Dan Pemstein
@danpemstein.com
Political economist working mostly on democratic institutions, tech, political careers and party org, and measurement. http://www.danpemstein.com
https://digitalsocietyproject.org
https://digitalsocietyproject.org
Pinned
Dan Pemstein
@danpemstein.com
· Jun 2
Happy to share this paper with Jeevan Baniya, @smeserve.bsky.social, and Brigitte Seim. We used multiple survey experiments to see how Nepali voters think about the trade-off between vote-buying and candidate provision of local public goods (schools, plumbing) in office. doi.org/10.1111/ajps... 1/
Reposted by Dan Pemstein
Looks like LLMs are *very* vulnerable to attack via poetic allusion: "curated poetic prompts yielded high attack-success rates (ASR), with some providers exceeding 90% ..."
https://arxiv.org/html/2511.15304v1
https://arxiv.org/html/2511.15304v1
November 20, 2025 at 5:06 PM
Looks like LLMs are *very* vulnerable to attack via poetic allusion: "curated poetic prompts yielded high attack-success rates (ASR), with some providers exceeding 90% ..."
https://arxiv.org/html/2511.15304v1
https://arxiv.org/html/2511.15304v1
Reposted by Dan Pemstein
Just published a deep look at where open social networks stand in 2025: Mastodon’s leadership change, Bluesky’s trajectory, AT Protocol, ActivityPub, cross-network tools, and more. For newsrooms and public service orgs, this moment really matters. werd.io/the-state-of...
The State of the Open Social Web
A comprehensive look at Mastodon, Bluesky, and the growing ecosystem of open, interoperable social networks.
werd.io
November 18, 2025 at 11:52 PM
Just published a deep look at where open social networks stand in 2025: Mastodon’s leadership change, Bluesky’s trajectory, AT Protocol, ActivityPub, cross-network tools, and more. For newsrooms and public service orgs, this moment really matters. werd.io/the-state-of...
Reposted by Dan Pemstein
WE JUST KEEP WINNING. (UC President's Postdoctoral Fellowship Program RESTORED!!!!)
![On official UC letterhead:
UNIVERSITY
OF
CALIFORNIA
James B. Milliken President
Office of the President
1111 Franklin Street Oakland, CA 94607
universityofcalifornia.edu
CAMPUSES Berkeley
Davis
Irvine
UCLA
Merced
Riverside San Diego San Francisco
Santa Barbara Santa Cruz
MEDICAL CENTERS
Davis
Irvine
UCLA
San Diego
San Francisco
NATIONAL LABORATORIES Lawrence Berkeley Lawrence Livermore Los Alamos
DIVISION OF AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES
November 18, 2025
Dear Chancellors:
I'm writing with regard to the President's Postdoctoral Fellowship Program (PPFP) and the program's associated faculty hiring incentive.
As you know, for more than 40 years, PPFP has provided postdoctoral research fellowships, professional development, and faculty mentoring to scholars in all fields whose research, teaching, and service advance the academic and research missions of the University of California.
Since 2003, UC campuses that hire current and former PPFP fellows into ladder-rank positions have been eligible for a hiring incentive funded by the University that provides support for newly hired fellows for five years. Since the creation of the incentive, more than $162 million has been invested by the University to support PPFP faculty hires. This commitment has enabled our campuses to successfully recruit and retain outstanding faculty across a range of disciplines.
Given the myriad challenges currently facing UC - including disruptions to billions of dollars in annual federal support, as well as uncertainty around the state budget- reasonable questions were raised in recent months about whether the University could maintain the commitment to current levels of incentive funding. After considering a recommendation to sunset the incentive program due to these significant fiscal constraints, I consulted with all of you as well as faculty and campus academic administrators and systemwide Academic Senate leadership.
[continued on next image]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:rzn6yramffebefeitqifiqqz/bafkreigiwq5ongzwpj4wqmgjam3yfvhyjnv5e3dbq6cnrrbwblqvs624gq@jpeg)
November 18, 2025 at 10:34 PM
WE JUST KEEP WINNING. (UC President's Postdoctoral Fellowship Program RESTORED!!!!)
Reposted by Dan Pemstein
I would love to read an account of this saga that isn’t written in an atrociously purple way but seems like that’s too much to ask of anyone involved
November 18, 2025 at 1:52 AM
I would love to read an account of this saga that isn’t written in an atrociously purple way but seems like that’s too much to ask of anyone involved
Reposted by Dan Pemstein
During Jim Crow, everything from restaraunts to stores to hotels to pharmacies to gas stations required making safe choices. They shaped every trip a Black person made. We document that history, and you can add your story to it here #CommunityMap: greenbookproject.osu.edu #GreenBookProject #EconSky
November 14, 2025 at 3:05 PM
During Jim Crow, everything from restaraunts to stores to hotels to pharmacies to gas stations required making safe choices. They shaped every trip a Black person made. We document that history, and you can add your story to it here #CommunityMap: greenbookproject.osu.edu #GreenBookProject #EconSky
Reposted by Dan Pemstein
In chart form (with a slightly different basket of comparison agencies) bsky.app/profile/empt...
