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simonhix.bsky.social
Simon Hix
@simonhix.bsky.social
11K followers 3.6K following 570 posts

Stein Rokkan Chair in Comparative Politics, EUI. President-Elect, @epssnet.bsky.social. FBA, FRSA. Democracy, parties, elections, electoral systems etc. Live music. COYI

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Simon Hix is a British political scientist, holder of the Stein Rokkan chair in comparative politics at the European University Institute in Florence. His main areas of research are voting in parliaments, democratic institutions, and EU politics. .. more

Political science 79%
Economics 10%
Posts Replies Media Videos

Reposted by Simon Hix, Mark Priestley

kajakallas.bsky.social
Kaja Kallas @kajakallas.bsky.social · 6h
Gender-based violence has no place in a free and equal society.
No woman or girl should have to live in fear.

On International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, we call for an end to all forms of violence and affirm the right for every women to live in safety and dignity.

Reposted by Simon Hix, Dorothy Bishop, Dave O’Brien , and 2 more

hetanshah.bsky.social
Hetan Shah @hetanshah.bsky.social · 16h
Are you worried about the devastating cuts we are seeing to arts, humanities & social sciences in UK universities? Last call for my lecture in Leicester this Thurs 27th Nov on the value of these subjects and how they support UK security, cohesion and prosperity www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/shaping-a-...
Shaping a Brighter Future
The first event in our Vice-Chancellor’s Distinguished Lecture Series, delivered by Hetan Shah, Chief Executive, The British Academy
www.eventbrite.co.uk

Reposted by Simon Hix, Dave O’Brien, Stuart J. Turnbull‐Dugarte , and 2 more

bjpols.bsky.social
British Journal of Political Science @bjpols.bsky.social · 22h
NEWS -

The Politics of Imperial Nostalgia - https://cup.org/4p1QbRA

"right-wing opposition to criticism of the imperial past is stronger than left-wing support"

- Christopher Claassen & @danjdevine.bsky.social

#OpenAccess
BJPolS abstract discussing the nostalgia for empire in post-imperial European contexts, examining public opinion and attitudes towards imperial history.

simonhix.bsky.social
Simon Hix @simonhix.bsky.social · 2d
Eek! I'm sitting on 6 reviewers for journals, all due in the next 10 days! Never experienced so many so tightly bunched. Would love to see an analysis of submissions by month for these journals ... or maybe editors could manage the pipeline differently, e.g. "sorry, we're full until next month"!

Reposted by Simon Hix, Lukas F. Stoetzer, Robert Huber , and 2 more

haasvioleta.bsky.social
Violeta Haas @haasvioleta.bsky.social · 2d
Happy that our paper with @bogatyrev.bsky.social, @tabouchadi.bsky.social, @heikekluever.bsky.social, and @lstoetze.bsky.social found a home at @thejop.bsky.social. You can read it here 👇

www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...

Thanks to all the fantastic people giving feedback and supporting us

Reposted by Simon Hix, Ben H. Ansell, Jan Rath , and 10 more

tabouchadi.bsky.social
Tarik Abou-Chadi @tabouchadi.bsky.social · 3d
Cas Mudde spells out what has become largely the consensus among researchers: moving right on immigration will not weaken the far right nor strengthen social democracy. If your reaction is "but in Denmark" please at least familiarize yourself with Danish politics

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
The ‘Danish model’ is the darling of centre-left parties like Labour. The problem is, it doesn’t even work in Denmark | Cas Mudde
This week’s local elections are the latest reminder that when social democrats move rightwards, they’re making a mistake, says academic and author Cas Mudde
www.theguardian.com

simonhix.bsky.social
Simon Hix @simonhix.bsky.social · 3d
@casmudde.bsky.social makes the case (again!) to social democratic leaders that aping the far right is not a good electoral strategy!

