Ben H. Ansell | Lightnews

Light up
your news

About Privacy Terms Help

Ben Ansell

Ben Ansell

@benansell.bsky.social

30K followers 990 following 6.2K posts

Professor of Comparative Democratic Institutions, Nuffield & University of Oxford, FBA. http://benansell.substack.com. BBC Reith Lecturer 2023. Host BBC Radio 4 Rethink. Columnist for Prospect. Director, Centre for Advanced Social Science Methods (CASSM). .. more

Ben W. Ansell is Professor of Comparative Democratic Institutions at Nuffield College, University of Oxford and, with David Samuels, editor of Comparative Political Studies.

Source: Wikipedia

Political science 47%

Economics 40%

more

Posts Replies Media Videos

Ben Ansell @benansell.bsky.social · 1h

Let's just say that I wouldn't want to be the University of Hertfordshire or a few others that are going to be hit by all these policies at once, e.g.

www.timeshighereducation.com/news/hertfor...

Hertfordshire latest to be placed on student visa ‘action plan’

University of Hertfordshire becomes eighth institution identified by Home Office as at risk of breaching sponsorship duties in past 12 months

www.timeshighereducation.com

Reposted by Ben H. Ansell

Jake Grumbach @jakemgrumbach.bsky.social · 2h

The tech leaders who championed DOGE are gonna try to get back into influencing the Democratic Party, and I think it’s a different situation than welcoming back regretful Trump 2024 voters

Garry Tan &
Y
@garrytan
X.com
Whoever made the original graphic doesn't understand the scale and speed of smart high IQ people who can program, and what they can do in a moment when intelligence now on infinite tap using LLMs
Daniel
@growing_daniel• 2/2/25
Luke being charge of our money is an incredible shift. I didn't know this was an option, amazing development
Who are these little boys?
And why are they in charge of our money?
Akash Bobba
Luke Farritor Ethan Shaotran Edward Coristine

Reposted by Ben H. Ansell, