access is getting shredded by Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
Sociology is amazing. Our biggest problem is bad-faith actors who maliciously spurn the field because we teach people how societies work and they'd rather we all stay in the dark. Not today, Satan!
Laura K. Nelson@lauraknelson.bsky.social · 3mo ago
Which academics should I be reading on corruption in public administration? I don’t think of the public law of corruption as inside of admin law, but maybe that should change…
Nothing cures writing block like someone else's generative writing. If you are looking for an inspiring read, I highly recommend Kimberlé Crenshaw's memoir, Backtalker. Her ability to weave poignant, personal experience with social theory is remarkable. www.simonandschuster.com/books/Backta...
Backtalker
New York Times Bestseller One of the most influential public intellectuals in the world and the architect of the two biggest ideas to reshape the A...
simonandschuster.com
NEW from me in @pnas.org on the risks of data sharing with qualitative research: "Today, confidentiality risks are amplified by social media, surveillance, and AI tools, which make ample data about people publicly available, thus making deidentification less effective" www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Today, @ksabeelrahman.bsky.social argues that legislative primacy offers an attractive long-term vision for democracy. To reach that goal, however, we need to use every tool available to address the underlying configurations of economic and political power that enabled the current crisis.
Taking Legislative Primacy Seriously
As we work toward a durable democratic future, a commitment to legislative primacy can serve as an orienting north star. Reaching that goal, however, will require using both legislative and executive…
lpeproject.org
Who counts as a revolving door lobbyist? In my new paper in Interest Groups & Advocacy @igajournal.bsky.social I use sequence analysis to detail the many different career trajectories that fall under the label. Excited to share this project that has been many years in the making! rdcu.be/ffYTx
A little peek behind the curtain: I started working on this project back in 2020 when I was stuck in my apartment! I had been planning on writing an ethnographic dissertation but quickly pivoted; this paper became my first dissertation chapter.
Wendy Y. Li@wendyyli.bsky.social · 6mo agoWho counts as a revolving door lobbyist? In my new paper in Interest Groups & Advocacy @igajournal.bsky.social I use sequence analysis to detail the many different career trajectories that fall under the label. Excited to share this project that has been many years in the making! rdcu.be/ffYTx
Who counts as a revolving door lobbyist? In my new paper in Interest Groups & Advocacy @igajournal.bsky.social I use sequence analysis to detail the many different career trajectories that fall under the label. Excited to share this project that has been many years in the making! rdcu.be/ffYTx
"Our students are not wilting flowers. They can handle controversy. They do not need sentimental, cloying nostalgia. They need encouragement to face a flawed and unjust world head on, using the tools we've given them: critical reasoning, careful research, sympathy for the oppressed."
University of Michigan professor defends pro-Palestinian commencement remarks: "Michigan is not a finishing school"
"The idea that graduations should be apolitical is ridiculous," University of Michigan history professor Derek Peterson said as a follow-up to his graduation day remarks.
cbsnews.com
The Callais ruling is the latest evidence that the real problem with #SCOTUS is that it can do whatever it wants without any fear of pushback from Congress. The way to fix that is by making the Court *accountable* again, something that expanding it or imposing term limits won't actually accomplish:
Bonus 223: "They Are Who We Thought They Were"
The Callais ruling has prompted renewed calls for Court reform. It's also a reminder of why the most popular proposals *aren't* how we should fix the Court.
stevevladeck.com
Kagan's dissent underlines the need for an imperial Congress as articulated in www.nytimes.com/2026/03/21/o...
Opinion | What Is the Left’s Theory of Power?
nytimes.com
Trump upended health care. Lobbyists are raking it in.
Trump upended health care. Lobbyists are raking it in.
New disclosures show health industry firms and trade groups are spending more than ever to influence Washington.
dlvr.it
A rare case when the distinction between lobbying vs consulting/public affairs actually gets enforced. www.politico.com/newsletters/...
Lobbyist found liable for PPP fraud
Lobbyist Vicki Iseman has been ordered to pay the government more than $400,000 after a judge found she fraudulently obtained Paycheck Protection Program loans for her lobbying business during the Covid-19 pandemic.
politico.com
It's not official! It's a budget request. Congress will decide. Lots of opportunity restore the funding yet. We can't concede the logic of this budget request - it's one of last sources of power an unpopular president has and we can erode it. SBE funds incredible work - let's tell that story.
The NSF 2027 budget has noted that they will close out the Social, Behavioral, and Economic Science Program (SBE). This is not a good thing. nsf-gov-resources.nsf.gov/files/FY-202...
Political parties are essential to democracy—but in the U.S., they’re struggling to do their most basic jobs. Our NEW REPORT explores what’s gone wrong, and how a diverse set of experts think we can fix it. www.newamerica.org/insights/a-b...
A Blueprint for Healthier Political Parties
To rebuild U.S. political parties, leaders must focus on local organizations, talent, fundraising, and competition.
newamerica.org