… it’s almost like they a deliberately ignoring political science research in their dash to oblivion 🤦‍♂️
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
The ‘Danish model’ is the darling of centre-left parties like Labour. The problem is, it doesn’t even work in Denmark | Cas Mudde
This week’s local elections are the latest reminder that when social democrats move rightwards, they’re making a mistake, says academic and author Cas Mudde
www.theguardian.com

simonhix.bsky.social
Simon Hix @simonhix.bsky.social · 3d
Greatest opening bass riff to any album ever!

When my daughter was tiny and we played that album over and over, she once asked: “Daddy, why does he want to be a dog?”. Since then I’ve never been able to hear it differently!

simonhix.bsky.social
Simon Hix @simonhix.bsky.social · 4d
Very sad today. Thank you for being such an incredible bassist and person Mani! We will miss you. 😢
#GreatestBandEver
www.theguardian.com/music/2025/n...
Mani’s writhing, relentless bass was the Stone Roses’ secret sauce – it taught indie kids how to dance | Alexis Petridis
His love of ‘good northern soul and funk’ was always in evidence and had a lasting impact on alternative music
www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Simon Hix

davidheniguk.bsky.social
David Henig @davidheniguk.bsky.social · 6d
My latest - handily timed as I'm in Brussels - the EU is not a trade superpower. It might just be the only middle power of trade. Badly missing is any sense of prioritisation, and the institutions are not well set up for a new mix of security and trade. borderlex.net/2025/11/19/p...
Perspectives: The EU is not a trade superpower – how to make the best of it - Borderlex - European trade policy
Brussels is institutionally under-powered and over-fragmented to take on the existential trade and related security challenges it is facing. Reshuffling the same old approaches is not working. Continu...
borderlex.net

Reposted by Stephen P. Jenkins

simonhix.bsky.social
Simon Hix @simonhix.bsky.social · 6d
Take note Starmer and co
mflohr.bsky.social Mikkel Flohr @mflohr.bsky.social · 7d
The Danish Social Democrats who have pursued far right policies on immigration and governs with the centre-right are set to lose in Copenhagen for the first time in a 100 years, while the left looks set to win a major victory today.
Screengrab of a Guardian article with headline “UK to announce plans to emulate stringent Danish immigration system” https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/nov/08/uk-to-announce-plans-to-emulate-stringent-danish-immigration-system Screengrab of a Guardian article with headline “Centre-left tipped to lose Copenhagen for first time in electoral history” followed by the text “Political rivals say PM's divisive politics have encouraged voters to ditch the Social Democrats for the far right” https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/nov/18/centre-left-tipped-to-lose-copenhagen-for-first-time-in-electoral-history

Reposted by Marc Lynch, Simon Hix, Ben H. Ansell , and 45 more

joshmccrain.bsky.social
Josh McCrain @joshmccrain.bsky.social · 6d
new paper by Sean Westwood:

With current technology, it is impossible to tell whether survey respondents are real or bots. Among other things, makes it easy for bad actors to manipulate outcomes. No good news here for the future of online-based survey research

Reposted by Simon Hix

mflohr.bsky.social
Mikkel Flohr @mflohr.bsky.social · 7d
The Danish Social Democrats who have pursued far right policies on immigration and governs with the centre-right are set to lose in Copenhagen for the first time in a 100 years, while the left looks set to win a major victory today.
Screengrab of a Guardian article with headline “UK to announce plans to emulate stringent Danish immigration system” https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/nov/08/uk-to-announce-plans-to-emulate-stringent-danish-immigration-system Screengrab of a Guardian article with headline “Centre-left tipped to lose Copenhagen for first time in electoral history” followed by the text “Political rivals say PM's divisive politics have encouraged voters to ditch the Social Democrats for the far right” https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/nov/18/centre-left-tipped-to-lose-copenhagen-for-first-time-in-electoral-history

Reposted by Simon Hix

lseimpactblog.bsky.social
LSE Impact Blog @lseimpactblog.bsky.social · 7d
👀ICYMI: "Increasing support for climate action does not require sophisticated, ethically questionable or costly communication systems"