November 14, 2025 at 4:11 PM
In chart form (with a slightly different basket of comparison agencies) bsky.app/profile/empt...
Reposted by Dan Pemstein
MAGA’s ongoing war on academic freedom, reflected in headlines from the last 24 hours.
November 14, 2025 at 1:17 PM
MAGA’s ongoing war on academic freedom, reflected in headlines from the last 24 hours.
Reposted by Dan Pemstein
Reagan-appointed federal judge: "justice is supposed to be administered...equally for everyone, without fear or favor. This is the opposite of what is happening now....Day after day, I observed in silence as President Trump, his aides, & his allies dismantled so much of what I dedicated my life to."
“What Nixon did episodically and covertly, knowing it was illegal or improper, Trump now does routinely and overtly.” — recently retired federal judge
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
Why I Am Leaving the Federal Bench
A judge explains his reasons for resigning.
www.theatlantic.com
November 9, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Reagan-appointed federal judge: "justice is supposed to be administered...equally for everyone, without fear or favor. This is the opposite of what is happening now....Day after day, I observed in silence as President Trump, his aides, & his allies dismantled so much of what I dedicated my life to."
“With concepts like harmlessness or reasoning, people oftentimes just throw the word around to pick something that falls near that category that they can measure and say, ‘Great, now I’ve measured it,’” Bean added.
Also my social science pet peeve. Measuring human/social concepts is hard.
Also my social science pet peeve. Measuring human/social concepts is hard.
I appreciate the work of these authors to show that this problem not only is still here but has grown:
www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-ne...
But it is also quite frustrating 🧵>>
www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-ne...
But it is also quite frustrating 🧵>>
AI's capabilities may be exaggerated by flawed tests, according to new study
A study from the Oxford Internet Institute analyzed 445 tests used to evaluate AI models.
www.nbcnews.com
November 9, 2025 at 3:24 PM
“With concepts like harmlessness or reasoning, people oftentimes just throw the word around to pick something that falls near that category that they can measure and say, ‘Great, now I’ve measured it,’” Bean added.
Also my social science pet peeve. Measuring human/social concepts is hard.
Also my social science pet peeve. Measuring human/social concepts is hard.
I can't be the only person hearing "terminate the filibuster" in an Austrian accent.
November 8, 2025 at 2:37 PM
I can't be the only person hearing "terminate the filibuster" in an Austrian accent.
Reposted by Dan Pemstein
NO FOOD FOR YOU
November 8, 2025 at 3:00 AM
NO FOOD FOR YOU
Reposted by Dan Pemstein
Online platforms shape what we know, how we connect & who gets heard. In partnership with Knight Georgetown Institute, we are launching a new series, Seeing the Digital Sphere: The Case for Public Platform Data. The series starts today, with an essay from KGI’s Leticia Bode and Peter Chapman.
Seeing the Digital Sphere: The Case for Public Platform Data | TechPolicy.Press
Introducing a series from Tech Policy Press and the Knight-Georgetown Institute, exploring why public platform data access is vital in today’s digital world.
www.techpolicy.press
November 6, 2025 at 2:27 PM
Online platforms shape what we know, how we connect & who gets heard. In partnership with Knight Georgetown Institute, we are launching a new series, Seeing the Digital Sphere: The Case for Public Platform Data. The series starts today, with an essay from KGI’s Leticia Bode and Peter Chapman.
Reposted by Dan Pemstein
I've seen this go by a few times on TikTok now and I have to say, I love this idea. We need a way to convince people to keep running even if they don't win, maybe building the loss into it as a troll move is the secret.
November 6, 2025 at 12:49 AM
I've seen this go by a few times on TikTok now and I have to say, I love this idea. We need a way to convince people to keep running even if they don't win, maybe building the loss into it as a troll move is the secret.
November 2, 2025 at 8:40 PM
Reposted by Dan Pemstein
Very few Americans support actual political violence.
Many more support intimidation.
Almost no one thinks it’s appropriate to kill your political opponents, but many more would dox them.
Read the latest: goodauthority.org/news/very-fe...
Many more support intimidation.
Almost no one thinks it’s appropriate to kill your political opponents, but many more would dox them.
Read the latest: goodauthority.org/news/very-fe...
Very few Americans support actual political violence. Many more support intimidation.
Almost no one thinks it’s appropriate to kill your political opponents, but many more would dox them.
goodauthority.org
October 31, 2025 at 5:03 PM
Very few Americans support actual political violence.
Many more support intimidation.
Almost no one thinks it’s appropriate to kill your political opponents, but many more would dox them.
Read the latest: goodauthority.org/news/very-fe...
Many more support intimidation.
Almost no one thinks it’s appropriate to kill your political opponents, but many more would dox them.
Read the latest: goodauthority.org/news/very-fe...
