Barbara Piotrowska
@bpiotrowska.bsky.social
Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Public Policy @ KCL DPE
🏢Bureaucracy, ideology, authoritarianism
🧠Pedagogy + uses of #genAI to foster thinking
BarbaraPiotrowska.com
🏢Bureaucracy, ideology, authoritarianism
🧠Pedagogy + uses of #genAI to foster thinking
BarbaraPiotrowska.com
Pinned
Yesterday's session during the @aiatkings.bsky.social conference attracted a wonderfully engaged audience.
In the slides, you’ll find the GPTs and exercises demonstrating applications of point 2 (below).
Key points ⬇️
In the slides, you’ll find the GPTs and exercises demonstrating applications of point 2 (below).
Key points ⬇️
🚨New genAI teaching material: an Electoral System Explorer built with Claude. It lets students see how votes translate to seats under different electoral systems. Try it here: claude.ai/public/artif.... Feedback, as always, is very much appreciated!
#poliski
#poliski
Electoral System Explorer - Interactive Voting & Gerrymandering Tool
Explore how electoral systems work with this interactive tool. Draw districts, adjust party support, and compare majoritarian vs proportional results.
claude.ai
November 25, 2025 at 9:48 AM
🚨New genAI teaching material: an Electoral System Explorer built with Claude. It lets students see how votes translate to seats under different electoral systems. Try it here: claude.ai/public/artif.... Feedback, as always, is very much appreciated!
#poliski
#poliski
When talking to @howardhliu.bsky.social about his new project, I remembered this great graphic made by the Stasi showing the social connections of a poet they were spying on projects.propublica.org/graphics/sta...
September 16, 2025 at 4:17 PM
When talking to @howardhliu.bsky.social about his new project, I remembered this great graphic made by the Stasi showing the social connections of a poet they were spying on projects.propublica.org/graphics/sta...
I will be presenting my first paper using data collected while incorporating genAI into my module on 15/10. If you can join us, I’d love to hear your thoughts 💭
*PSA EVENT* How do #students with different academic backgrounds engage with #genAI when given equal access? Join us and @bpiotrowska.bsky.social online for this #Teaching & #Learning Network webinar
📆 15 October, 2.30 - 4.30pm
➡️ Register your free place buff.ly/ydueR72
#AI #Education #HE
📆 15 October, 2.30 - 4.30pm
➡️ Register your free place buff.ly/ydueR72
#AI #Education #HE
September 12, 2025 at 10:46 AM
I will be presenting my first paper using data collected while incorporating genAI into my module on 15/10. If you can join us, I’d love to hear your thoughts 💭
Populist policymaking is not only about courts and media crackdowns. It can also hide in technical reforms. In Poland under PiS, changes to academic journal rankings were used to reward allies, promote ideology, and claim responsiveness. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Multi-purpose populist policymaking in practice: the Polish academic evaluation reform
This paper theorizes populist policymaking as multi-purpose governance that can simultaneously deliver responsiveness, ideological consolidation, and institutionalized patronage. We apply this fram...
www.tandfonline.com
August 19, 2025 at 2:21 PM
Populist policymaking is not only about courts and media crackdowns. It can also hide in technical reforms. In Poland under PiS, changes to academic journal rankings were used to reward allies, promote ideology, and claim responsiveness. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Reposted by Barbara Piotrowska
Next...🧵
Have you ever wondered why it’s so hard to compare public administrations across countries?
This article tackles the confusion around Administrative Traditions
Have you ever wondered why it’s so hard to compare public administrations across countries?
This article tackles the confusion around Administrative Traditions
July 20, 2025 at 4:01 AM
Next...🧵
Have you ever wondered why it’s so hard to compare public administrations across countries?
This article tackles the confusion around Administrative Traditions
Have you ever wondered why it’s so hard to compare public administrations across countries?
This article tackles the confusion around Administrative Traditions
We've felt it and now we have the evidence: using genAI to write essays yields shallow encoding.
Here, the subjects write essays using one of 3 tools (LLM, Search Engine, brain🧠 only) for 3 sessions. In the 4th session, LLM group needs to rely on 🧠 , and 🧠 group gets LLM. Key consequences for me:
Here, the subjects write essays using one of 3 tools (LLM, Search Engine, brain🧠 only) for 3 sessions. In the 4th session, LLM group needs to rely on 🧠 , and 🧠 group gets LLM. Key consequences for me:
𝐍𝐨, 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐋𝐋𝐌 𝐨𝐫 𝐝𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐋𝐋𝐌 𝐮𝐬𝐞.
