Lucy Barnes

@lucy-barnes.bsky.social

1.9K followers 830 following 75 posts

Professor of Political Economy, UCL. She/her. Here to lurk.

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Economics 56%

Political science 25%

Posts Replies Media Videos

Reposted by Lucy Barnes

lastpositivist.bsky.social @lastpositivist.bsky.social · 9d

Nice things to remember about the UK. I am not myself a UK doomer, I think there are plenty of good things about the country and our present state of affairs, and this well captures some of them.

adamcorlett.com/2025/11/30/d...

Don’t Panic: Britain is not broken – adamcorlett.com

adamcorlett.com

Reposted by Lesley A. Hall, Greg Walker, Lucy Barnes , and 2 more Lesley A. Hall, Greg Walker, Lucy Barnes, Judith Jesch, Annette Yoshiko Reed

Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 11d

2025 has been a rotten year for most early career postdoctoral researchers, especially in Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.

For a better 2026, check out (or repost) this short thread on a free resource for UK-based SHAPE PhDs within 10 years (excluding career breaks) of the doctorate. 1/3

Early Career Researcher Network

An inclusive, researcher-led network for UK-based early career researchers working in the humanities and social sciences

www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk

Reposted by Ruth Dassonneville, Lucy Barnes, Sara Wallace Goodman

British Journal of Political Science @bjpols.bsky.social · 11d

A huge thank you to the authors who contributed to Volume 55, our first year of continuous publication.

If you're logged into @bsky.app, our 2025 authors on Bluesky can be found here - https://cup.org/4oLdTRR

If you are on Bluesky and we have missed you, let us know.

🎈 All the best for 2026! 🎈

Reposted by Scott L. Greer, Thomas Saalfeld, Lucy Barnes

Tarik Abou-Chadi @tabouchadi.bsky.social · 12d

My wish for 2026 is that politicians and political analysts realize that public opinion is endogenous to elite behavior, that polling single issues tells us nothing about electorally successful strategies, that politics means shaping public opinion and that popularism is the death of progressivism.

Lucy Barnes @lucy-barnes.bsky.social · 12d

Private detective, snore.

So narrowly missed being a Scholar, amateur adventurer and alethiometer reader

Sue London @cmdrsue.bsky.social · 13d

Well, now I'm an English professor...

Reposted by Anna O. Law, Lucy Barnes, Aileen McHarg , and 5 more Anna O. Law, Lucy Barnes, Aileen McHarg, Scott A. Imberman, James Goodwin, Diane Marie Amann, Catherine J. Frieman, Iñaki Aldasoro

Sue London @cmdrsue.bsky.social · 13d

Well, now I'm an English professor...

A green square with white text reading: You are now forced to have the same job as the main character in the last book you read. What is the job?

Reposted by Jens Rydgren

Lucy Barnes @lucy-barnes.bsky.social · 20d

One of my favourite papers from this past year!

British Journal of Political Science @bjpols.bsky.social · 20d

NEW -

Elections Without Constraints? The Appeal of Electoral Autocracy Across the World - https://cup.org/49auQPf

- @anjaneundorf.bsky.social, @sirianned.bsky.social, Kristian Vrede Skaaning Frederiksen & @aykutozturk.bsky.social

#OpenAccess

BJPolS abstract of an academic article discussing how democratic institutions prioritize citizen preferences regarding economic and physical security, with a focus on varied democratic features across thirty countries.

Reposted by Svend‐Erik Skaaning, Chris Hanretty, Damien Bol , and 3 more Svend‐Erik Skaaning, Chris Hanretty, Damien Bol, Lucy Barnes, Ben Worthy, Stuart J. Turnbull‐Dugarte

British Journal of Political Science @bjpols.bsky.social · 20d

Lucy Barnes @lucy-barnes.bsky.social · Dec 10

Thoughts and prayers

Reposted by Dani Rodrik, Lucy Barnes

Steven Durlauf @durlauf.bsky.social · Dec 6

Bravo! As deserved as it gets. Wendy Carlin is a treasure.

Centre for Economic Policy Research @cepr.org · Dec 6

Following her fireside chat on the Future of Higher Education CEPR is proud to announce Wendy Carlin was awarded the Lifetime Service to the Profession for her contributions to The CORE Project, increasing access and changing the way economics is taught. Our heartfelt congratulations to Wendy!

Lucy Barnes @lucy-barnes.bsky.social · Dec 4

good news is also a thing in the world

Rob Ford @robfordmancs.bsky.social · Dec 4

Diane Abbott, the last remaining member of that original quartet, is now Mother of the House (the female MP with the longest continuous service). The ranks of MPs around have changed a lot during her long career. This is first ever Commons whose diversity roughly matches the nation it represents

Reposted by Lucy Barnes

Rob Ford @robfordmancs.bsky.social · Dec 4

For those who believe that the Commons should fairly represent the nation it serves, this is a story of remarkable progress. Those who would deny full and equal rights to people based on the race and religion natually don't see it that way, but thankfully they are a small (if noisy) minority.

Reposted by Lucy Barnes

Rob Ford @robfordmancs.bsky.social · Dec 4

Lucy Barnes @lucy-barnes.bsky.social · Nov 28

This image highlights that one of the most important perks of the job is working with @alanrenwick.bsky.social

UCL Constitution Unit @conunitucl.bsky.social · Nov 28

Join and help to lead the Constitution Unit!

@uclspp.bsky.social is looking for a Lecturer in British and Comparative Politics who will also join our senior team and contribute to our research and impact activities.

Applicants must have, or be near to finishing, a PhD.

