Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Luis Ramiro

Julius Kölzer @juliusk.bsky.social · 6h

"We show how an immigration-unconcerned but deprived "loser of modernization" still only has half the likelihood to support the AfD than an entirely non-deprived "winner of modernization" who is concerned about immigration"

www.ssoar.info/ssoar/handle...

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Thomas Zeitzoff @zeitzoff.bsky.social · 16h

Some thoughts on where we are right now and the state of US democracy.

Trump is both deeply unpopular right now—and yet more politically powerful than during his first term, thanks to a pliant Congress and Supreme Court. That’s an uncertain, and dangerous, place to be.

Approval rating of Trump according to the Economist —he’s at -15%.

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Chris Murphy @chrismurphyct.bsky.social · 1d

Just bone chilling. And when the imprisonment of critics is combined with his offer to enrich and immunize his loyalists, this is how democracies die fast.

But it's still our choice. Don't let him silence you.

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Brendan Nyhan @brendannyhan.bsky.social · 1d

Regrettably relevant research today

Disguised Repression: Targeting Opponents with Nonpolitical Crimes to Undermine Dissent
www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...

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Mark Copelovitch @mcopelov.bsky.social · 1d

If we were a serious country, nonsense like this would end it immediately. But then, if we were a serious country, <gestures at everything> would end it immediately.

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Sharon Machlis @smachlis.bsky.social · 3d

This is a professor at Rutgers who teaches a class on the history of anti-fascism. He also teaches about human rights. He has received multiple death threats and been doxed. He is relocating to Europe for his safety. This is where we are in the US now. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

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Ryan Enos @ryanenos.bsky.social · 2d

Harvard (and all universities) must take a stand against Trump's extorionary "compact". Enos and Levitsky.
www.thecrimson.com/article/2025...

Harvard Must Take a Stand Against Trump’s Compact | Opinion | The Harvard Crimson

Harvard, rather than quietly pursuing its own appeasement strategy, should lead the way to preserve academic freedom and democracy.

www.thecrimson.com

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Christopher Wratil 🇺🇦 #StandWithUkraine @chriswratil.bsky.social · 2d

We really have reached the end of a civilized age in several Western societies. Wild West in front of us. A dangerous world for most of us.

Governor JB Pritzker @govpritzker.illinois.gov · 2d

I will not back down.

Trump is now calling for the arrest of elected representatives checking his power.

What else is left on the path to full-blown authoritarianism?

Donald Trump Truth Social Post: Chicago Mayor should be in jail for failing to protect Ice Officers! Governor Pritzker also.

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Nicholas Grossman @nicholasgrossman.bsky.social · 3d

The First Amendment explicitly guarantees:

-the right of the people peaceably to assemble
-to petition the Government for a redress of grievances
-the free exercise of religion
-freedom of speech

If this priest had also been press, ICE would have violated all five 1A freedoms at once.

Kurt @flglchicago.bsky.social · 3d

Here’s video of the incident

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Chris Hanretty @chanret.bsky.social · 3d

This x100. Business degrees are cheap to run, easy to run badly, and face seemingly inexhaustible demand

Stephen Bush @stephenkb.bsky.social · 3d

Something grimly predictable about the way that the conversation about 'ripoff degrees' in the UK is always about degrees that aren't rip-offs, but are instead fairly obvious 'this student has chosen something unlikely to pay off economically' rather than the short tail of crap business degrees:

Everyone needs educating in the fight over university degrees

Political confusion over the purpose of these institutions means the obvious fixes are being neglected

www.ft.com

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Tim Bale @timbale.bsky.social · 3d

She's nothing if not predictable, is she? I know the Tories aren't keen on anything Green these days, but pretty much all they've done this week is recycle stuff they've been banging on about--for the most part fruitlessly--for the last decade and a half. And today it's "Mickey Mouse" degrees. 🙄

Badenoch: Curb students taking 'rip-off' degrees such as English

The performing arts, sociology and anthropology are among the subjects the Conservatives would like to cut

inews.co.uk

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Tim Bale @timbale.bsky.social · 3d

Constant, morale-sapping, self-doubting rejection throughout their careers is one thing that all but the luckiest/most talented academics, no matter how supposedly senior they are, share with each other! I rather liked this advice about staying positive regardless - I just wish I could follow it!

‘Stay true to yourself – and fly closer to the sun’: what I’ve learned from 50 years of rejection

As a writer, I have been rejected thousands of times, and it initially led to shock, denial and anger. Then I accepted it. Here’s what you can gain from doing so too

www.theguardian.com

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Simon Hix @simonhix.bsky.social · 3d

An excellent (although deeply depressing) piece by Thomas Edsall, with some great interviews with top US political scientists.
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/07/o...