See our paper for more results: "Your Brain on ChatGPT: Accumulation of Cognitive Debt when Using an AI Assistant for Essay Writing Task" : www.brainonllm.com
See our paper for more results: "Your Brain on ChatGPT: Accumulation of Cognitive Debt when Using an AI Assistant for Essay Writing Task" : www.brainonllm.com
June 18, 2025 at 1:17 PM
We've felt it and now we have the evidence: using genAI to write essays yields shallow encoding.
Here, the subjects write essays using one of 3 tools (LLM, Search Engine, brain🧠 only) for 3 sessions. In the 4th session, LLM group needs to rely on 🧠 , and 🧠 group gets LLM. Key consequences for me:
Here, the subjects write essays using one of 3 tools (LLM, Search Engine, brain🧠 only) for 3 sessions. In the 4th session, LLM group needs to rely on 🧠 , and 🧠 group gets LLM. Key consequences for me:
Reposted by Barbara Piotrowska
We’re hiring 3 permanent (tenured) lecturers in the Department of Political Economy at King’s College London. These are ‘education pathway’ posts (in Economics, Research Methods, & Comparative Politics) 1/4
www.kcl.ac.uk/jobs/117268-...
www.kcl.ac.uk/jobs/117209-...
www.kcl.ac.uk/jobs/117245-...
www.kcl.ac.uk/jobs/117268-...
www.kcl.ac.uk/jobs/117209-...
www.kcl.ac.uk/jobs/117245-...
AEP Lecturer in Politics and Research Methods
www.kcl.ac.uk
June 10, 2025 at 12:31 PM
We’re hiring 3 permanent (tenured) lecturers in the Department of Political Economy at King’s College London. These are ‘education pathway’ posts (in Economics, Research Methods, & Comparative Politics) 1/4
www.kcl.ac.uk/jobs/117268-...
www.kcl.ac.uk/jobs/117209-...
www.kcl.ac.uk/jobs/117245-...
www.kcl.ac.uk/jobs/117268-...
www.kcl.ac.uk/jobs/117209-...
www.kcl.ac.uk/jobs/117245-...
The Anthropic Education Report (www.anthropic.com/news/anthrop...) offers a great insight into how students use Claude. The (relatively) good: half of the conversations are collaborative (dialogue with AI to achieve goals). The bad: students mostly outsource higher-order cognitive functions (see ⬇️)
May 28, 2025 at 9:34 AM
The Anthropic Education Report (www.anthropic.com/news/anthrop...) offers a great insight into how students use Claude. The (relatively) good: half of the conversations are collaborative (dialogue with AI to achieve goals). The bad: students mostly outsource higher-order cognitive functions (see ⬇️)
Yesterday's session during the @aiatkings.bsky.social conference attracted a wonderfully engaged audience.
In the slides, you’ll find the GPTs and exercises demonstrating applications of point 2 (below).
Key points ⬇️
In the slides, you’ll find the GPTs and exercises demonstrating applications of point 2 (below).
Key points ⬇️
May 22, 2025 at 9:27 AM
Yesterday's session during the @aiatkings.bsky.social conference attracted a wonderfully engaged audience.
In the slides, you’ll find the GPTs and exercises demonstrating applications of point 2 (below).
Key points ⬇️
In the slides, you’ll find the GPTs and exercises demonstrating applications of point 2 (below).
Key points ⬇️
Reposted by Barbara Piotrowska
The state of research on AI and education from controlled studies: Growing evidence that, when used as a tutor with instructor guidance, AI seems to have quite significant positive effects. When used alone to get help with homework, it can act as shortcut that hurts learning.
Still early days.
Still early days.
May 21, 2025 at 5:11 AM
The state of research on AI and education from controlled studies: Growing evidence that, when used as a tutor with instructor guidance, AI seems to have quite significant positive effects. When used alone to get help with homework, it can act as shortcut that hurts learning.
Still early days.
Still early days.
April 25, 2025 at 4:24 PM
1/6 This is to share with you Misfortune Telling GPT (chatgpt.com/share/680102...) : a guided reflection tool modelled on the Stoic practice of praemeditatio malorum, to help you imagine and/or prepare for real democratic backsliding.
ChatGPT - Scenario Reflection Guidance
Shared via ChatGPT
chatgpt.com
April 17, 2025 at 1:39 PM
1/6 This is to share with you Misfortune Telling GPT (chatgpt.com/share/680102...) : a guided reflection tool modelled on the Stoic practice of praemeditatio malorum, to help you imagine and/or prepare for real democratic backsliding.
Last week, I joined Rozana Himaz, Ruth Dixon, @drjennings.bsky.social, and Colin Scott to pay tribute to Christopher Hood and his work: youtu.be/NA3vH8w1RUY. It was a real pleasure to hear memories and reflections from so many of his students, friends, and collaborators.
