Josef Woldense
@woldense.bsky.social
📤 4355
📥 280
📝 141
josefwoldense.com
reposted by
Josef Woldense
Carl Müller-Crepon
23 days ago
🚨 New paper in the
@apsrjournal.bsky.social
: Nils-Christian Bormann and I propose to model the electoral effects of ethnic and other cleavages with a new *Covoting Regression Model*. A short on the method and our results on ethnic voting in Sub-Saharan Africa.
doi.org/10.1017/S000...
loading . . .
Coethnics Covote in Africa: Studying Electoral Cleavages with a Covoting Regression Model | American Political Science Review | Cambridge Core
Coethnics Covote in Africa: Studying Electoral Cleavages with a Covoting Regression Model
https://doi.org/10.1017/S0003055426101579
6
36
11
Civil war is not just a human trait
www.nytimes.com/2026/04/09/s...
loading . . .
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/09/science/chimpanzees-war-ngogo-uganda.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Z1A.XXMF.z28Yvqfqxc8e&smid=nytcore-android-share
27 days ago
0
1
3
reposted by
Josef Woldense
African Politics Conference Group
about 2 months ago
The call for 2026 APCG Award Nominations is live! The deadline for nominations is May 1st. Nominate scholars for Best Dissertation, Best Graduate Student Paper, Distinguished Africanist, Best Article and Best Book!
www.afpol.org/blog/2026-ap...
loading . . .
2026 APCG Award Nominations
The 2026 APCG Award nominations are now open and due May 1st! Nominate scholars for Best Dissertation, Best Graduate Student Paper, Distinguished Africanist, Best Article and Best Book.
https://www.afpol.org/blog/2026-apcg-award-nominations
0
4
20
reposted by
Josef Woldense
Edward Goldring
about 2 months ago
My book - “Purges” - has a release date (August 15) and a front cover. I started work on this as my PhD dissertation at the end of 2017 - excited for it to finally be coming out!
www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501...
7
66
24
A 4 minute comedy skit worth your time
www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4Up...
loading . . .
A Day in the Life of an Ensh*ttificator
YouTube video by Forbrukerrådet - Norwegian Consumer Council
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4Upf_B9RLQ
2 months ago
0
2
1
reposted by
Josef Woldense
Adam Scharpf
3 months ago
Russia, Venezuela, Iran, China, the Sahel region, the United States ... Want to know why state agents carry out brutal repression — or participate in illegal coups? Our new book "Making a Career in Dictatorship" provides answers — it just got published by
@academic.oup.com
:
tinyurl.com/ystwm3tf
14
145
91
reposted by
Josef Woldense
𝙅𝙖𝙘🍩𝙗 𝙉𝙮𝙧𝙪𝙥
4 months ago
We are happy to release the Paths to Power Dashboard. It is the perfect tool for politics nerds! You can find it here:
ptp.isv.sv.uio.no/ptp/
It allows you to explore governments from 1966-2021 using the PtP and WhoGov datasets. See examples below. The app has been programmed by Stuart Bramwell.
1
102
45
reposted by
Josef Woldense
Felix Haass
4 months ago
🚨Job alert! 🚨 I'm advertising a PhD position (66%) in Comparative Politics at HU Berlin. Ideal candidates combine a research interest in autocratic politics, conflict, and/or political violence with strong quantitative methods skills. ⏳ 4 (+2) years | 🗓 DL 16.01; Start March/April 26 More info:
loading . . .
Research fellow (m/f/d) in the field of “contentious politics/political violence/autocratic politics” - Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
https://www.hu-berlin.de/universitaet/arbeiten-an-der-hu/stellenangebote/details/research-fellow-m-f-d-in-the-field-of-contentious-politics-political-violence-autocratic-politics-an-436-25
0
48
51
reposted by
Josef Woldense
Elizabeth (Bit) Meehan, PhD
5 months ago
the analogy I use with friends and family all the time is the jump from collegiate to professional sports. as soon as I explain it that way, it clicks in their brains what the academic job market is like.
add a skeleton here at some point
9
224
50
reposted by
Josef Woldense
Sarah Brierley
5 months ago
I am hiring a post-doctoral fellow (2 years) to work on all things political finance in Africa. There are no teaching obligations, and lots of opportunities for fieldwork. A PhD in Political Science is a requirement. Please spread the word! Happy to answer questions - send them to my LSE email.
add a skeleton here at some point
0
29
36
reposted by
Josef Woldense
Andrew Heiss
5 months ago
Some closing thoughts for my students this semester on LLMs and learning
#rstats
datavizf25.classes.andrewheiss.com/news/2025-12...