@miriamsorace.bsky.social @simonhix.bsky.social @fresejoris.bsky.social

#CilmateAction #SciComm #COP30
Nano-targeting or mass appeal, what makes persuasive climate communications? - Impact of Social Sciences
Are nano-targeting tools capable of creating more persuasive climate communications, or broad appeal messages still the best way to move audiences on climate?
blogs.lse.ac.uk

Reposted by Simon Hix

twanhuijsmans.bsky.social
Twan Huijsmans @twanhuijsmans.bsky.social · 8d
New publication!📢
@jvanslageren.bsky.social and I study political socialization during adolescence in urban and rural areas, using data from @adkspanel.bsky.social

Discussing politics with parents and peers is positively related to multiculturalist attitudes in cities, but not in rural places (1/3)

Reposted by Simon Hix

olivertreib.bsky.social
Oliver Treib @olivertreib.bsky.social · 11d
Surprised everybody buys the centre-left's story that yesterday's vote in the EP was a decisive departure from the cordon sanitaire vis-à-vis the far right. Analyses of voting patterns by people like @simonhix.bsky.social indicated that there were already common votes with the far right 2019-2024 🤔

Reposted by Simon Hix

wepsocial.bsky.social
WEP Journal @wepsocial.bsky.social · 12d
💥 OUT NOW: Volume 49, Issue 1 (2026)

Lots of exciting research on:
👉 Polarisation: climate change, immigration, democratic deficit
👉 EU politics & voters/citizens
👉 Working class politicians
👉 Political protest
👉 Housing policy
👉 Symposium 2024 EP Elections

🔗 www.tandfonline.com/toc/fwep20/c...
West European Politics
Volume 49, Issue 1 of West European Politics
www.tandfonline.com

Reposted by Steve Peers

simonhix.bsky.social
Simon Hix @simonhix.bsky.social · 12d
British political scientists: "I knew him when ..." www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Reform UK accused of embracing racism over its pick for head of student organisation
Matthew Goodwin argued people from minority ethnic backgrounds born and raised in UK were not always British
www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Simon Hix

lseblogs.bsky.social
LSE Blogs @lseblogs.bsky.social · 13d
Nano-targeting or mass appeal, what makes persuasive climate communications?

@miriamsorace.bsky.social @lsedatascience.bsky.social, Thomas Robinson @lsemethodology.bsky.social, @simonhix.bsky.social @epssnet.bsky.social and @fresejoris.bsky.social @eui-eu.bsky.social for @lseimpactblog.bsky.social
Nano-targeting or mass appeal, what makes persuasive climate communications? - Impact of Social Sciences
Are nano-targeting tools capable of creating more persuasive climate communications, or broad appeal messages still the best way to move audiences on climate?
blogs.lse.ac.uk

Reposted by Simon Hix

epssnet.bsky.social
EPSS @epssnet.bsky.social · 13d
🌍 Together, we’re building a truly special political science community in Europe. See you in Belfast next year!


/end

Reposted by Simon Hix, Stefanie Walter

epssnet.bsky.social
EPSS @epssnet.bsky.social · 13d
🙏 A huge thank you to the conference organisers and section chairs, whose dedication and hard work make this possible.

Thank you to everyone in the political science community for this tremendous show of support. ✨

2/

Reposted by Simon Hix, Stefan Müller, Stefanie Walter , and 1 more

epssnet.bsky.social
EPSS @epssnet.bsky.social · 13d
🔝 EPSS received 2,514 paper submissions, authored and co-authored by 3,572 researchers from across the community.

Selecting from such a wealth of work won’t be easy, but it promises an great conference ahead.

1/

Reposted by Simon Hix, Sara B. Hobolt, Ruth Dassonneville , and 3 more

epssnet.bsky.social
EPSS @epssnet.bsky.social · 13d

📢 Since launching EPSS in June 2025, we’ve been thrilled by the positive feedback from across the political science community.

