The Trump administration is poised to scale up the Afrikaner refugee program in a big way. One problem? It's not clear that many Afrikaners want to be "refugees" (yes, even those that are already in the US). My latest, in @goodauth.bsky.social : goodauthority.org/news/trump-w...

$40 billion dollars is the size of the entire NIH budget.

Can some forms of violence cause more hunger than others? Hear UCR professor @dadakim.bsky.social describe a recently published study on the consequences of conflict where violence specifically targets food and food systems: youtube.com/shorts/_H_y_... #polisky

Humorous costumes and symbols do powerful work in anti-authoritarian protest. They symbolically erode the power of the regime, humanize protesters, and promote viral sharing of images countering regime claims. “Dismantling their narrative” captures it well. See: Turkey’s Pikachu. And penguins.

💸Do major economic shocks shift public opinion on government spending? Hear UCR professor @dadakim.bsky.social describe a recently published study on the negative economic shocks of COVID-19 in Spain: youtube.com/shorts/X5fmM... #polisky

Had a great time presenting and learning from colleagues at @priec.bsky.social Thanks @dadakim.bsky.social and @quicopedraza.bsky.social for organizing PRIEC’s 20th anniversary🌟

A lot of attention has been paid to overseas aid cut by the Trump administration, but this brilliant piece of visual data journalism illustrates the devastating cuts to food banks here at home: 94 million pounds of food that were never delivered projects.propublica.org/trump-food-c...

Congratulations @dadakim.bsky.social, Shaun Bowler, and the rest of the @ucrpolisci.bsky.social crew for organizing a terrific program!!

It was exhilarating celebrating 20 years of PRIEC! 🎊

So happy to see this out! We caution against excessive optimism that the opposition will restore countries back to their democratic trajectories after electoral victory. Weakened institutions and the memory of repression makes it tempting to continue rather than buck the trend of autocratization.

Do Trump's attacks on the media, congress, and the courts undermine citizens' views on democracy? Hear UCR professor @dadakim.bsky.social describe a recently published study on effects of anti-democratic speech on US voters: youtube.com/shorts/LybBe... #polisky

On this, you really should read @alexandraguisinger.bsky.social's political science take on Eurovision -- how it is a model of the best and worst of international cooperation -- published on @goodauth.bsky.social: goodauthority.org/news/good-to...

🇭🇰🇨🇳 Why have China's policies towards Hong Kong changed over time? Hear UCR professor @dadakim.bsky.social describe a recently published study on China's movement towards interventionism in Hong Kong: youtube.com/shorts/cRpVt... #polisky

📢 Who opposes birthright citizenship in the U.S.? Lajevardi & Merolla show broad support overall, but a sizable minority—disproportionately White—favor ending it, with views tied to ideology and attitudes toward undocumented immigrants. 🔗 Read more: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

WEIRD, HUH.

“It is telling that those claiming they are for free speech are the ones punishing and silencing those who exercise that right. ... “It is also notable that every single Republican censure resolution against members of Congress targets legislators of color.” theintercept.com/2025/09/16/i...

November 17, 2021 www.mypanhandle.com/news/local-n...

Great job at the Pew Research Center for a Computational Social Science Assistant: pewtrusts.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/Center...

One of the most genuine insights I’ve had into the messy realities of research design, case selection, and fieldwork, and into what it means to truly feel a sense of belonging in the field and academia.

How do authoritarian regimes keep power over people who have left their countries? @fulyafelicity.bsky.social's job market paper “Remote Control: Authoritarian Diaspora Engagement Policies and Emigrant Political Behavior” (and the dissertation from which it draws) answers that question! 🧵

💫Thrilled to support two amazing @ucrpolisci.bsky.social PhD students on the market this year: Felicity Turkmen @fulyafelicity.bsky.social & Eun-A Park @kafei0220.bsky.social. Their exciting projects bridge Comparative Politics & IR, and writing letters for them made me want to spotlight their work.

It wasn't as clear to me in grad school how much Barbara Geddes shaped me. She always gave these small nuggets of advice (almost under her breath-with no requirements that you listen). This @gldinstitute.bsky.social podcast interview with her has a lot of those & more: soundcloud.com/gldresearch/...

In case you were curious about what Ukrainians think about Putin-style "peace" negotiations...