14
331
130
reposted by
Josef Woldense
Carl Müller-Crepon
5 months ago
🚨Jobs!🚨 3-year PostDoc positions (aka Research Officers) at
@lsegovernment.bsky.social
to work with me on the local consequences of border change. Please reach out for questions and apply by Jan 4th to join the team and department: I’d love to hear from you! Job ad:
jobs.lse.ac.uk/Vacancies/W/...
loading . . .
Research Officer
Research Officer, , <p style="background: white; margin: 0cm; text-align: center;"><em><span style="color: #333333;">LSE is committed to building a diverse, equitable and truly inclusive university</s...
https://jobs.lse.ac.uk/Vacancies/W/1767/0/461369/15539/research-officer
1
65
64
reposted by
Josef Woldense
Dan de Kadt
5 months ago
For anyone interested in the visualisation workshop materials I mention in this thread, you can find them here:
github.com/ddekadt/MY58...
add a skeleton here at some point
0
6
2
reposted by
Josef Woldense
Parking Reform Network
5 months ago
Minimum parking requirements create financially insolvent land use patterns. The two apartment buildings on the right generate six times more in property taxes than the big box store on the left, while occupying almost half the space!
#BlackFridayParking
1
111
46
Excellent presentation. Worth a watch even if you're not an academic
youtu.be/PygUK16aQgk?...
loading . . .
Why is knowledge getting so expensive? | Jeffrey Edmunds | TEDxPSU
YouTube video by TEDx Talks
https://youtu.be/PygUK16aQgk?si=tomA7RXhSkzwDDx0
6 months ago
0
1
0
reposted by
Josef Woldense
Aditya Dasgupta
6 months ago
Do architecture and urban planning affect political behavior? Happy to share a paper that
@tesaliarizzo.bsky.social
and I have coming out at the APSR which uses computer vision to investigate how the built environment shapes inequalities in civic participation in Mexico:
osf.io/preprints/so...
. 🧵1/5
1
51
14
reposted by
Josef Woldense
Steve Rosenzweig
6 months ago
Great analysis of the situation in Tanzania by Dan Paget
loading . . .
Has Tanzania Reached Its Breaking Point? | Journal of Democracy
President Hassan promised Tanzanians freedom, transparency, and reform. Instead, she has delivered repression, violence, and arrests as she bars anyone who dares challenge her.
https://www.journalofdemocracy.org/online-exclusive/has-tanzania-reached-its-breaking-point/
1
14
8
reposted by
Josef Woldense
Felix Haass
7 months ago
🚨 New article out! “Right-Wing Terror, Media Backlash, and Voting Preferences for the Far Right” in
@bjpols.bsky.social
👉
doi.org/10.1017/S000...
We (Alex De Juan,
@juvoss.bsky.social
& I) examine how right-wing attacks shape support for the far-right in Germany. Short summary thread below 👇
1
117
54
reposted by
Josef Woldense
M.Woldemariam
7 months ago
New essay in Foreign Policy with Abel Abate D. on Eritrea-Ethiopia tensions. It covers the sources of mutual restraint thus far; some of the factors that are eroding this delicate balance; and what can be done to avert another war the Horn of Africa cannot afford.
foreignpolicy.com/2025/10/21/e...
loading . . .
The Risk of a New Ethiopian-Eritrean War Is Growing
Changing dynamics in Tigray could erode the current balance of uncertainty.
https://foreignpolicy.com/2025/10/21/ethiopia-eritrea-tigray-horn-east-africa/
0
4
5
Excellent video on bias-variance tradeoff in stats/AI
youtu.be/z64a7USuGX0?...
loading . . .
