🇭🇺 EXCLUSIVE: An in-depth look at how Viktor Orbán and Fidesz underestimated Péter Magyar until it was too late. Direkt36 reveals how Orbán’s spring offensive against him backfired—fueling internal tensions and exposing cracks inside the government.

Big kudos to this economist for calling out sexism in his discipline. Obviously, political science has its own well-known prominent sexists and institutional sexism. So much work still to be done — and, importantly, this work should be done (also) by men!

The anti-racist Kick Out Zwarte Piet activist group ceased operations today. Heroes. This is what winning looks like.

Cordon insalubre www.euractiv.com/news/far-rig...

My 9yo told me he’d done his homework at the daycare. I told him this was impossible. He showed me his finished work. I told him the problem was conceptual not empirical. Now he’s annoyed at me.

Back on NU.nl ( www.nu.nl/321468/video... ) who have been following Péter Magyar’s rise from the very beginning - @umceehub.bsky.social @ceudeminst.bsky.social

AI and assessment in higher education: Notwithstanding all the lengthy reports, committees, and handwringing, are we any further than “back to on-campus exams”?

If you are a student (or staff member) at Sciences Po Paris, please join us Friday to discuss the outcome of the Dutch elections

exo-dodo-dus

Maandag riepen @catherinedevries.bsky.social en @simonhix.bsky.social op tot een hogere kiesdrempel in de hoop dat dat de bestuurbaarheid van NL zal vergroten. @simonotjes.bsky.social en ik leggen uit waarom een hogere kiesdrempel die bestuurbaarheidsproblemen niet oplost. fd.nl/opinie/15758...

My take on the election outcome for PRX The World theworld.org/segments/202...

Deze verkiezingen behoren tot de top 3 meest veranderlijke ("volatiele") verkiezingen in Nederland. Zo'n 44 Kamerzetels verschieten van partijkleur /1

Ready to rumble! Live commentary on exit poll and results with @tomwgvdmeer.bsky.social and yours truly from 8.30 PM till very late on NPO1

It was a huge pleasure to talk with @fabienescalona.bsky.social @mediapart.fr about my book ‘Protecting Democracy in Europe’. Merci Fabien !

📣 Call for papers for a panel I organize with Amélie Bescont - 18th National Congress of the French Political Science Association “The Architectures of Democracy” 📅 Dates and venue: June 30 - July 2, 2026 in Lyon 📩 Proposals are due by December 7, 2025 drive.google.com/file/d/1sRuo...

Looks like Trump’s ballroom will be ready just in time for the 2030 Pride Ball 🏳️‍🌈

The difficulty of interpreting Dutch election polls given the high number of floating/undecided voters is compounded by the generally high turnout of Dutch general elections (mid-70s).

I have half an hour before my next interview so I'm going to sketch out what I find an important problem with the fashionable division of immigrants into "net contributors" and "net recipients" of government spending. 1/10

This probably sounds weird and technical, but it is crucial that EU member states use Article 259 TFEU to challenge democratic and rule of law backsliding in other member states, as I argue in my book.

This probably sounds weird and technical, but it is crucial that EU member states use Article 259 TFEU to challenge democratic and rule of law backsliding in other member states, as I argue in my book.

Striking that the figure below has provoked much less response than @simonhix.bsky.social's preceding call for an electoral threshold in NL It raises the genuine question how much fragmentation a party system can afford The response can't just be: this is how we do things in NL a few more thoughts:

Happy No Kings to all who celebrate

A reminder for those in Leiden/The Hague: Natasha Wunsch’s book talk is tomorrow at 5pm ☺️ www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/events/20...

A reminder for those in Leiden/The Hague: Natasha Wunsch’s book talk is tomorrow at 5pm ☺️ www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/events/20...

📢 Democracy measured: Simon Otjes @simonotjes.bsky.social on political science and practice 🔍 Part of the series: Social Sciences Connect @leidensocial.bsky.social 🔗 Read the full interview here: www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/news/2025...

This is nice: the paperback of my book 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘋𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘌𝘶𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦 has been selected as part of the Waterstone's 25%off pre-order promotion. So it can be yours for the price of a pizza. Use the code: OCTOBER25 (valid until Friday 17/10) www.waterstones.com/book/protect...

