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Matt Donoghue

@drdonoghue.bsky.social

1.6K followers 2.3K following 580 posts

Assistant Professor of Social Policy, UCD Works at the intersection of politics, sociology, political economy, via social/public policy. Into ideas. Ireland, UK & Europe #SocialCitizenship #Resilience #WelfareState #Ideology #Discourse #Cohesion

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Matt Donoghue @drdonoghue.bsky.social · Dec 19

I don't think I actually introduced myself to new followers. Or made the most of @altmetric.bsky.social now being on BSky. So, here's a thread letting you know about me and some things I've done.

I'm an Assistant Prof. in Social Policy. My background is political science. Follow the thread for more

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Matt Donoghue @drdonoghue.bsky.social · 2d

One the one hand, these things are incoherent if we believe in a particular kind of enlightenment liberalism. On the other hand, I expect this juxtaposition is in fact very coherent based on Jenrick's personal politics.

Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 2d

Jenrick is absurdly incoherent on principles of free expression because he wants immediate arrests for "Allahu Akbar" (God is Great) while turning up to court to defend shouting "Fuck Islam" while burning a Quran

www.theguardian.com/politics/art...

Robert Jenrick criticised for saying people shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’ should be arrested

Tory leadership candidate’s comments around far-right protests described as nasty, divisive and ignorant

www.theguardian.com

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Matt Donoghue @drdonoghue.bsky.social · 2d

(No need to panic, I'm not actually doing a podcast!)

Matt Donoghue @drdonoghue.bsky.social · 2d

That's my podcast title sorted, then.

Matt Donoghue @drdonoghue.bsky.social · 5d

www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

I did some of my PhD fieldwork in Handsworth in the late 00s-early 10s. Felt pretty integrated to me, despite high levels of deprivation. The residents weren't particularly enamoured with the government, mind.

Robert Jenrick accused of fuelling ‘toxic nationalism’ with Birmingham claims

Shadow justice secretary stands by comments made in March amid criticism including from a Tory colleague

www.theguardian.com

Matt Donoghue @drdonoghue.bsky.social · 11d

I have decided that the coffee bag (like a teabag but with coffee) is the perfect example of innovation under capitalism. It's nice and it's convenient, but we don't *really* need it.

Matt Donoghue @drdonoghue.bsky.social · 17d

Thank you!!

Matt Donoghue @drdonoghue.bsky.social · 17d

Jess, would you mind if I borrow this for a first year class at University College Dublin, please?!

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Matt Donoghue @drdonoghue.bsky.social · 18d

Dare I say, bluntly, that it's really really dumb? And if politicians start playing up to this, they're either dumb too, or they are weaponising it for political gain.

Matt Donoghue @drdonoghue.bsky.social · 18d

The whole anti-expert thing feels very very hardcore Liberal (the individual above all else), combined with some kind of hubristic conspiracy theory (they must be keeping me down. I obviously know better because I'm ME).

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Matt Donoghue @drdonoghue.bsky.social · 18d

Why, exactly, do you think you are better placed to come to a conclusion on whether a particular medicine has a relationship or *causal effect* on a (socially stigmatised) condition? Have you read all the data? Collected it? Understood it? Tested it? Been on the courses?

Matt Donoghue @drdonoghue.bsky.social · 18d

Many people in the west are going to have to get over the fact that some people are smarter than them, and in fact need to rely on their expertise, knowledge and experience to make the appropriate choices.

Like doctors.

Reposted by Matt Donoghue

Kartik Raj @kartikraj.bsky.social · 23d

Rather than a dogmatic adherence to the line that benefit levels satisfy a formal statistical calculation of Existenzminimum, ergo there is no poverty… maybe the task is to examine how and why current social security levels fall short of ensuring the human right to an adequate standard of living.

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Reposted by Matt Donoghue

Kartik Raj @kartikraj.bsky.social · 23d

Germany’s chancellor: “No one in our country falls into poverty because they become unemployed.” („Niemand fällt in unserem Land in die Armut, weil er arbeitslos wird.”)

Lived experience of unemployment benefits strongly suggests otherwise.

Screengrabs via @sanktionsfrei.bsky.social

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Reposted by Matt Donoghue

Robert Fingleton 🇮🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 @robertfingleton.bsky.social · 24d

The man had many insights into life that I enjoy!

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Matt Donoghue @drdonoghue.bsky.social · 24d

Just to say, if those Jimmy Kimmel remarks were *that* offensive, media outlets around the world would not be airing them. Yet, they are.

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Reposted by Matt Donoghue

Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · Sep 9

This is basically the takeaway for my qualitative methods class today: All data must be interpreted. And all data are qualitative unless and until they're interpreted quantitatively.