What the Books Get Wrong about AI [Double Descent]
YouTube video by Welch Labs
https://youtu.be/z64a7USuGX0?si=JEuqPUqRoHeQFivZ
7 months ago
0
1
0
reposted by
Josef Woldense
𝙅𝙖𝙘🍩𝙗 𝙉𝙮𝙧𝙪𝙥
7 months ago
Paths to Power (PtP) is out in
@bjpols.bsky.social
! It is a database with data on cabinet members' social profile globally from 1966-2021. This is a great team effort with
@chknutsen.bsky.social
,
@peterla.bsky.social
,
@inalkristiansen.bsky.social
. But many more helped us along the way 🙏 A short 🧵
loading . . .
Paths to Power: A New Dataset on the Social Profile of Governments | British Journal of Political Science | Cambridge Core
Paths to Power: A New Dataset on the Social Profile of Governments - Volume 55
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/british-journal-of-political-science/article/paths-to-power-a-new-dataset-on-the-social-profile-of-governments/DB3B68A3BA54AFA49DFEBE6485E0BE04
3
112
49
reposted by
Josef Woldense
International Studies Association
8 months ago
Preparing for your upcoming
#ResearchTalk
? Sign up for two courses, taught by
@woldense.bsky.social
, to enhance your
#Communication
and apply
#Storytelling
principles to your
#Presenting
, and
#Teaching
skills! Open to both ISA Members and non-members. Register:
buff.ly/PUXowRN
0
0
1
reposted by
Josef Woldense
Vincent Arel-Bundock
8 months ago
Whoa—my book is up for pre-order! 𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐥 𝐭𝐨 𝐌𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐭 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭 & 𝐌𝐋 𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐬 𝐢𝐧
#Rstats
𝐚𝐧𝐝
#PyData
The book presents an ultra-simple and powerful workflow to make sense of ± any model you fit The web version will stay free forever and my proceeds go to charity.
tinyurl.com/4fk56fc8
11
294
91
This looks fascinating!
add a skeleton here at some point
8 months ago
0
1
0
Paper alert 📣 Rapid advances in AI has some believe that LLM agents can replace real participants in human-subject research. If true, this would be huge! Following a growing body of research, we delve deeper into this topic and examine the merits of this claim. 🧵...
arxiv.org/abs/2509.03736
loading . . .
Are LLM Agents Behaviorally Coherent? Latent Profiles for Social Simulation
The impressive capabilities of Large Language Models (LLMs) have fueled the notion that synthetic agents can serve as substitutes for real participants in human-subject research. In an effort to evalu...
https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.03736
8 months ago
1
13
3
reposted by
Josef Woldense
Marianne Dahl
8 months ago
📊 New dataset and paper alert! We’re proud to launch the Opposition Movements and Groups (OMG) Dataset, 1789–2019: a global dataset covering 1,452 mass mobilization movements. It was just published in Comparative Political Studies.
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
Below follows a 🧵
2
93
44
reposted by
Josef Woldense
Nick Sousanis
9 months ago
My drawn statement on Ai as standalone from my now finished minicomic as syllabus for new liberal studies class! As promised this is shareable, printable - all from my site, feel free to make use of it, cite me & let me know how it’s received. Share away all here!
spinweaveandcut.com/fall-2025-sy...
45
739
359
Just a reminder: if you're on the job market or just interested in research presentations, join my upcoming workshop. (I promise, no money was exchanged for
@caileighglenn.bsky.social
endorsement)
add a skeleton here at some point
9 months ago
1
1
2
reposted by
Josef Woldense
African Politics Conference Group
9 months ago
Our member Josef Woldense is leading a two-day virtual workshop on August 26 and 27: The Research Presentation as Storytelling. Learn how to present your work through a compelling narrative. More details available on our website:
www.afpol.org/blog/the-res...
loading . . .