Why do governments bomb whole communities instead of just targeting rebels? 💥 Recent research in @jpeaceresearch.bsky.social, summarized on @3streamsblog.bsky.social, finds the answer lies in civilians’ social networks. Read here 👉 medium.com/3streams/why... #polisky

terrified of being playlist-doxxed and the world finding out that JD Vance and I share an affinity for 2009 era Bieber and early (pre-Zayn exit) 1D. In my defense, I was in middle school

I can't help but look at some of these cringe-y playlists. HT @alexandraguisinger.bsky.social: panamaplaylists.com

How do Spanish political parties view gender equality? #polisky Hear UCR professor @dadakim.bsky.social describe a recently published study on gender equality positions among left- and right-wing parties in Spain: youtube.com/shorts/ncVoA...

One of my favorite niche polisci areas of expertise is knowing the rules on what must be done in the case of a leader’s death or ill health. And how the rules matter very little when it comes to the latter! And 💯 also love the speculative chatter about a leader’s likely ailments and noted absences.

Hung out with mom friends in my hometown this weekend where a local K-6 school is down to 2 bus drivers. Because of that, one friend's child would have had to catch the bus at 6:40am (last year he caught the bus at 7:30am)--now almost every parent is driving their kid to school. AND IT'S A NIGHMARE.

“Ok, so I can’t make jewelry, but I’m great at disarming an alarm system and smashing glass cases”

There aren't many stories that prompt gasps at our editors' daily budget meeting. But this was one.

Read @grigopop.bsky.social and Graeme Robertson's analysis of recent survey data about Ukrainians' attitudes about negotiating peace with Russia:

More of this, please. There is a ton of great comparative work, including this from Krause, Cohen, & @tabouchadi.bsky.social, that needs to inform The National Conversation™️ on 🇺🇸 politics, which too often happens in a parochial vacuum, such as the current Moderation discourse.

"Honey, I don't have much time. I've been arrested by ICE and they are sending me to a detainment center. I love you and the kids, I will be OK, please call our attorney" -- John Shin, DACA resident, speaking to his wife last week. She hasn't heard from him since www.fox13now.com/news/local-n...

How has Chinese investment transformed Ghana's rural mining economy? #PoliticalScience Hear UCR professor @dadakim.bsky.social describe a recently published study on the adoption of Chinese technology in Ghanaian gold mining: youtube.com/shorts/QQ50x...

These resources are fantastic.

I’m concerned that people won’t appreciate how big a line is being crossed here. Texas is suspending basic Constitutional freedoms for opposition lawmakers. This isn’t dipping your toe in the authoritarian waters, it’s diving head first into the deep end. This is big league authoritarianism.

European leaders, including Volodymyr Zelenskyy, have come to the White House to discuss the Russian war in Ukraine. See what @alexandraguisinger.bsky.social @profsaunders.bsky.social and XT Tay find about American attitudes on US support for Ukraine (spoiler: economic anxiety matters):

i don't think you should be allowed to write about African countries record on LGBTQ rights without pointing out that American Christian groups have done a lot of work to pass draconian anti queer laws there

"Nonviolence is not only a moral stance for the Serbian student movement, it is a deliberate strategy to maintain legitimacy and broaden appeal."

"When he was taken into custody Friday, immigration agents tied his dog to a tree and then unclipped his collar, allowing the animal to run loose on Sepulveda Boulevard"

Thirty years ago parents did this to protect kids in areas threatened by violent gangs. Same thing today but the gang leader is Donald Trump.

2. I avoided the use of the passive voice when discussing police brutality. Like many Kenyans I sometimes think in Kiswahili and write in English and the passive is much more common in Kiswahili. But when you think about how we media writes about Palestine you realise how insidious it can be.

1. It was incredibly important to me that we name as many victims of police brutality as possible. I’ve written for a lot of US based publications and there’s always this underlying sentiment that Africans who die of violence are not worth naming, which to me compounds the violence and injustice.

No one ever asks nonfiction writers about style so I just wanted to share 2 style points, and to thank @hammerandhope.bsky.social for an editorial process that absolutely got it. Writing is always collaborative even with one name on the byline and editors are great. hammerandhope.org/article/kenya-

There are multiple reasons I started my garden in February.

Here is the chart showing the growth of reported protest over time, 2025 vs. 2017, referenced in the piece below.