A Tribute to Christopher Hood:
YouTube video by Theories of Regulation & Governance
youtu.be
April 7, 2025 at 9:58 AM
Last week, I joined Rozana Himaz, Ruth Dixon, @drjennings.bsky.social, and Colin Scott to pay tribute to Christopher Hood and his work: youtu.be/NA3vH8w1RUY. It was a real pleasure to hear memories and reflections from so many of his students, friends, and collaborators.
Reposted by Barbara Piotrowska
It's wonderful to see the news that my fantastic Department of Political Economy colleagues @maiaking.bsky.social and @bpiotrowska.bsky.social have been nominated for this esteemed prize. Huge congratulations guys!!!
📚 MacKenzie Book Prize 2025📚 ‘The Way the Money Goes’ by Piotrowska, Hood, King & McLean has been shortlisted for this PSA prize. Winner announced in April. buff.ly/OJo7p9u
@bpiotrowska.bsky.social @maiaking.bsky.social @nuffieldcollege.bsky.social #bookprize #politics #economy #books
@bpiotrowska.bsky.social @maiaking.bsky.social @nuffieldcollege.bsky.social #bookprize #politics #economy #books
March 7, 2025 at 1:43 PM
It's wonderful to see the news that my fantastic Department of Political Economy colleagues @maiaking.bsky.social and @bpiotrowska.bsky.social have been nominated for this esteemed prize. Huge congratulations guys!!!
Reposted by Barbara Piotrowska
📢 Out Now! V-Dem Dataset v15 and the V-dem Institute Democracy Report 2025
The Dataset: v-dem.net/data/the-v-d...
DR25: "25 Years of Autocratization - Democracy Trumped?": v-dem.net/publications...
#DR25 #DemocracyReport2025 #VDemDatasetV15 #polisky #PoliticalScienceData #PoliSciSky
🧵1(3)
The Dataset: v-dem.net/data/the-v-d...
DR25: "25 Years of Autocratization - Democracy Trumped?": v-dem.net/publications...
#DR25 #DemocracyReport2025 #VDemDatasetV15 #polisky #PoliticalScienceData #PoliSciSky
🧵1(3)
March 13, 2025 at 8:49 AM
📢 Out Now! V-Dem Dataset v15 and the V-dem Institute Democracy Report 2025
The Dataset: v-dem.net/data/the-v-d...
DR25: "25 Years of Autocratization - Democracy Trumped?": v-dem.net/publications...
#DR25 #DemocracyReport2025 #VDemDatasetV15 #polisky #PoliticalScienceData #PoliSciSky
🧵1(3)
The Dataset: v-dem.net/data/the-v-d...
DR25: "25 Years of Autocratization - Democracy Trumped?": v-dem.net/publications...
#DR25 #DemocracyReport2025 #VDemDatasetV15 #polisky #PoliticalScienceData #PoliSciSky
🧵1(3)
What a nice recognition of all the hard work that went into this book. Especially thinking of Christopher, whose dedication and brilliance made this project happen—this is a lovely testament to his vision.
📚 MacKenzie Book Prize 2025📚 ‘The Way the Money Goes’ by Piotrowska, Hood, King & McLean has been shortlisted for this PSA prize. Winner announced in April. buff.ly/OJo7p9u
@bpiotrowska.bsky.social @maiaking.bsky.social @nuffieldcollege.bsky.social #bookprize #politics #economy #books
@bpiotrowska.bsky.social @maiaking.bsky.social @nuffieldcollege.bsky.social #bookprize #politics #economy #books
March 13, 2025 at 9:38 AM
What a nice recognition of all the hard work that went into this book. Especially thinking of Christopher, whose dedication and brilliance made this project happen—this is a lovely testament to his vision.
Reposted by Barbara Piotrowska
📢 Call for papers!
We are organizing the 5th Early Career Workshop in Quantitative Political Economy on 19-21 May 2025 at King’s College London!
Keynotes: Sonia Bhalotra (Warwick) and Peter van der Windt (NYU-Abu Dhabi).
No fee, travel grants available!
Submit at: tinyurl.com/qpeearly
We are organizing the 5th Early Career Workshop in Quantitative Political Economy on 19-21 May 2025 at King’s College London!
Keynotes: Sonia Bhalotra (Warwick) and Peter van der Windt (NYU-Abu Dhabi).
No fee, travel grants available!
Submit at: tinyurl.com/qpeearly
February 11, 2025 at 8:39 AM
📢 Call for papers!