The Research Presentation as Storytelling: A Two-Day Virtual Workshop with Josef Woldense
The goal is to help participants see research presentations not as a monologue of facts but as a compelling narrative. The exploration begins with the fundamentals: What is storytelling? What makes st...
https://www.afpol.org/blog/the-research-presentation-as-storytelling-a-two-day-virtual-workshop-with-josef-woldense
0
3
2
📢🗣️...Are you a graduate students about to go on the market? Or perhaps you're just interested in research presentations. If so, check out my free two-day workshop: The Research Presentation as Storytelling
9 months ago
0
6
7
reposted by
Josef Woldense
Anton Kronborg
9 months ago
Zambian politics have been quite dramatic in the last 20 years (timeline below). With that kind of competition, you’d expect MPs to fight to gain an edge in every arena, especially MPs elected on a thin margin. However, I find the opposite in Zambia’s parliament:
doi.org/10.1080/1357...
1
19
10
reposted by
Josef Woldense
Authoritarian Political Systems Group
about 1 year ago
The Call for Papers for our Fall 2025 Workshop series is now OPEN! Polisky Dictatorsky To apply complete this form by May 31st:
forms.gle/SvZv98ke4QUT...
You can find more information here on the CfP:
apsg.work/cfp/
loading . . .
Apply to Present Your Work!
Complete the form to be considered for the Authoritarian Political Systems Group Fall 2025 Season. Read the Seminar Rules before applying.
https://forms.gle/SvZv98ke4QUT7omu9
0
11
19
reposted by
Josef Woldense
Julia M. Rohrer
12 months ago
I'm currently tweaking some ggplots to make them pretty & readable and this is most definitely the most productive ChatGPT use case in my daily work. I know what I want, I can articulate it in natural language, I can check whether the output is right.
9
130
15
There is currently a tornado 🌪️ watch in Minneapolis. And here are two emails I received during this time. Almost seems like someone is pranking me
12 months ago
0
2
0
reposted by
Josef Woldense
Dan de Kadt
12 months ago
🚨 “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
loading . . .
good_description/good_description_ddk_agb.pdf at main · ddekadt/good_description
Homepage of "Good Description" by Daniel de Kadt & Anna Grzymala-Busse - ddekadt/good_description
https://tinyurl.com/gooddesc
11
242
89
Whoever thought that mold spreading across lemons could be so mesmerizing
youtube.com/watch?v=LYRA...
loading . . .
Pet mold goes wild on lemons
YouTube video by Photo Owl Time Lapse
https://youtube.com/watch?v=LYRA2pNsGAQ&si=uvoWjt_kle1BmkMK
about 1 year ago
0
3
0
reposted by
Josef Woldense
Frank Elavsky (he/him) ⌁
about 1 year ago
I always tell this to my research assistants: if you use AI to summarize and write for you, you don't need to be my assistant. You don't need to do research at all. Research should be selfish: *you* (not a machine) learn how to read, write, innovate, and dream. Otherwise, what is the point?
add a skeleton here at some point
6
354
109
Have you ever wondered what Equifinality is? Well, here is the basketball version it... fascinating video
youtu.be/mMNDgSkRDEw?...
loading . . .
The importance of basketball IQ, in one play
YouTube video by Thinking Basketball
https://youtu.be/mMNDgSkRDEw?si=RZRfb8gfeXe8irM7
about 1 year ago
0
0
0
reposted by
Josef Woldense
Greg Jenner (Historian)
about 1 year ago
Someone on Threads noticed you can type any random sentence into Google, then add “meaning” afterwards, and you’ll get an AI explanation of a famous idiom or phrase you just made up. Here is mine
640
5076
2724
reposted by
Josef Woldense
Jonas W. Schmid
about 1 year ago
Ever felt uneasy about how concepts & measures of "grey zone" autocracies are used interchangeably across the literature? Then check out my 🚨new paper🚨 in
@democratization.bsky.social
and get some substance to back up your gut feeling:
tinyurl.com/ypdm2kna
Or at least read the main points below ⬇️
loading . . .
Electoral autocracies, hybrid regimes, and multiparty autocracies: same, same but different?
