@dpzollinger.bsky.social and I are thrilled "Cleavage Politics in Western Democracies" is out as an SI at @wepsocial.bsky.social! Its papers explore the foundations of the cleavage pitting new left against radical right parties, and how it compares to the classic cleavages of Lipset & Rokkan: 🧵⬇️

What “variety of capitalism” is this? Asking for a very jaded and tired political economist.

While earlier research suggested the gender pay gap was largely driven by course choices, as men and women took different subjects, the data indicated that men were more likely to prioritise a lucrative career and earn more than women even with identical degrees (3/3) www.ft.com/content/cb0e...

Male graduates are quick to earn more than their female peers, according to Financial Times analysis of official data, with a median annual salary of £34,700 five years after leaving university, 14.1% above the £30,400 figure for women (2/3) www.ft.com/content/cb0e...

Female graduates in the UK fall behind men from the very start of their careers, even when they have taken the same courses, and are out-earned after studying more than four-fifths of university subjects (1/3) www.ft.com/content/cb0e...

This is mostly due to Spain having had a horrific week (Spain-only data below)

Is low turnout undermining growth? open.substack.com/pub/samf/p/i...

Lovely lunch Michael Sheen by @sarahhemm.bsky.social:

Homophobic attitudes have fallen in Western Europe and the United States

🔥 ¿Aire acondicionado de ricos y pobres? El 75-85% de los hogares ricos lo tiene; pero solo el 40-55% de los pobres. Una brecha que reduce tu productividad e impide que los niños aprendan. Y que mata. Aquí los datos 👇

Assistant professors teach courses that are closer to the knowledge frontier than tenured faculty.

Academia is basically a collection of people who got lucky early on and mistook it for genius. doi.org/10.1073/pnas...

📝Why has a Bukele-style far-right party emerged in Spain—even though VOX already exists? In our new paper, @javierpadilla.bsky.social, @canalejoalvaro.bsky.social and I explain the unexpected rise of SALF ("Let the Party Be Over") in the 2024 EP elections: journals.sagepub.com/doi/epub/10.... 1/3

The European Political Science Society is now accepting paper & panel proposals for its annual conference! 📢 Call for Papers: EPSS 2026 – Belfast
 🗓️ June 18–20, 2026
 📍 ICC Belfast
 📬 Deadline: Nov 7, 2025 🧵

Small data point on the greenlash. For the first time, EVs get net positive approval ratings in this long-running survey by an insurance firm in Germany. The young and those who drive a lot (!) are most in favour of EVs, the latter have highest "switch rate" of 6.1%. www.huk.de/fahrzeuge/ra...

Coinbase, one of the first (crypto) companies that banned talking about politics at work, going full into anti-system politics in the UK. www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0bm...

One by one, the EU is surrendering all the arguments for its continued existence. Economic leverage? Made a mockery by Trump's trade war. Free movement? Currently suspended in 11 countries. Normative power? We fund lagers in Libya. Single market? Effectively an illusion. Rule of law? See: Hungary.

Even in times of sociocultural conflict, a progressive left electorate is more averse to sociocultural *and* socioeconomic inequalities than (far) right voters. New paper with @siljahausermann.bsky.social Palmtag @tabouchadi.bsky.social @stefwalter.bsky.social Berkinshaw tinyurl.com/d42wyb79 1/n

Been a busy year in the data mines.📊 Just published my mid-year roundup: 29 data visualizations on the state of US democracy, tracking everything from judicial resistance to billionaire influence to why Dems have a mobilization crisis, not a moderation problem. All charts free to use:

This research note details the analyses of European Social Survey (ESS) data, spanning 32 countries and over 120,000 respondents, revealing substantial variation in the association between field of study and anti-immigrant prejudice. #EarlyView in #BJS ➡️ buff.ly/NmxkmlS

Western Europe keeps setting new heat records as fastest-warming continent. on.ft.com/3IkdA03

I’m hiring a reporter for London Centric, looking for someone smart who can use a phone, knock on doors and wants to cause trouble. Don’t care if you’ve got qualifications, just want evidence of caring about news. Initial six month contract, pay above national rates. www.londoncentric.media/p/jobs

Skytte prize winners speak out www.ft.com/content/939b...

📣 Mark your calendars: The first-ever EPSS Conference will be held in Belfast, 18–20 June 2026 Organized under our new not-for-profit model. ➡️ epssnet.org/belfast-2026/ More details soon, so watch this space. See you all in Belfast! 🇬🇧☘️

If turnout in the NY Democratic congressional primaries looks anything like this, Hakeem Jeffries will go the way of Eric Cantor.

Exactly as I said after the blackout: voltage regulation was issue, not a lack of spinning inertia, as so many quickly speculated (or asserted). It was an off peak spring day, plenty of cheap solar available, and the grid operator cut it too close, failed to commit sufficient voltage regulation.🔌💡

Melissa Hortman, who was assassinated last night, was the Speaker of the Minnesota House in the 2023-2024 session, when Democrats ran the state government. That means she had a leading role in shepherding the many landmark reforms that Dems adopted in that period—an important legacy. Brief 🧵.

Sánchez o PSOE. Esto de @lapuente.bsky.social. elpais.com/espana/2025-...

