Indeed, the fact that left and center are locked in a factional battle is both an artifact anti-democratic aspects of our political system, and the thing distracting both from a shared theory of power (or, perhaps more importantly, a theory of shared power). www.offmessage.net/p/shared-the...

What makes the modern Supreme Court such a problem for democratic accountability? In a new article, @wsnead.bsky.social and I tackle the longstanding question of the Court's counter-majoritarian potential, and update some political science theory along the way: doi.org/10.1017/S153...

Periodic reminder that publishing papers is not the goal in and of itself. The paper is a mechanism for sharing what you have learned--sharing processes and outcomes that others should be aware of/should think about too. 1/3

In Illinois, 1 million people are estimated to be compulsive gamblers or at risk of becoming one. Illinois Answers and @capitolnewsil.bsky.social spoke anonymously with people whose gambling spiraled into an addiction that cost them money, relationships and peace of mind. These are their stories.

Why does the modern #SCOTUS seem so prone to counter-majoritarian decisionmaking? In a new @poppublicsphere.bsky.social piece, @kumar.fyi and I argue that the Court's relationship to democratic politics has changed as parties have become more cohesive and competitive. doi.org/10.1017/S153...

NOW OUT ON FIRSTVIEW!! The #Countermajoritarian Difficulty Revisited: Theorizing Court–Party Relations in the #United #States By @wsnead.bsky.social & @kumar.fyi doi.org/10.1017/S153...

"Today’s social scientists (especially economists) tend to prize clean causal “identification” through “natural” experiments, with less emphasis on building big-picture narratives with theory and rich description."

If your background is data analytics and not politics you don't understand the meaning of the political data you analyze

Yes! This is one reason why turning political science departments into fascimilies of data science programs would be an enormous mistake.

I wrote a post about this recently. It is a central fact about industrial capitalism that real resources are allocated on the basis of hopes and dreams, rather than as a rational response to prices in existing markets. jwmason.org/slackwire/mo...

A beautiful piece about the Pedway, the oft-forgotten and fascinating web of underground tunnels that connects downtown Chicago.

Sky draft pick analysis just for you. yes you! www.theixsports.com/features/gab...

The critical thing about Supreme Court term limits is not the "limit" part, it's the "term" part. Defined term lengths -- whether multiple terms are allowed or not -- are the feature of the reform that would enable judicial appointments to be responsive to political change.

New from me, @wsnead.bsky.social, & @rbayes.bsky.social! We look at who the public holds responsible for Supreme Court decisions, test frames that can change this responsibility attribution, and discuss implications for democratic accountability. Full article, no paywall: doi.org/10.1017/jlc....

The most ironic possible year for WB to tie a record for wins by a single studio

Eight Oscar wins for Warner Bros. so far with several virtually guaranteed to come, continuing the best critical and financial year for a studio in decades. The only reason it's getting sold is the mountain of debt after 3 failed mergers, a problem it's solving with another debt-fueled merger.

I believe this is the fourth year in a row I've lost to Matt in the Oscars prediction pool. My sisyphean struggle continues. 🫡

Meet Ronald, a dedicated Rapid Transit Operator who’s been moving Chicago for 30 years! For Ronald, it’s all about connecting with riders, and serving the community with professionalism and heart. Thank you, Ronald, for the incredible work you do in making every ride safe, reliable, and welcoming!

Even as they split on the tariffs case, SCOTUS conservatives in both camps tried to apply the major questions doctrine—underscoring that their shared project of concentrating policymaking authority in the Court continues. More on how the MQD imperils policymaking from me and @wsnead.bsky.social 👇

The SCOTUS majority that struck Trump's #tariffs argued extensively about whether to use the major questions doctrine (MQD) to do so. Why would the use of this doctrine matter? In a recent article, @kumar.fyi and I discuss the emergence of the MQD and its high stakes for policymaking.

There is still time to yeet your Academia dot edu profile into the sun.

This is so incredibly clear and insightful. I found it very useful in thinking through the problems facing rental housing in Chicago, even though we're not dealing the specific question of rent regulation at the moment.

I almost cried during the Bad Bunny show when I saw the workers repairing the electrical system. I spent years working on Puerto Rico's crisis, and this was the one thing I couldn't resolve before moving to the academy. Thanks to the @lpeblog.bsky.social and @lpeproject.bsky.social for sharing this.

