Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Katrine Beauregard

Department of Pacific Affairs (DPA) @anudpa.bsky.social · 4d

Congratulations to Dr Sonia Palmieri on her new book, Gender Sensitive Parliaments in Fiji.🌺

It examines how global #gender norms intersect with local #politics to shape parliamentary change in #Fiji.

📖 link.springer.com/book/10.1007...

@anubellschool.bsky.social

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Pandanus Petter @pandanuspetter.bsky.social · 5d

Interested in MPs' constituency work and how well suited it might be to crisis leadership during disasters like floods, fires and pandemics? I am chuffed to have my new paper out now in Parliamentary Affairs to help answer these questions. Check it out!

academic.oup.com/pa/article/d...

Constituency representation as crisis leadership: Understanding the potential of policy, service, and symbolic connection-building in response to disasters

Abstract. In this paper, I investigate how Members of Parliaments’ (MPs) performance of the important job of connecting constituents to the representative

academic.oup.com

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Paul Fairie @paulisci.bsky.social · 6d

A Brief History of Men are Becoming Less Manly

🧵

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Josh Holloway @jholloway.bsky.social · 11d

🎉 New publication out in @poppublicsphere.bsky.social with @duncanmcdonnell.com and Michelle Evans!

We expected public bias to work against aspiring Indigenous political candidates in Australia. Instead, we found the opposite - an 'inverted hierarchy' of bias.

Open access: doi.org/10.1017/S153...

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Ana Catalano Weeks @anacweeks.bsky.social · 13d

🚨 New article out today in @cpsjournal.bsky.social !

📄 “Strategic Inclusion Without Transformation: How Populist Radical Right Parties Engage With Women’s Interests”

With Bonnie Meguid, @hildecoffe.bsky.social & Miki Kittilson

🔗 doi.org/10.1177/0010...

Strategic Inclusion Without Transformation: How Populist Radical Right Parties Engage With Women’s Interests - Bonnie M. Meguid, Hilde Coffé, Ana Catalano Weeks, Miki Caul Kittilson, 2025

Despite their Männerparteien reputation, populist radical right (PRR) parties have recently expanded their agendas to include women’s interests. When do they em...

doi.org

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Thesiswhisperer @thesiswhisperer.bsky.social · 18d

ANU campus notice boards continue to inspire 😂

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Marija Taflaga @marijataflaga.bsky.social · 19d

open.spotify.com/episode/1OPE...

In this week's DS episode @jennaprice.bsky.social, Sinclair Davidson, Mark and I discuss the governance crisis in the Australian University sector.

It is telling when folk from across the political spectrum agree on the problem and most of the solution

A thread🧵

Universities in crisis

open.spotify.com

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Eva Anduiza @evaanduiza.bsky.social · 20d

We have a new paper out with @gricoc.bsky.social in @jwpp.bsky.social (this time I swear I am going to post the right link): www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Sexism and the Gender Gap in Support for the Radical Right

Using survey data from Spain we show that the gender gap in the probability of voting for the radical-right party Vox is mainly due to men having higher levels of modern sexism than women. We find ...

www.tandfonline.com

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Marija Taflaga @marijataflaga.bsky.social · 22d

me on the troubles in the LPA.

They're institutional!

Hiro Sugita @hiroyasugita.bsky.social · 22d

by @marijataflaga.bsky.social
The Liberal Party is riven with disagreements and discontent. Can it survive?
theconversation.com/the-liberal-...

The Liberal Party is riven with disagreements and discontent. Can it survive?

The Liberals, already an awkward grouping of various beliefs, is losing its moderate flank to the teals. It may need to transform to remain a viable political force.

theconversation.com

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Reposted by Katrine Beauregard

Liza Mügge @lizamugge.bsky.social · 25d

🔎✒️ How can we keep research teams and ourselves safe when studying politically sensitive topics? @britanlar.bsky.social and I present a new framework for protection and support drawing on feminist care ethics. The report is now available on the @men4dem.bsky.social website 👇

men4dem.bsky.social @men4dem.bsky.social · 26d

MEN4DEM releases a report introducing the Safe Research Ethics Framework. The framework, grounded in Feminist Care Ethics, offers practical tools to protect scholars working on politically sensitive topics.