We are organizing the 5th Early Career Workshop in Quantitative Political Economy on 19-21 May 2025 at King’s College London!
Keynotes: Sonia Bhalotra (Warwick) and Peter van der Windt (NYU-Abu Dhabi).
No fee, travel grants available!
Submit at: tinyurl.com/qpeearly
We are organizing the 5th Early Career Workshop in Quantitative Political Economy on 19-21 May 2025 at King’s College London!
Keynotes: Sonia Bhalotra (Warwick) and Peter van der Windt (NYU-Abu Dhabi).
No fee, travel grants available!
Submit at: tinyurl.com/qpeearly
Reposted by Barbara Piotrowska
What worries me is not government use of AI per se but the slightly credulous way that the government talk about it, which makes me suspect they will be taken for rubes by the tech companies selling their services.
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
‘Mainlined into UK’s veins’: Labour announces huge public rollout of AI
Plans to make UK world leader in AI sector include opening access to NHS and other public data
www.theguardian.com
January 13, 2025 at 7:58 AM
What worries me is not government use of AI per se but the slightly credulous way that the government talk about it, which makes me suspect they will be taken for rubes by the tech companies selling their services.
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Reposted by Barbara Piotrowska
Fact-checking wasn’t “biased” against conservatives. Conservatives just shared more false content. If there’s a sportsball game and one team fouls four times as much, it’s not “biased” for the ref to call four times as many fouls against that team.
🚨In Nature🚨
Meta is dropping fact-checking to avoid anti-conservative bias- but is there actually evidence of bias?
We this test empirically & find that conservatives
* ARE suspended more
* BUT share more misinfo
So suspension isn't necessarily evidence of bias www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Meta is dropping fact-checking to avoid anti-conservative bias- but is there actually evidence of bias?
We this test empirically & find that conservatives
* ARE suspended more
* BUT share more misinfo
So suspension isn't necessarily evidence of bias www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Differences in misinformation sharing can lead to politically asymmetric sanctions - Nature
We find that conservatives tend to share more low-quality news through social media than liberals, and so even if technology companies enact politically neutral anti-misinformation policies, political...
www.nature.com
January 7, 2025 at 3:27 PM
Fact-checking wasn’t “biased” against conservatives. Conservatives just shared more false content. If there’s a sportsball game and one team fouls four times as much, it’s not “biased” for the ref to call four times as many fouls against that team.
Reposted by Barbara Piotrowska
Just learned that the great Christopher Hood, a professor of public management at the University of Oxford, has passed. Hard to overstate his influence on the field. At a personal level, both a gentleman and a gentle man.
Here is a link to his most-cited work.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Here is a link to his most-cited work.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
A PUBLIC MANAGEMENT FOR ALL SEASONS?
This article discusses: the doctrinal content of the group of ideas known as ‘new public management’(NPM); the intellectual provenance of those ideas; explanations for their apparent persuasiveness i...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
January 6, 2025 at 5:35 PM
Just learned that the great Christopher Hood, a professor of public management at the University of Oxford, has passed. Hard to overstate his influence on the field. At a personal level, both a gentleman and a gentle man.
Here is a link to his most-cited work.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Here is a link to his most-cited work.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Reposted by Barbara Piotrowska
tired: fearing that robots will become so smart they take your job
wired: fearing that robots will still be dumb but take your job anyway
wired: fearing that robots will still be dumb but take your job anyway
January 6, 2025 at 3:59 AM
tired: fearing that robots will become so smart they take your job
wired: fearing that robots will still be dumb but take your job anyway
wired: fearing that robots will still be dumb but take your job anyway
I (or my family) have definitely done it all 🐟
Some of Poland's Christmas traditions may seem rather unusual to outsiders.
We look at seven of the most interesting festive practices - from keeping fish in the bath and talking to animals, to putting hay under the tablecloth and watching Home Alone.
We look at seven of the most interesting festive practices - from keeping fish in the bath and talking to animals, to putting hay under the tablecloth and watching Home Alone.
Carp in the bath, hay on the table and Home Alone: the most unusual Polish Christmas traditions
From talking animals to Macauley Culkin, here are seven of Poland's most interesting Christmas traditions.
notesfrompoland.com
December 18, 2024 at 11:48 AM
I (or my family) have definitely done it all 🐟
As a result of this event, I found out about Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation, which runs, among others,Public attitudes to data and AI tracker survey. Sharing in case useful www.gov.uk/government/o...
December 11, 2024 at 3:04 PM
As a result of this event, I found out about Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation, which runs, among others,Public attitudes to data and AI tracker survey. Sharing in case useful www.gov.uk/government/o...