🚨🚨🚨🚨 EOI / talent attraction program in Madrid! The Dept. of Social Sciences @ UC3M is looking to sponsor candidates for the César Nombela Program. Successful candidates get a job with us & great work conditions for 5 y (more below). To express interest, complete form (by 06/24) 👉 n9.cl/qdjvz 1/n

Ministros dicen estar en 'shock' y piden a Sánchez medidas drásticas ante el informe sobre Santos Cerdán. Lo inmediato sería exigir la dimisión inmediata de Cerdán e impedir que dé una rueda de prensa en Ferraz. Pero no será suficiente. www.eldiario.es/politica/gob...

My new post. How current political science replicated my PhD thesis of 25 years ago. And took it further, in a paper in the @apsrjournal.bsky.social and other work, by @liesbethooghe.bsky.social, Gary Marks and @jonnekamphorst.bsky.social. open.substack.com/pub/hermwerf...

The consequences that befall Musk now that he's attacked Trump publicly will be a measure of how well the US fits the competitive authoritarian model. The more severe, the better the fit. I despise Musk, but for the sake of US democracy, I hope his punishment doesn't violate the rule of law.

More polling just dropped -- by a pretty huge margin Americans think that having international students at US universities is good for the country, not bad -- 56% to 14% (+42) and for 18-29 YOs, nearly 1/2 say international students are "very good"

Two weeks left to apply! Sorry for tagging @fgilardi.bsky.social @heikekluever.bsky.social @indubioproreto.bsky.social @bertous.bsky.social @lucasleemann.bsky.social @stefwalter.bsky.social @gessler.bsky.social @reidingerve.bsky.social @dpzollinger.bsky.social

That seems to be the pattern at the institutions that enroll the most international students. For every international undergrad, there are 2 to 4 times as many international grad students.

one last post on international students -- public opinion is not in the administration's favor on this, and universities should not let them forget it

We have a great lineup of papers for the Junior Workshop in HPE. A limited number of spots are available for scholars interested in attending the workshop. Fill this form if you want to join us next June 25 at UC3M forms.gle/DckGoQDfniTU... @tinepaulsen.bsky.social @franvillamil.bsky.social

On the 5th anniversary of George Floyd's murder, as we consider his enduring impact... ... I wanted to let you know that @hjghassell.bsky.social and I found that Floyd's death sparked about 60,000 additional people to register to vote who wouldn't have done so otherwise.

📢 Last chance to apply for tuition waiver scholarships for our interdisciplinary Master’s in Social Sciences! 🎓 3 tuition waivers still available 🗓 Deadline: this week – May 31, 2025 🔗 Apply now: www.uc3m.es/master/socia...

O @joaocancel.bsky.social e eu voltamos a olhar para as bases sociais do sistema partidário, desta vez em evolução 2022-2025. www.pedro-magalhaes.org/as-bases-soc...

America is in danger of experiencing an academic brain drain  economist.com/science-and-...

This is good on Sweden’s income inequality paradox Sweden: a socialist paradise overflowing with billionaires -- Ruchir Sharma on.ft.com/3YMK7kU

¿Por qué antes la ideología de hombres y mujeres evolucionaba más o menos en paralelo y esto ahora ya no ocurre así, sino que divergen (entre los jóvenes)? @pablofernandezv.bsky.social intenta responder esta pregunta en el último post de @piedrasdepapel.bsky.social www.eldiario.es/132_bbb230?u...

Portugal: (national parliament election) Turnout at 5 PM CEST (4 PM local) 2011: 41.98% 2015: 44.38% 2019: 38.59% 2022: 45.66% 2024: 51.96% 2025: 48.28% Source: Ministério da Administração Interna ➤ europeelects.eu/portugal #Portugal

🚨 “Good Description” with @annagbusse.bsky.social 🚨 What sets 'good' description apart from 'mere' description? We develop a framework for evaluating descriptive research, whether we are doing it as scholars or assessing it as readers. Two main contributions... 🔗📄 tinyurl.com/gooddesc

🌍 5. En Madrid y Barcelona la gente nacida en el extranjero se ha multiplicado. Es una transformación enorme. En 1998, apenas un 5% de los madrileños o barceloneses de entre 25 y 64 años habían nacido en otro país; hoy son un 36% en Madrid y un 43% en Barcelona.

Aquí van siete gráficos curiosos… 📱 1. ¿Cómo se entretiene tu generación? Con horas de pantallas. Los veinteañeros en EEUU se pasan 7h al día con audiovisual, entre redes (1,4), streaming (1,3), videojuegos (1,1) o YouTube (1). Pero el atracón es general para cualquier edad.

Focaldata polling @britishfuture.bsky.social conducted last week. 50% want overall numbers down; 45% don't. Most people would not reduce visas for doctors (77%) care workers (71%) fruit pickers (70%) lorry drivers (63%) engineers (65%) or students (65%). www.britishfuture.org/white-paper-...

This chart is from @britishelectionstudy.com @jamesdgriffiths.bsky.social, me and Ed Fieldhouse. You can see that 2024 Reform voters mainly came from the Conservatives or UKIP in 2015. This has been a story on the right for *ten years* now, unless something very different happened last week.

www.economist.com/britain/2025... quite the chart from @archiehall.bsky.social