Read more at men4dem.eu/news-events-...

#MEN4DEM

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Katrine Beauregard @katrinebeau.bsky.social · 27d

It’s been another day at ANU to say the least

NTEU ACT @nteuact.bsky.social · 27d

The psychological distress across #ANU while Renew ANU has been underway has been enormous. @nteunion.bsky.social has been working with members to prevent the most serious outcomes.

It shouldn't have to come to this for the ANU to provide a safe workplace.

Almost 30 staff at ANU humanities school stop work after health and safety report warns of ‘serious harm’

Workers affected by university restructure advised to ‘remove themselves from the hazardous work environment’ if they believe they are at psychosocial risk

www.theguardian.com

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Katrine Beauregard @katrinebeau.bsky.social · Sep 8

Truly excellent piece on why a different kind of change is needed at ANU

Our ANU @ouranu.bsky.social · Sep 8

“Replacing the ANU vice chancellor is a necessary first step… But it is not a sufficient step…

If governance and policy direction doesn’t change, it won’t matter who sits in the vice chancellor’s chair – the outcomes for staff, students and the public will be the same.”

www.afr.com/work-and-car...

Why ANU boss Genevieve Bell must go

Replacing the Australian National University vice chancellor is a necessary first step to rebuilding the reputation of the ANU and restoring its legitimacy.

www.afr.com

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Reposted by Katrine Beauregard

Francis Markham @francismarkham.bsky.social · Sep 7

Australian universities are in a governance crisis. VC pay blowouts, scandals, mission drift — these aren’t random, they’re structural.

This new working paper with @marijataflaga.bsky.social & Keith Dowding digs into why the system is broken, and how to fix it.

doi.org/10.25911/MWW...

A thread:

Neither corporate nor government: Why university governance needs to be different, and better
Marija Taflaga, Francis Markham and Keith Dowding.

Preprint, 29 August 2025. https://doi.org/10.25911/MWW4-9781

Abstract
Australian universities face a governance crisis rooted in failures of accountability. Unlike parliaments and corporate boards, university councils lack effective mechanisms for principals to discipline agents. In parliaments, voters can replace elected representatives; in corporations, shareholders can vote out directors. Both systems close the delegation–accountability loop, ensuring alignment between principals and outcomes. University councils, however, are self-perpetuating bodies dominated by external appointees, and in recent decades they are typically from corporate backgrounds. As neither producers nor consumers of universities’ core product—knowledge creation and dissemination—they have minimal intrinsic stake in academic outcomes leaving councils detached from the university’s core mission. This misalignment fosters mission drift, weakens oversight, and contributes to repeated scandals. Because councils largely appoint their own successors, they remain insulated from meaningful scrutiny, unlike boards or parliaments where underperformance is sanctioned externally. Restoring accountability requires giving academic staff and students a renewed oversight role, alongside clear safeguards for the public interest. Because academics and students are both producers and consumers of knowledge, they have a direct and enduring stake in its quality. We recommend two mechanisms to do this are:
1. Academic Senates empowered to appoint and review council members, ensuring councils reflect the university’s purpose.
2. Robust Committee Systems that embed staff and student voices in decision-making, reduce information asymmetries, and align incentives with academic purposes.

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Katrine Beauregard @katrinebeau.bsky.social · Sep 5

The latest in this ongoing ANU saga

Our ANU @ouranu.bsky.social · Sep 5

“Professor Bell inherited a culture of bullying in senior management levels at the ANU,” says Thornton. “She didn’t create the culture but she also hasn’t done anything to improve it. In fact, the bullies continue to prosper under her leadership.”

www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/news/educati...

Exclusive: Inside the Australian National University’s leadership crisis

Amid mounting scandals and a loss of confidence in her management, the Australian National University vice-chancellor is negotiating an exit from her role.

www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au

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Reposted by Katrine Beauregard

Cambridge University Press Political Science & IR @cambup-polsci.cambridge.org · Sep 4

#OpenAccess from @cjps-rcsp.bsky.social -

Understanding Political Culture and Behaviour through Longitudinal Data in Alberta - https://cup.org/464tMLc

- @fsnagovsky.bsky.social, Jared Wesley & Evan Walker

#FirstView

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Our ANU @ouranu.bsky.social · Sep 3

We need ComCare to make a similar intervention at ANU.

