Just announced: University of Michigan Faculty Senate resoundingly votes to support Big Ten academic mutual defense compact. 92.8% of over 3,000 votes.

For those who were at the second teach in and heard @meganastewart.bsky.social talk about this issue, more food for thought.

I'll be moderating a panel on Birth Right Citizenship at @umfordschool.bsky.social (and try to bring a comparative perspective). The panel includes legal scholars and historians (see below), join us on FRIDAY March 28th! fordschool.umich.edu/event/2025/c...

March 12th @mikealbertus.bsky.social in conversation with @meganastewart.bsky.social at @literatibookstore.bsky.social : page1m.co/3D7S0K1 @haimson.bsky.social ‘s book launch in conversation with Kishonna Gray at University of Michigan: page1m.co/3Xq7rnO 🧵 (8/22) #literati #annarbor

Why are we not seeing massive sustained opposition to democratic backsliding in the US? Do opposition leaders have too high opportunity costs (many are quite rich), coordination problems (no central leading figure), lack of a unifying ideology,..

IR is such a US-coded discipline that you have loads of analysts and journalists with IR backgrounds still churning out wordcount about what Trump will do with US hegemony even as the geopolitical reality looks more and more like this:

A couple of things to keep in mind re: Hamas/Israel deal: 1) It's focused on a ceasefire (incl. Gazan return to homes/humanitarian aid), Israeli hostage return, & Palestinian prisoner release. All positives. 2) It's not a "peace" deal 3) Annexation efforts accelerating in E. Jerusalem/West Bank

ICYMI: @meganastewart.bsky.social identifies a mechanism through which revolutionaries change societies: "the the enforcement of programs to forge new social organizations that align with revolutionary values." The working paper: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.... #PoliSky #UMichResearch

New working paper, just five short years in the making! The idea for it emerged from reading about the French Revolution during COVID lockdowns, which warped my sense of time, and got me interested into measures thereof. Abstract and title below, and full ms here: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

Junior scholars, consider applying if you’re interested! Happy to answer questions you might have!

It was wonderful to work with @dartmouthdickey.bsky.social post doc fellowship alumnus @mpoznansky.bsky.social on this piece . . .

Interesting article on how rebels use narcotics (both directly and as finance), but the Taliban's approach was not uncommon. The Chinese Communist Party destroyed many opium crops but kept some to manufacture anesthetics (at minimum), and in work with @lianaeustacia.bsky.social and Justin Conrad ...

My esteemed colleague @brendannyhan.bsky.social posted this.So, I'm just repostin'. But am thrilled finally to see this 'tween covers . . .

Check out this new book award opportunity

We're delighted to announce that Justine Davis and Martha Wilfahrt won the APCG Best Article Award for their paper titled “Enumerator Experiences in Violent Research Environment.” Read the full citation here: www.afpol.org/blog/justine...

On the way to victory, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) integrated governance as part of its broader strategy and used its governance to signal ideas about its post-war commitments to the international community, which is very common among rebel groups: edition.cnn.com/2024/12/06/w...

I am excited to share some new work with Claire Brunel, perfect for reading while Overleaf is down. The paper explores how the distribution of power between social groups shapes inventing--the bedrock of innovation. papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

Full paper now available here! doi.org/10.1086/729947

"Relax. This resurgence of the Empire will likely be a temporary blip in the course of the galaxy, much like the last time the Empire was in control. "

This is the second time in ~two weeks that Neo-Nazis have gathered around Michigan cities and it’s not surprising that they also gathered in Columbus, Ohio this weekend. Their presence in liberal, college cities and towns suggests they’re emboldened and … www.mlive.com/news/ann-arb...

Absolutely love this: "Revered abolitionist Harriet Tubman, who was the first woman to oversee an American military action during a time of war, was posthumously awarded the rank of general on Monday." www.npr.org/2024/11/12/g...

Hey new followers 👋, an introduction: I’m an associate professor at the Ford School, University of Michigan. I research how political violence and radical social restructuring are tied, especially revolutions & civil wars. When I’m not researching, I am typically found outside or baking/cooking.

Kicking off Peace Science over dinner with @lianaeustacia.bsky.social and Mich Gov Big Gretch, what?!?!