Dutch elections: what are they all about? A key question for Dutch and international students & staff alike. Join our @polscileiden.bsky.social event with @simonotjes.bsky.social, @sldelange.bsky.social & me. 📅 Wed 15 Oct 19.45-21.00h 📍 Wijnhaven The Hague 🔗 www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/events/20...

Pleased frogs are being rehabilitated after years in Pepe meme hell

My 9yo and 6yo have introduced me to ‘Italian brainrot’. I feel old. And tired.

A sixth PM would be farcical. I doubt EM will resign. The united left + Renew would have a maj. in the Assemblée Nat. under a l/w PM, but I don't think EM prefers rolling the dice than forming a govt. that includes LFI and the Communists. Expect elections. Bad news.

Wife of Eamonn Mullally named Archbishop of Canterbury

October 3rd, the day Leiden academics, by mutual agreement, send their students home, turn off their email, and work on their R&Rs.

As the Netherlands grapples with the "anglicisation" of its universities, it's worth looking to Flanders for a potential cautionary tale. This piece in De Tijd shows how a well-intentioned policy to protect Dutch in higher education can become absurd www.tijd.be/politiek-eco...

Dr. Goodall on death as the final adventure. She won't be resting!

Some happy news: I’ve been promoted to Associate Professor at @polscileiden.bsky.social The work we do is crucial to understand the current challenges to democratic government and equip students with critical tools to meet them. I’ve had a lot of help getting here and am eager to pay it forward 🙏

So far the world’s first podcaster-dominated hybrid regime is delivering, um, mixed results on the institutional consolidation front

I was on @france24.com 's Access Asia show last Friday to discuss Trump's H1B visa fees increase and the implications for US-India ties @polscileiden.bsky.social @unileiden.bsky.social www.france24.com/en/tv-shows/...

I'm happy to share two updates about my book 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘋𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘌𝘶𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦 (OUP/Hurst) ► A paperback edition will come out next year, in Hurst’s Spring catalogue ► The book is now also available on Oxford Scholarship Online, making it freely accessible to subscribers: academic.oup.com/book/60892

Pride is a protest. #RotterdamPride

📢 Announcing the 2025 Political Science Bachelor Thesis Prize nominees 🎓 The shortlist highlights outstanding work from both the IRO and Politicologie/Internationale Politiek tracks. Winners will be revealed on 17 October. Check out the shortlist: www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/news/2025...

I'm happy to share two updates about my book 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘋𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘌𝘶𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦 (OUP/Hurst) ► A paperback edition will come out next year, in Hurst’s Spring catalogue ► The book is now also available on Oxford Scholarship Online, making it freely accessible to subscribers: academic.oup.com/book/60892

Delighted to welcome Natasha Wunsch to @unileiden.bsky.social to talk about her fantastic new book 𝘋𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 (available open access with @oxford University Press). Join us! Details 👇

you can't fly a paper plane from Germany to the Netherlands, but you can cross the border in one step

Incredible stuff

Yesterday I posted about how I used comet browser to take a Qualtrics survey almost undetected. Last night, I ran a pilot (N=400) on @joinprolific.bsky.social . I found that almost 10% of "respondents" identified as AI when directly asked.

📢New article out in 𝘕𝘦𝘸 𝘗𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘌𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘮𝘺 on the parliamentary oversight of the ECB and the Fed during Covid-19 📣 www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Uiteraard komt de beste analyse over her geweld van zaterdag van collega @leoniedejonge.bsky.social

🚨🚨🚨 Survey Researchers! WE HAVE A HUGE PROBLEM!🚨🚨🚨 I have access to the Comet browser by Perplexity. I asked it to pretend to be a human, take the survey, and give me feedback. IT DID!

Beetje ouderwets en schijnbaar radicaal, maar ik ben ook tegen fascisten.

What thinker type are you? Your family? Your friends? Your colleagues? Discover the ten different ways of thinking we inhabit, and where we get them from. Join us on a journey deep into our minds, and how they are shaped by the world around us. How We Think. Out 2026 with @hodderbooks.bsky.social!