The psychosocial harm ANU executive are inflicting upon ANU staff is completely unacceptable.

www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

UTS ordered by SafeWork NSW to pause job cuts due to risk of ‘psychological harm’

Union labels intervention a ‘rare and damning rebuke’

www.theguardian.com

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ccs-project.bsky.social @ccs-project.bsky.social · Sep 2

The joint @nesconsortium.bsky.social @ccs-project.bsky.social Business meeting during @ecpr.bsky.social 2025 conference was a success – more than 30 people showed up at the event and we had interesting exchanges with different country teams!

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Duncan McDonnell @duncanmcdonnell.com · Sep 1

3-year, full-time post-doc position with my ‪@griffith.edu.au‬ friend & colleague, Ferran Martinez i Coma.

Ferran is one of the key people who has made our department the top comparative politics research cluster in Australia.

Please apply, share, etc.

jobs.smartrecruiters.com/GriffithUniv...

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Grade 1

Company Description: Every institution values excellence. What matters most is why. Griffith was created to be a different type of university. You’ll find we’re about leading research, academic excel...

jobs.smartrecruiters.com

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Reposted by Katrine Beauregard

Australian Journal of Political Science @ausjpolsci.bsky.social · Aug 31

NEW SUBMISSION CATEGORY ADDED!
AJPS invites Reform Notes from practitioners and/or academics that set out proposed innovations about (or relevant to) aspects of Australian politics practice - e.g. proposals for or modifications to existing political institutions, procedures, laws and practices 1/4

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Our ANU @ouranu.bsky.social · Sep 1

“There are a lot of people who are on stress leave … a lot of people are seeking professional help ...

[This process] is terrifying. And I don’t use the word terror lightly.”

Dr Michael Roettger @tarheel08.bsky.social

region.com.au/i-dont-use-t...

'I don't use the word terror lightly': Senior lecturer accuses Renew ANU of irreparable mental harm | Region Canberra

CONTENT WARNING: This article discusses adverse mental health impacts.

region.com.au

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FF_notes @ffnotes.bsky.social · Aug 29

Great piece by Bek Pearse - ANU at the crossroads: between the social body and the iron cage overland.org.au/2025/08/anu-...

ANU at a crossroads: between the social body and the iron cage - Overland literary journal

The organic solidarity on display across ANU gives the institution its moral clarity and counterweight to a bureaucracy that risks becoming a case as hard as steel. In the last six months, ANU staff, ...

overland.org.au

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Ben Eltham @beneltham.bsky.social · Aug 29

One of Australia’s worst exports: consultants Nous are wrecking Canadian universities nationalpost.com/feature/how-...

How to run a university in Canada? Outsource it to this management consulting firm

Nous Group's template for getting out of the red has been adopted by major schools. Critics call it the corporatization of higher education.

nationalpost.com

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Katrine Beauregard @katrinebeau.bsky.social · Aug 29

Everything is fine nothing to see here

Our ANU @ouranu.bsky.social · Aug 29

ANU’s Provost has this morning apologized for the the appalling and misleading email that the VC sent last week. (An email that falsely implied there would be no more forced redundancies this year):

"I'm very sorry. The email was confusing. I read it and was confused."

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Dawn Teele @teele.bsky.social · Aug 28

I'm so jazzed that this is in print! it was a dream team! @profdansmith.bsky.social @fiva.no @alicirone.bsky.social

Dan Smith @profdansmith.bsky.social · Aug 28

🎉Now online (open access): "Hidden Majoritarianism and Women’s Career Progression in Proportional Representation Systems" at @apsrjournal.bsky.social. @alicirone.bsky.social, @teele.bsky.social, Gary Cox, @fiva.no. www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

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Marija Taflaga @marijataflaga.bsky.social · Aug 28

share.google/U9Z5IVAm0xDZ...

‘Inherently unfair’ uni fees pushing students away from study

The chair of peak group Universities Australia will tell the National Press Club the federal government has failed to act on an unjust tuition fee structure.

share.google

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