🚨We analyzed 138 million geocoded property tax records to quantify how municipal boundaries spatially overlap onto economic segregation in every US metro area—creating disparities in localities’ ability to fund public goods. And we made an interactive map of our results! [1/16]

Movie you’ve watched more than six times with a gif. Hard mode: no Stars (Wars nor Trek), LOTR, or Marvel, Disney Animated or Pixar.

The race to churn out papers is a systemic problem. Early career scholars are desperate to get more papers to compete in the academic job market. This can make it hard for faculty mentors hard to reduce their output unless they shrink their lab (which removes opportunities from next generation).

If you want to see how much a single local official can change things, look no further than Chicago, where the new prosecutor this year has ground exonerations to a halt by hindering the work of the commission that reviews wrongful convictions boltsmag.org/chicago-cook...

Mississippi Masala—an impeccable, beautiful film, start to finish

Hello, would you like to read about capital subsidy and social housing daniel-kay-hertz.ghost.io/deep-v-shall...

From Portland to Chicago to Philadelphia, transit agencies across the U.S. are facing existential peril. If you’re not already engaged in the fight to secure stable, robust, long-term funding for transit in your community then now’s the time to roll up your sleeves.

More details on tonight's elections in San Diego (and also St. Louis!)—and what we know of the results—in the article below. And also follow @boltsmag.org to make sure to stay on top of local elections happening in all corners!

Today is publication day for Liberation Stories. Cathy Cohen, @kumar.fyi, and I contributed a chapter to this volume: “Data for Liberation: the Role of Surveys in Social Movement Infrastructure.” (1/6)

This is good. It's not "anti-Abundance" but it favors a sort of equity-focused abundance. It gets at some of my concerns with the book/movement. (And please don't @ me with "abundance is always equitable" simplistic B.S., thank you.)

Great @chicagotribune.com op-ed from Richards (fmr @septaphilly.bsky.social GM). Promises of funding later do not pay the bills. We need public plan on specific $ sources to prevent cuts (better yet, expand service with more investment). Still relevant op-ed www.chicagotribune.com/2024/08/19/o...

Can't wait to chuckle at the people getting fleeced by this as I get on the CTA express buses that are lined up directly outside the United Center after every event. chicago.suntimes.com/news/2025/03...

So it turns out good news still exists 🥹 chicago.suntimes.com/sports/2025/...

Hoping for some political will from city as we're about to see agency leadership change. CEO decision not the only major factor 4 CTA future but choice matters. Tumlin/SF & Clarke/DC have great reputations, but confident more amazing leaders (inc. beyond white men) flying more under national radar

Watching “The Night Agent” on Netflix. Good News: The VP’s daughter is enrolled in APD. Bad News: She skips APD to go shopping.

📣 Attention Chicago renters 📣 We’re hosting workshops over the next two months to teach you how to research building code violations and landlords using public records. Registration is required! https://buff.ly/4a51ZLY

One of the best things I’ve read in a while. www.nplusonemag.com/issue-49/ess...

This should've been the one 🥲

CDOT has a new Division of Planning and Policy, and they have a survey for you! webapps4.chicago.gov/eforms/cdotp...

New article with @kumar.fyi out today in the Cleveland State Law Review! Reflecting on the 70th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, we reconsider the landmark ruling’s conception of dignitary harm in public education. engagedscholarship.csuohio.edu/clevstlrev/v... (1/6)

Fave team: Chicago Sky Fave player (current): Napheesa Fave player (all time): Allie Quigley 2nd fave team: Lynx Team you dislike: Sun Player you dislike: Sophie Favorite WNBA Bluesky follow: @anniecostabile.bsky.social Unpopular WNBA opinion: expanding roster sizes >>> adding teams

Chicago people: imagine if we did this on the Mag Mile or neighborhood commercial districts like Clark St in Andersonville

This is one of the best books you can read about racial politics, political parties, and political development in the US. I found it so compelling that I wrote a whole dissertation as a response/sequel to it.

Also worth noting: there was a competitive ballot referendum in 2020 (Fair Tax), while the only competitive races downballot in 2024 were school board, which a lot of people still don't know about.

We have a way to do this! It's called an RSS feed reader! I realize this argument has probably already been lost, but I will die on the hill that it is a terrible idea to fuse a social media feed and your news feed.