Homemade brownies, bread, butter and peanut butter buttercream: the all-purpose election night kit for easing anxiety, enhancing celebration, or numbing soul-crushing sadness.

Two of the largest, most prestigious papers in the country have let fear of retribution from an aspiring autocrat dissuade them from endorsing his opponent. Historical, inexplicable, unforgivable cowardice. And incredibly dangerous. www.npr.org/2024/10/25/n...

Two weeks ahead of #Election2024, we are in an elevated threat environment. 🧵 As Ned Parker and Peter Eisler report in Reuters, we are witnessing "the biggest and most sustained increase in US political violence since the 1970s." (1/7) www.reuters.com/world/us/new...

New Article Alert! I argue that the last 50 years of controversy over #genetics and #biotechnology (esp in the US) has limited both the scope, and the knowledge and expertise, deemed legitimate in science and #tech #policy making. It's #openaccess! www.annualreviews.org/content/jour... #sts #histsci

📚🚨 I posted 11 new chapters of my upcoming book! Model to Meaning: How to Interpret Statistical Results with #marginaleffects for #RStats and Python. These are early drafts and I really need your feedback! Errors, content requests, improvements, etc. marginaleffects.com

It appears as though Israeli troops have breached a peacekeeping compound and are firing smoke rounds at UN peacekeepers. www.bbc.com/news/live/c8...

Fall break trip to see and work with friends/co-authors is hitting a little different this year

Even propagating the idea of organized, coercive voter intimidation is dangerous, and monitoring things like this is one of the reasons I volunteered to be a poll observer for this election.

A summary of my recent work w/ @karinkitchens.bsky.social is out now in @thejop.bsky.social blog. We use an historical case to explain variation in officeholding by marginalized groups, with important implications for today, including contestation over land use (www.npr.org/2023/08/03/1...)

Last day to apply! Be in touch with questions!

Come be my colleague! The Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan is conducting a search for a senior-level international policy scholar. The ad for the position is here: apply.interfolio.com/148203 Feel free to reach out if you have questions!

Only a tiny portion of Black Americans were granted the land they were owed after the civil war. And then, almost immediately, the government took it back. Here’s where the people, and the land, ended up. Remarkable investigative reporting from the Reveal folks here:

Lebanon's best farmland is in the south. The use of white phosphorus there is going to cause crop failures, worsening food insecurity in a country marred by economic crisis. These border skirmishes have also displaced 100,000 civilians.

New article from me on civil war violence in Nicaragua, focusing on violence by FSLN govt forces in 1980s, the need to look at violence committed by more restrained groups, & need to consider different explanations at different levels of analysis. polisky conflictsky academic.oup.com/jogss/articl...

Breaking news: Donald Trump is found guilty in his N.Y. hush money trial, becoming the first ex-president convicted of a crime. Follow live updates: wapo.st/3X1Mu2Y

As a DC resident, I'm infuriated that my tax money funded the police disbandment of a (by MPD's own assessment) peaceful student protest at GWU, likely b/c members of congress didn't like it. Specifically, members called hearings & threatened to mess with the city's governance (more) in retaliation.

So excited to get a copy. Congrats @shelleyliu.bsky.social!

The U-M president’s feelings were hurt so he’s trying to ban campus protests. This is a distressing, dangerous, and authoritarian precedent, w not only immediate implications but possible serious future ones given the 2024 elections. record.umich.edu/articles/u-m...

Pretty stunned and honored to have won the Best Book Award by APSA’s Conflict Processes Section for my work, Governing for Revolution. Thanks very much to the committee @jaylyall.bsky.social, @oliverkaplan.bsky.social, @ladyprofessor.bsky.social for giving so much of their time and consideration.

The University of Michigan is hosting Peace Science this year (Nov 7-9) and applications are open for workshops and presentations! peacescience.unt.edu/forms/call-p...

I think most scholars of comparative politics believe it already *is* happening.

Breaking News: Israeli forces opened fire as a crowd gathered near aid trucks in Gaza City on Thursday in a chaotic scene in which many people were killed and injured. Palestinian and Israeli officials offered starkly different accounts of what happened.