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Justin de Benedictis-Kessner

@jdbk.bsky.social

1.2K followers 410 following 16 posts

Associate Professor of Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School. Urban and local politics + policy; cyclist; 🏳️‍🌈; he/him.

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Political science 49%

Economics 25%

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Justin de Benedictis-Kessner @jdbk.bsky.social · 14d

As @tedsvo.bsky.social says: “learning isn’t just getting answers to questions.” Worth a listen for anyone who teaches, is learning (anything), or cares about the quality of education in the age of AI!

Justin de Benedictis-Kessner @jdbk.bsky.social · 14d

My friend and colleague at @harvardkennedy.bsky.social @tedsvo.bsky.social shared his expert perspective on the use of AI in education on @npr.org ’s All Things Considered today: www.wbur.org/upnext/2025/...

How one college professor uses AI in the classroom

Harvard Kennedy School Professor Teddy Svoronos is mostly optimistic on the benefits of AI in higher education.

www.wbur.org

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Justin de Benedictis-Kessner @jdbk.bsky.social · Aug 11

This partisan finger-pointing is based on falsehoods. To fix crime, we should focus on evidence-based strategies to address crime, rather than engaging in a distracting blame-game. theconversation.com/crime-is-non...

Crime is nonpartisan and the blame game on crime in cities is wrong – on both sides

Mayors from the Democratic Party aren’t making cities any more – or less – dangerous than mayors from the Republican Party.

theconversation.com

Justin de Benedictis-Kessner @jdbk.bsky.social · Aug 11

More details on our research here: bsky.app/profile/jdbk...

Justin de Benedictis-Kessner @jdbk.bsky.social · Jan 15

Are Democratic leaders making cities more dangerous than Republicans? Trump + others have repeatedly made claims like this. New paper in Science Advances w/ @chriswarshaw.bsky.social, Dan Jones & Matt Harvey shows that, in short, the answer is no.

Abstract of article titled "The partisanship of mayors has no detectable effect on police spending, police employment, crime, or arrests"

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Justin de Benedictis-Kessner @jdbk.bsky.social · Aug 11

Our open-access research shows that the partisanship of mayors has no causal effect on crime rates. Nor does it affect police spending, staffing, or arrest rates. www.science.org/doi/full/10....

The partisanship of mayors has no detectable effect on police spending, police employment, crime, or arrests

Across hundreds of cities and three decades, there is no impact of a mayor’s partisan affiliation on crime and arrest rates.

www.science.org

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Justin de Benedictis-Kessner @jdbk.bsky.social · Aug 11

Yet again, Trump is falsely claiming that Democrat-controlled cities like DC are letting crime get out of control. Our research – from cities across the US – shows that this just isn't true @chriswarshaw.bsky.social @dbjones.bsky.social @matttheeconguy.bsky.social

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · Aug 11

Trump mentions NYC, Baltimore, and Oakland, says "they're so far gone," and adds, "this will go further. We'll starting very strongly with DC."

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Reposted by Christopher Warshaw

Reposted by Cas Mudde, Kim L. Scheppele, Michael A. Clemens , and 12 more Cas Mudde, Kim L. Scheppele, Michael A. Clemens, Justin De Benedictis-Kessner, Egypt, Fabián Muniesa, Jonathan Hopkin, Alan Richardson, David R. Miller, Adrian Daub, Nora V. Demleitner, Mark Rice, Philipp Sarasin, Ryan Goodman, Susan D. Blum

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · Aug 11

Trump mentions NYC, Baltimore, and Oakland, says "they're so far gone," and adds, "this will go further. We'll starting very strongly with DC."

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Reposted by Brendan Nyhan, Justin De Benedictis-Kessner, Adam J. Berinsky , and 1 more Brendan Nyhan, Justin De Benedictis-Kessner, Adam J. Berinsky, Jonathan A. Parker

Reposted by Justin De Benedictis-Kessner, Yphtach Lelkes, Yamil Velez , and 1 more Justin De Benedictis-Kessner, Yphtach Lelkes, Yamil Velez, Ariel White

Chris Warshaw @chriswarshaw.bsky.social · Dec 19

Our paper introducing the "American Local Government Elections Database" is online at Scientific Data. The data includes 78,000 candidates in 57,000 electoral contests in races for seven distinct local political offices in most medium and large cities and counties over the last three decades.

American local government elections database - Scientific Data

Scientific Data - American local government elections database

www.nature.com

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Reposted by Justin De Benedictis-Kessner

The Atlantic @theatlantic.com · Feb 11

The Trump administration’s cuts to university research grants will make America sicker and poorer in the long run, David Deming writes. DOGE should stop "confusing efficiency with ill-conceived budget cuts."