Now that Call for Papers for EPSS Conference in Belfast has closed, we want to share the response has been extraordinary!

🧵

simonhix.bsky.social
Simon Hix @simonhix.bsky.social · 13d
A fascinating paper, e.g. estimating the effect of Brexit on UK GDP using a synthetic control. Would like to see a robustness test with a synthetic UK economy without the US. In the current model, the US counts for 61% of the control estimate. The US has outperformed everyone since 2016.

Reposted by Simon Hix

tomekmickiewicz.bsky.social
Tomasz Mickiewicz @tomekmickiewicz.bsky.social · 13d
The Economic Impact of Brexit on GDP seems to be - 6% to - 8% till 2025. Impact on investment is even larger. share.google/30UFNyXkw2M5...
The Economic Impact of Brexit
Founded in 1920, the NBER is a private, non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to conducting economic research and to disseminating research findings among academics, public policy makers, an...
share.google

Reposted by Joanna Bryson, Simon Hix, Ben H. Ansell , and 11 more

justinwolfers.bsky.social
Justin Wolfers @justinwolfers.bsky.social · 13d
I wonder if the United States can learn anything from the last time a major industrialized country decided to isolate itself from the rest of the world?

Almost a decade after the Brexit vote, GDP in the UK is around 6-8% lower relative to peer countries. (Source: www.nber.org/papers/w34459)

Reposted by Simon Hix, James Connelly

timbale.bsky.social
Tim Bale @timbale.bsky.social · 14d
Not resiling from this one iota in spite of the feeding frenzy, the resignations, and the talk of a billion dollar law suit of the last few days. If those on the right in this country seriously think that lining up with Donald Trump against the BBC is a good call, then I say good luck with that.
timbale.bsky.social Tim Bale @timbale.bsky.social · 16d
The attention the Tory party in the media and in the Commons are giving to this story is a reflection of just how far off the deep-end both have gone in recent times. Sure, they have a long-term vested interest in trying to undermine faith in the Beeb. But this is such a non-issue for most voters.
jamesrball.com James Ball @jamesrball.com · 16d
The BBC is apologising for its Panorama edit. It shouldn’t. First, the narrative is true: Donald Trump *did* incite the Capitol riot. Second, the apology won’t appease those attacking it. So why not at least stand for something?

Wrote this on it earlier this week:
inews.co.uk/news/world/b...

Reposted by Simon Hix, Steve Peers, Paul E. Johnson , and 1 more

drjennings.bsky.social
Will Jennings📉🗳️ @drjennings.bsky.social · 14d
Net zero is one of the many areas where commentators are out-of-touch with public opinion in Britain. There is still broad support for cutting carbon emissions - except from among Reform supporters, who are the outliers.
yougov.co.uk YouGov @yougov.co.uk · 14d
🧵/ How far does the public support net zero?

Support: 60%
Oppose: 25%

Net support by party
Green: +81
Lib Dem: +67
Lab: +64
Con: +11
Reform: -44

yougov.co.uk/politics/art...

Reposted by Simon Hix

tabouchadi.bsky.social
Tarik Abou-Chadi @tabouchadi.bsky.social · 14d
2500 paper submissions - what a huge success for @epssnet.bsky.social already. Big congratulations to @sarahobolt.bsky.social @simonhix.bsky.social @kenbenoit.bsky.social @macartan.bsky.social & everyone else involved in getting EPSS off the ground.

Reposted by Diane Coyle, Simon Hix, Stephen P. Jenkins , and 10 more

jburnmurdoch.ft.com
John Burn-Murdoch @jburnmurdoch.ft.com · 15d
Quick thread on the BBC and the political and societal significance of recent developments:

One of the main reasons the UK has historically been so much less polarised than the US, is that Britain has a shared source of information, consumed and trusted by most people regardless of their politics.