Opinion | Trump Is Not Afraid of Civil War. Neither Is Stephen Miller.

www.nytimes.com

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Luis Ramiro @ljramiro.bsky.social · 3d

y lo compré en la magnífica librería El Retiro de las Letras, en Niño Jesús, a un paso de la C/Samaria, lugares que aparecen en la novela!!! www.elretirodelasletras.com

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Luis Ramiro @ljramiro.bsky.social · 3d

Me ha gustado Nunca voló tan alto tu televisor d S. Nanclares (felicidades @silvink.bsky.social).
Fantástico retrato del Moratalaz (lo digo yo born & bred en los pisitos pequeños) d aquellos años, d su estructura social, tipologías d edificios, los interbloques, lo 'aspiracional' y la frontera M30

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Kai Arzheimer @kai-arzheimer.com · 3d

'We remain unclear as a profession about what exactly we expect from our students.' And it's very much the same here, not because we don't care, but because we do not really know #AcademicChatter

A new academic year has begun, but UK universities are still struggling to respond to AI - Impact of Social Sciences

Mark Carrigan argues university staff are still struggling to develop coherent, contextual and disciplinary responses to AI’s impact on teaching and learning.

blogs.lse.ac.uk

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Ryan Enos @ryanenos.bsky.social · 3d

Here's what I told him:

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PS: Political Science & Politics @pspolisci.bsky.social · 4d

Now on FirstView: a Profession Spotlight guest edited by @isaackamola.bsky.social! Rethinking the Corporate University: An Engagement with Kaufman-Osborn’s The Autocratic Academy

The collection is free to read through the end of November here: shorturl.at/4vWqV

#polisky

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David Attewell @davidattewell6.bsky.social · 4d

@dpzollinger.bsky.social and I are thrilled "Cleavage Politics in Western Democracies" is out as an SI at @wepsocial.bsky.social!

Its papers explore the foundations of the cleavage pitting new left against radical right parties, and how it compares to the classic cleavages of Lipset & Rokkan:

🧵⬇️

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Tarik Abou-Chadi @tabouchadi.bsky.social · 4d

Racism and authoritarian nativism have become normalized in British politics in warp speed. Not only rhetorically but as guiding principles of policy. Yet, many still talk about "populism" as if it were 2016. The idea that "this isn't Britain" is keeping people from clearly assessing where we are.

The Guardian @theguardian.com · 4d

Robert Jenrick complained of ‘not seeing another white face’ in part of Birmingham

Shadow justice secretary criticised for suggesting he could tell how integrated Handsworth was based on 90-minute visit Robert Jenrick complained about visiting an area of Birmingham where he “didn’t see another white face” and said it was not the kind of country he wanted to live in. After highlighting the lack of white people, the shadow justice secretary said it was not about “the colour of your skin or your faith” and he wanted people to live alongside each other. Continue reading...

www.theguardian.com

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Journal of Democracy @jodemocracy.bsky.social · 4d

A lack of respect for opposition parties and checks and balances led to the unraveling of Bolivia's Movement Toward Socialism (MAS).

muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...

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Francesc Trillas Jané @francesctrillas.bsky.social · 5d

@pkrugman.bsky.social:
"Forget about soft autocracy"
"...many people don’t realize how fast and aggressively the Trump administration is moving to end rule of law and convert America into a full-fledged autocracy"
paulkrugman.substack.com/p/state-terr...

State Terror, American Style

Forget about “soft autocracy”

paulkrugman.substack.com

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Michael S Roth @msroth.bsky.social · 7d

My take on Compact for Collaboration: “Federal funding for universities should never depend on a loyalty oath...The health of our democracy depends on the freedom to work with the federal government without having to follow the ideological dictates of those in power.” www.wsj.com/us-news/educ...

Nine Colleges in Hot Seat as Trump’s Sweeping ‘Compact’ Sparks Sharp Reactions

Universities weigh whether to sign on to the president’s operating principles in exchange for a funding advantage.

www.wsj.com

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Drew Engelhardt @amengel.bsky.social · 5d

To build on this, I like @obrian.bsky.social's book here

press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/bo...

Then Marc Hetherington, @jonweiler.bsky.social, and I have a book manuscript under review that tries to help explain these bundled orientations.

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Olga Onuch @oonuch.bsky.social · 6d

Russian attack overnight on Ukraine: 50 missiles and 500 drones.

Via @united24media.com and monitorwar_ua

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