DOGE Is Failing on Its Own Terms

The Trump administration’s cuts to university research grants will make America sicker and poorer in the long run.

www.theatlantic.com

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Reposted by Justin De Benedictis-Kessner

The Conversation U.S. @us.theconversation.com · Apr 18

Crime is nonpartisan, and neither party is better at fighting crime in cities.

But evidence-backed programs like youth jobs initiatives can help improve public safety. buff.ly/RGmW1ht
@jdbk.bsky.social @harvardkennedy.bsky.social and Christopher S. Warshaw, George Washington University #polisky

Crime is nonpartisan and the blame game on crime in cities is wrong – on both sides

Mayors from the Democratic Party aren’t making cities any more – or less – dangerous than mayors from the Republican Party.

buff.ly

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Reposted by Justin De Benedictis-Kessner, David S. Meyer, Christian Nadeau , and 5 more Justin De Benedictis-Kessner, David S. Meyer, Christian Nadeau, Vincent Pons, Karine Nyborg, David W. Blight, Andy Reisinger, Romain Lachat

Reposted by Justin De Benedictis-Kessner

Justin de Benedictis-Kessner @jdbk.bsky.social · Feb 11

Well said, from my colleague David Deming @harvardkennedy.bsky.social: "If government funding goes away, so will much of the research. The long-run cost will be staggering. We’ll have fewer medical breakthroughs, the progress of lifesaving medical treatments will stall, and America may fall behind."

The Atlantic @theatlantic.com · Feb 11

DOGE Is Failing on Its Own Terms

The Trump administration’s cuts to university research grants will make America sicker and poorer in the long run.

www.theatlantic.com

Justin de Benedictis-Kessner @jdbk.bsky.social · Jan 15

Ideological claims from both sides of the aisle about crime and policing aren't facing the facts: what's happening in cities across the country has little to do with partisanship. Reducing crime should focus on evidence-backed strategies rather than partisan finger-pointing.

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Justin de Benedictis-Kessner @jdbk.bsky.social · Jan 15

Nor do we find consistent evidence that Democrats are making police leadership or police forces substantially more diverse than Republicans.

screenshot of Figure 2 from paper, which shows the largely null effects of partisanship on the demographics of police chiefs and the police force overall

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Justin de Benedictis-Kessner @jdbk.bsky.social · Jan 15

Nor are Democrats "defunding the police" relative to Republicans. Neither party is reducing the size of the police force, or its funding.

screenshot of Figure 1 from the paper, which shows null effects of partisanship on the number of sworn officers per capita, police expenditures per capita, and corrections expenditures per capita

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Justin de Benedictis-Kessner @jdbk.bsky.social · Jan 15

Implicit in this argument is that Democratic leaders are making crime worse, and Republicans would make it better. That's a causal question, and exactly what we wanted to answer. Our results show that Dems are no worse OR better at reducing crime than Reps www.science.org/doi/full/10....

The partisanship of mayors has no detectable effect on police spending, police employment, crime, or arrests

Across hundreds of cities and three decades, there is no impact of a mayor’s partisan affiliation on crime and arrest rates.

www.science.org

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Justin de Benedictis-Kessner @jdbk.bsky.social · Jan 15

Leaders on both sides of the aisle have said that Democrats need to change their approach on crime–often pointing to elections where progressive politicians have been unseated after widespread frustration with their handling of crime www.nytimes.com/2024/11/08/u...

California Shifts Rightward on Crime in an Election Fueled by Frustration

Voters in the Democratic-run state overwhelmingly approved a measure to impose harsher sentences for crimes and were on their way to ousting two progressive district attorneys.

www.nytimes.com

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Reposted by Tyler Simko

Justin de Benedictis-Kessner @jdbk.bsky.social · Jan 15

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Reposted by Christopher Warshaw

Reposted by Justin De Benedictis-Kessner

Justin de Benedictis-Kessner @jdbk.bsky.social · Nov 20

Fun to talk housing policy and potential reforms with former Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger on a recent PolicyCast @harvardkennedy.bsky.social www.hks.harvard.edu/faculty-rese...

The essential reforms needed to fix the housing crisis

Harvard Kennedy School Associate Professor Justin de Benedictis-Kessner and former Burlington, Vermont, Mayor Miro Weinberger MPP 1998 explain the current crisis and offer solutions for a more afforda...

www.hks.harvard.edu

Reposted by Justin De Benedictis-Kessner

Michael Hankinson @hankinson.bsky.social · Oct 24

Can developers compensate nearby residents to win support for their housing projects? In a new @jpublicpolicy.bsky.social article, @jdbk.bsky.social and I unpack how compensation works, when it fails, and what that teaches us about symbolic attitudes and housing policy. 1/11

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Reposted by Justin De Benedictis-Kessner