There is a wide range of labels, such as electoral autocracy, hybrid regimes, or multiparty autocracy, and corresponding empirical measures to describe and measure political regimes that combine au...
https://tinyurl.com/ypdm2kna
5
75
30
reposted by
Josef Woldense
Kate Starbird
about 1 year ago
Timely new paper from UW Center for an Informed Public's PhD student
@sydneydemets.bsky.social
& current Director
@emmaspiro.bsky.social
looking at "trajectories" of guests acoss political podcasts, showing how many move from the periphery into the center.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
loading . . .
Podcasts in the periphery: Tracing guest trajectories in political podcasts
Social networks structure the flow of political information that is critical for civic participation and individual decision making, simultaneously op…
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378873325000115
2
49
18
reposted by
Josef Woldense
Alex Coppock
about 1 year ago
New visualization tool alert! The vayr package version 1.0.0 is now on CRAN. It contains position adjustments for ggplot2 that help with overplotting in pleasing ways. My favorite is position_sunflower(). - install.packages("vayr") -
alexandercoppock.com/vayr
#rstats
#ggplot2
#dataviz
3
194
56
reposted by
Josef Woldense
Julia M. Rohrer
about 1 year ago
Proudly presenting the (for now) final version of "Why experiments work." To share the materials in a slightly more professional manner, I added a "Resources" page to my website:
juliarohrer.com/resources/
. That was long overdue anyway; now there's also a curated list of my papers and blog posts.
6
187
46
Tariffs and Nintendo...a fascinating thread
add a skeleton here at some point
about 1 year ago
0
4
0
reposted by
Josef Woldense
Nicholas Rush Smith
about 1 year ago
Excited to see my new article with Erica Simmons out in APSR FirstView! We argue that when social scientists extend their arguments to new cases, they are often not generalizing their findings, but translating them to new contexts instead. Want to know more? Read it. It's open access. 👇
loading . . .
How Cases Speak to One Another: Using Translation to Rethink Generalization in Political Science Research | American Political Science Review | Cambridge Core
How Cases Speak to One Another: Using Translation to Rethink Generalization in Political Science Research
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/american-political-science-review/article/how-cases-speak-to-one-another-using-translation-to-rethink-generalization-in-political-science-research/CC25A63B221A1644C892128BEDECBAFA
1
19
9
I know humans are capable of a lot of things, but this kind of blew my mind. Given only a street level view of a place on Google maps, they are able to guess where in the world it is located, sometimes down to the exact spot. Incredible!
youtu.be/M7rKQcoEnOw?...
loading . . .
GeoGuessr 2024 World Cup - Grand Finals (Highlights)
YouTube video by rainbolt clips
https://youtu.be/M7rKQcoEnOw?si=T0V_S41gT06m98aA
about 1 year ago
0
2
1
reposted by
Josef Woldense
Carl Müller-Crepon
about 1 year ago
Very happy that this is out now! We find that railroad construction led to more separatism in Europe, showing strong opposition to modernization and state building among minorities.
@robertovalli.bsky.social
with a summary thread below👇
add a skeleton here at some point
8
87
20
The scamming industrial complex...wow The Scammer’s Manual: How to Launder Money and Get Away With It
www.nytimes.com/2025/03/23/w...
loading . . .
How Scammers Launder Money and Get Away With It (Gift Article)
Documents and insiders reveal how one of the world’s major money laundering networks operates.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/23/world/asia/cambodia-money-laundering-huione.html?unlocked_article_code=1.6E4.PDQl.3Z8_6M3tghsD&smid=nytcore-android-share
about 1 year ago
0
4
0
reposted by
Josef Woldense
Woldegiorgis G. Teklay
about 1 year ago
A rift within the TPLF has renewed the risk of a large interstate conflict.
foreignpolicy.com/2025/03/19/t...
loading . . .
Tigray Power Struggle Risks Ethiopia-Eritrea War
A rift within the TPLF has renewed the risk of a large interstate conflict.
https://foreignpolicy.com/2025/03/19/tigray-tplf-ethiopia-eritrea-abiy-isaias-tdf-getachew-debretsion1190035/
0
0
1
Load more
feeds!
log in