Happy news: I’ve been granted a 3-year FWO postdoctoral fellowship! Starting in October, I will study how experts can get policymakers’ attention to their repeated warnings without sounding alarmist.

New Pope Declares All Style Manuals Other Than Chicago As Schismatic

Tough times for someone finishing a PhD on (deep) uncertainty. Too many topical examples to pick.

Outspoken Fascism Scholars Leave Yale for Canada Jason Stanley, decrying @columbiauniversity.bsky.social’s capitulation to the federal government, is leaving for the @uoft.bsky.social. So is Marci Shore, who said she fears “civil war.” ... #HigherEd #EDUSky #AcademicSky bit.ly/3RlpmZg

A small wildfire on the Leuven campus - good opportunity to see some street-level bureaucrats in action

Why we have #OfficeHours #AcademicChatter

Doctoreren als politiek wetenschapper/bestuurskundige? Bekijk deze interessante vacature! Doctoraatsbursaal ‘Ambtenaren in het oog van de populistische storm? Lessen uit de gemeentelijke overdracht van de macht’ www.kuleuven.be/personeel/jo...

1.5% chance we're all going to die - but at least it was nicely visualized

I´m a public management scholar, dedicated to improving government performance. If the Trumpie sensitivity readers would go through my projects, they would have to stop funding to every single project I ever did.

This week, @michielbron.bsky.social defended his dissertation titled "The Petro-Atom: A century of ubiquitous oil involvevement in nuclear energy, 1895-1993". Congrats dr. Bron! Promotors: @ccmmody.bsky.social @vincentlagendijk.bsky.social

“Why I am quitting the Washington Post”: Pulitzer winning cartoonist who has been at the Washington Post since 2008 resigns after a cartoon depicting Bezos and other billionaires paying tribute to Trump was spiked anntelnaes.substack.com/p/why-im-qui...

It would be fun to have sideline reporters at academic conferences. Reporter: "Prof. Rothman, how do you come back from such a devastating Q&A? They really hammered you out there." Me: "All we can do is go back to the archives, find more evidence, and then just trust the process, Helen."

Geopolitics and uncertainty - a short reflection 👉Read this interesting long-read on why the clash between Putin and Ukraine & western countries will likely sustain, and why www.foreignaffairs.com/russia/putin...

Three wise men Christmas Gifts @tomgauld.bsky.social

Let's just DOGE it, and start over. See my latest @3streamsblog.bsky.social on DOGE, the nature of efficiency in systems, and the lessons of public policy. 🏛️🗺️🌐 medium.com/3streams/to-...

I am writing a book chapter on qualitative methods in political science/public policy/public administration. If you have authored recent papers using QM in these three disciplines, please send them to me! I’d like to read and potentially cite. raul(.)pacheco(.)vega(@)flacso(.)mx

US leadership’s strategic infantilization of Europe is starkly evident now. Europe has the makings of a global power but lacks the self-conception and will to act as one. "Europe actually has a very strong body, and a deficient mind." - @phillipspobrien.bsky.social

Voor wie meer anekdotes wil lezen over lompe, of 'directe', Nederlanders, haal hier je hart aan op: www.reddit.com/r/expats/com...

I'll be a guest on the Science for Policy - podcast this week. The topic: combining Public Administration and Philosophy to advance thinking about science & policy. Do you know of any good examples of similar cooperations? Send them in!

In 2023, Harvard Business School suspended a star professor over charges of research misconduct. As it happens, one of her papers also had funny data from a *different* B-school superstar -- a "mad, fraudulent unicorn,” per @jamesheathers.bsky.social... (1/3) www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...

Deze week geef ik college over street-level bureaucrats. Weet iemand nog literatuur over het toeslagenschandaal bezien vanuit SLB perspectief?

One week left to apply. PhD position on 'The Legitimacy of Public Administration Reforms and Innovation' at KU Leuven www.kuleuven.be/personeel/jo...

A great new article from @wouterlammers.bsky.social and co-authors showing how the majority of experiments on uncertainty communication look at shallow to medium levels of uncertainty, *not* extreme (or radical) uncertainty: journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

Speaking of those who dont want Ukraine to 'win', this kind of story will probably only grow in number. There is a group that has never wanted Ukraine to win, and would be happy to cut a deal with Putin. This would be a mistake of historic proportions. www.nbcnews.com/news/world/u...

An honor to announce this well-deserved award. Prof. Vermeeren's feedback to her PhD candidates is said to be "stimulating, positive, and realistic".

Last night, the G.A. van Poeijeprijs was awarded by Sanneke Kuipers on behalf of the Vereniging voor Bestuurskunde. The 2023 winner of the G.A. van Poeljeprijs was Laura Cleton. Congratulations Laura!

Good read

"It's uncertain, but we're not sure" www.scientificamerican.com/article/what...

Happy news: what started as a group assignment at a summer school with Ronja Gerdes and Esther Jose is now becoming reality. Our research proposal “Motivated Reasoning and Burn Ban Decisions by County Commissioners” receives funding from the Natural Hazards Center.

Kinda cool that Poland should neatly meet its native son Przeworski's definition of democracy: a system, in which parties lose elections. The definition's ingeniousness and elegance is confirmed, imo.