Apply 👇

Job opportunity: Lecturer in British and Comparative Politics

The UCL Department of Political Science and Constitution Unit are seeking to appoint a Lecturer in British and Comparative Politics. The successful candidate will join the senior team at the Unit.

www.ucl.ac.uk

Reposted by Lucy Barnes

Dan de Kadt @dandekadt.bsky.social · Nov 28

As I reflect on this, three thoughts:

1. This case is only symptomatic of a bigger problem; increasingly broken incentive structures in our disciplines and industry.

Our job is *not* to publish for the sake of publishing. It is to produce and advance *knowledge*. This process is hard and slow.

Reposted by Cas Mudde, Ben H. Ansell, Scott L. Greer , and 12 more Cas Mudde, Ben H. Ansell, Scott L. Greer, Dave O’Brien, Justin H. Kirkland, Benjamin Lauderdale, Lucy Barnes, Ariadne Vromen, Aileen McHarg, Steven Fielding, Jack Stilgoe, Stuart J. Turnbull‐Dugarte, Jake Anders, Laura McAtackney, Alan Renwick

UCL Constitution Unit @conunitucl.bsky.social · Nov 28

Job opportunity: Lecturer in British and Comparative Politics

The UCL Department of Political Science and Constitution Unit are seeking to appoint a Lecturer in British and Comparative Politics. The successful candidate will join the senior team at the Unit.

www.ucl.ac.uk

Reposted by Ben H. Ansell, Dave O’Brien, Chris Hanretty , and 3 more Ben H. Ansell, Dave O’Brien, Chris Hanretty, Lucy Barnes, Alexandra Cirone, Christina Pagel

Daniel Devine @danjdevine.bsky.social · Nov 28

Not a drill - there's a Britain-focused lectureship (FT, permanent) available.

www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DPQ588/l...

Lecturer in British and Comparative Politics at UCL

An academic position as a Lecturer in British and Comparative Politics is being advertised on jobs.ac.uk. Click now to find more details and explore additional academic job opportunities.

www.jobs.ac.uk

Reposted by Lucy Barnes

Josh Goddard @joshgoddard98.bsky.social · Nov 26

Overall, housing is a central and growing cleavage in politics, challenging class dealignment story. Relying on occupation risks mischaracterising the class basis of politics - we must update how we think about this to reflect era of asset-based capitalism

7/7

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Housing and electoral behaviour: The changing face of class voting in advanced democracies

Scholarship on the relationship between social structure and electoral behaviour has traditionally operationalised voters’ economic or class situation…

www.sciencedirect.com

Lucy Barnes @lucy-barnes.bsky.social · Nov 26

Happy to see the first paper from @joshgoddard98.bsky.social ’s PhD project published today! 🙌

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Class voting is alive and well, once we recognise the importance of asset (housing) ownership as well as labour market position as a class marker

Housing and electoral behaviour: The changing face of class voting in advanced democracies

Scholarship on the relationship between social structure and electoral behaviour has traditionally operationalised voters’ economic or class situation…

www.sciencedirect.com

Lucy Barnes @lucy-barnes.bsky.social · Nov 25

Sandel’s thesis is a different version of this: politics under neoliberalism* vacated the space of morality (incl. religious community); people want morality in politics; aggressive far right moral panics filled the void

*shorthand for vibes/era, not nec scholarly/intellectual position

Lucy Barnes @lucy-barnes.bsky.social · Nov 22

This question is less on my personal radar and I think other people will have more information interest in judging

Lucy Barnes @lucy-barnes.bsky.social · Nov 22

Note: it’s not like there are any things that would flag/trigger an immediate desk reject! This is (was) just one that I think often correlated with overall thinking the paper’s not quite ready, or not quite rightly targeted

Lucy Barnes @lucy-barnes.bsky.social · Nov 22

all very new and impressionistic but the main one is that I think a “flag” ~a year ago would be to fail to articulate any explicit argument for the paper’s importance or innovation. now those *forms* are almost always present, and it’s deeper work to separate the substantive from the specious

Lucy Barnes @lucy-barnes.bsky.social · Nov 22

speaking just for myself: trying to do this, but the numerical increase hits hard here too. Also “flags” for desk rejection are changing, in ways which also increase the editorial time required to reach each DR decision. No call for sympathy but it’s not trivial at the ed stage either.
Also: sorry!

Reposted by Lucy Barnes

Benjamin Braun @benbraun.bsky.social · Nov 18

We'll have to go back to studying history and institutions don't we. Even elites, Lord help us. Like in the Dark Ages.

Lucy Barnes @lucy-barnes.bsky.social · Nov 18

100%!!!

Lucy Barnes @lucy-barnes.bsky.social · Nov 18

Strong agree, but worry about the degree to which this prescription comes from a place of relative privilege, ex ante, and survivor bias, ex post.

Maybe more universal: be good and be lucky, and if you can only pick one, be lucky

Reposted by Lucy Barnes, Raúl Pacheco-Vega, Bonnie N. Field , and 1 more Lucy Barnes, Raúl Pacheco-Vega, Bonnie N. Field, Roman Senninger

Guy Grossman @guygrossman.bsky.social · Oct 7

@carotorreblanca.bsky.social , Will Dinneen, and my paper entitled "Political Science Under Pressure: Competition and Collaboration in a Growing Discipline, 2003-2023" has been (conditionally) accepted at @poppublicsphere.bsky.social.

This paper has been a labor of love. osf.io/preprints/os...

Lucy Barnes @lucy-barnes.bsky.social · Sep 23

Congratulations!

Lucy Barnes @lucy-barnes.bsky.social · Sep 12

100% correct response

Charlotte Lydia Riley @lottelydia.bsky.social · Sep 12

lol fuck you

Research Professional News @resprofnews.bsky.social · Sep 12

Ministers ‘want to shift funds away from low-quality research’ .

Universities UK president says institutions cannot afford “unfunded hobbyist research”.

www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-u...

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