Pavel @spavel.bsky.social · Sep 9

You will never be able to make "data driven" decisions until you realize just how much your decisions are driven by emotions: fear of missing out, defensiveness of your favorite idea, apprehension over something unusual.

That's because there's no such thing as "the data" - only interpretations.

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Matt Donoghue @drdonoghue.bsky.social · Sep 7

www.brusselstimes.com/1732122/unem...

Can anyone point me to any more information/sources/analysis of these Belgian welfare reforms? I assume this is focused on social assistance not insurance...

Unemployment warning letters to be sent out soon

28,800 jobseekers to lose unemployment benefits as Belgium's reforms take effect.

www.brusselstimes.com

Matt Donoghue @drdonoghue.bsky.social · Sep 4

Probably means she's closer to Third Way social democracy than Starmer(ites), would be my intuition. Marginally to the left of Starmer, but otherwise Labour centrist?

Matt Donoghue @drdonoghue.bsky.social · Sep 3

Trick question: you don't do anything because you seem to be pathologically wedded to the idea of being the caretaker party?

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Matt Donoghue @drdonoghue.bsky.social · Sep 3

Labour strategists would do well to look at this data.

The British Election Study @britishelectionstudy.com · Sep 3

Labour's next biggest losses are to left-liberal parties (Liberal Democrats and Greens).

Reform's growth in support has mostly come from the Conservatives and non-voting (much less from Labour).

These reflect patterns of party-bloc voting that we saw in the 2024 UK GE: tinyurl.com/y5pv7thw

Alluvial plot showing the flow of support from vote in the 2024 UK General Election to vote intention in 2025 Wave 30 of the British Election Study Internet Panel.

Matt Donoghue @drdonoghue.bsky.social · Sep 2

I've just had to double check that I know what necessary and sufficient conditions are, and if I associated them with the correct Mill's method. Time for bed I think.

Matt Donoghue @drdonoghue.bsky.social · Sep 2

I'm back teaching some comparative social policy this year. Starting with the question of why compare. So of course we have to look at health spending and outcomes...

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Reposted by Matt Donoghue

Craig @craiging619.bsky.social · Sep 2

Fellow ‘Bluesky Elders’ will remember that the site was set up to pivot away from quote-tweets and dunks, but unfortunately I’ve found the perfect image to quote-tweet dunk someone with.

Headline from Australian paper The Nightly simply asks, “Who is this DICKHEAD”.

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Reposted by Matt Donoghue

Jonathan Portes @jdportes.bsky.social · Sep 2

The Home Office's own (excellent) research summary says

a) asylum seekers come to the UK primarily because of social networks/ties

b) welfare and labour market policies are *not* a big "pull factor"

c) safe routes would help

freemovement.org.uk/wp-content/u...

nce 2017, the number of asylum applications in the UK has been increasing, by 2019 returning to levels seen during 2015-16 although the UK was relatively little affected by the European 'migration crisis’. This recent increase is likely due in part to movement to the UK by those already in Europe. • In 2019, at least 1 in 6 asylum applicants to the UK had made a prior application in a European country. • However, only a small portion of secondary movement across Europe is to the UK – in 2019, the UK produced just 6% of Eurodac hits relating to prior applications elsewhere in Europe. • While many entering the UK may travel through France, most top nationalities applying for asylum in the UK do not apply in France in large numbers (with the exception of Sudanese, Afghan and Albanian applicants). Social networks, shared languages and diasporas motivate asylum seekers to reach certain destination countries • Social networks aid migrant integration to society, acting as facilitators of information relating to life in the destination country. They are considered trusted sources and are likely to influence migration journeys more than information from formal institutions. • The presence of diaspora communities can motivate migrants to reach certain destination countries. The proportion of diasporas in the EU+ residing in the UK is correlated with the proportion of asylum applications across the EU+ made in the UK (see slide 21). Armed conflict, human rights abuses, poverty, political & economic instability and violence are factors that forcibly displace migrants • The majority (57%) of individuals escaping persecution are internally displaced within their own countries and most refugees displaced abroad stay within their region of displacement, living in countries neighbouring their countries of origin 1 2 . • Of the number of asylum seekers that reach Europe, only a small percentage claim asylum in the UK. In 2019, the UK received 6% of total EU+ asylum applications. • A …

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Matt Donoghue @drdonoghue.bsky.social · Sep 1

Day 1 of Week 0 at the beginning of the 25-6 academic year. My morning has disappeared, alien abduction style, taken by to-do lists, emails, and a sense of 'if I just get these done then I'll have the time and space to do X'. But I won't, will I?!

Note to self: Need to make the time and space