Huh, must have missed it when
October 31, 2025 at 1:19 PM
Huh, must have missed it when
Reposted by Dan Pemstein
People are commenting “welcome to turkmenistan” all over Kyrgyz social media —and I have to say that the measure is indeed more extreme than anything we’ve seen in Kazakhstan or even Uzbekistan in recent years
October 28, 2025 at 12:45 PM
People are commenting “welcome to turkmenistan” all over Kyrgyz social media —and I have to say that the measure is indeed more extreme than anything we’ve seen in Kazakhstan or even Uzbekistan in recent years
Reposted by Dan Pemstein
TLDR; The PSF has made the decision to put our community and our shared diversity, equity, and inclusion values ahead of seeking $1.5M in new revenue. Please read and share. pyfound.blogspot.com/2025/10/NSF-...
🧵
🧵
The official home of the Python Programming Language
www.python.org
October 27, 2025 at 2:47 PM
TLDR; The PSF has made the decision to put our community and our shared diversity, equity, and inclusion values ahead of seeking $1.5M in new revenue. Please read and share. pyfound.blogspot.com/2025/10/NSF-...
🧵
🧵
Reposted by Dan Pemstein
📣THREAD: It’s surprising to me that so many people were surprised to learn that Signal runs partly on AWS (something we can do because we use encryption to make sure no one but you–not AWS, not Signal, not anyone–can access your comms).
It’s also concerning. 1/
It’s also concerning. 1/
PSA: we're aware that Signal is down for some people. This appears to be related to a major AWS outage. Stand by.
October 27, 2025 at 10:38 AM
📣THREAD: It’s surprising to me that so many people were surprised to learn that Signal runs partly on AWS (something we can do because we use encryption to make sure no one but you–not AWS, not Signal, not anyone–can access your comms).
It’s also concerning. 1/
It’s also concerning. 1/
Saw a few more people in Teddy Roosevelt & on the Maah Daah Hey trail than I saw in the Boundary Waters two weeks ago, but not many. Did see Bison (only a couple, most are in winter pasture), feral horses, and prairie dogs. Heard coyote and elk.
TRNP/Maah Daah Hey 2025
Explore this photo album by Dan Pemstein on Flickr!
www.flickr.com
October 27, 2025 at 12:49 AM
Saw a few more people in Teddy Roosevelt & on the Maah Daah Hey trail than I saw in the Boundary Waters two weeks ago, but not many. Did see Bison (only a couple, most are in winter pasture), feral horses, and prairie dogs. Heard coyote and elk.
Reposted by Dan Pemstein
This is exactly how the Turkey's Erdoğan dictatorship succeeded in remaking all mainstream media into regime media.
Not mainly by overt censorship. Mostly by making it clear that media firms clearly communicating the truth about regime actions would be targeted by selective/perverted 'regulation'.
Not mainly by overt censorship. Mostly by making it clear that media firms clearly communicating the truth about regime actions would be targeted by selective/perverted 'regulation'.
Another disturbing example of how Trump silences dissent: "the chief content officer for our parent company... stated in a meeting that we should not run articles that could draw the attention of the Trump White House and have them try to shut us down." www.politico.com/news/magazin...
Opinion | I Quit My Job in the Face of Pro-Trump Censorship
A veteran journalist says his bosses were afraid of crossing the administration.
www.politico.com
October 24, 2025 at 3:28 PM
This is exactly how the Turkey's Erdoğan dictatorship succeeded in remaking all mainstream media into regime media.
Not mainly by overt censorship. Mostly by making it clear that media firms clearly communicating the truth about regime actions would be targeted by selective/perverted 'regulation'.
Not mainly by overt censorship. Mostly by making it clear that media firms clearly communicating the truth about regime actions would be targeted by selective/perverted 'regulation'.
Reposted by Dan Pemstein
New editorial from me and @keithschnak.bsky.social.
“Why Washington University must not sign Trump's 'compact'”
“Why Washington University must not sign Trump's 'compact'”
Opinion: Why Washington University must not sign Trump's 'compact'
Washington University in St. Louis has built its reputation on a simple ideal: excellence wins. For decades, our researchers have competed for and won federal grants based on the quality
www.stltoday.com
October 21, 2025 at 6:52 PM
New editorial from me and @keithschnak.bsky.social.
“Why Washington University must not sign Trump's 'compact'”
“Why Washington University must not sign Trump's 'compact'”
Reposted by Dan Pemstein
Don’t look away.
October 21, 2025 at 12:44 AM
Don’t look away.
Reposted by Dan Pemstein
Check out the data paper (open access) and the publicly available data: We hope that many people will use it in their research and for other purposes.
NEW -
Paths to Power: A New Dataset on the Social Profile of Governments - https://cup.org/47i6oKQ
- @jacobnyrup.bsky.social, @chknutsen.bsky.social, @peterla.bsky.social & Ina Lyftingsmo Kristiansen
#OpenAccess
Paths to Power: A New Dataset on the Social Profile of Governments - https://cup.org/47i6oKQ
- @jacobnyrup.bsky.social, @chknutsen.bsky.social, @peterla.bsky.social & Ina Lyftingsmo Kristiansen
#OpenAccess
October 20, 2025 at 4:09 PM
Check out the data paper (open access) and the publicly available data: We hope that many people will use it in their research and for other purposes.
NDSU has, apparently, hired a professional recruiter to help deal with the whole no demand problem.
October 20, 2025 at 2:41 PM
NDSU has, apparently, hired a professional recruiter to help deal with the whole no demand problem.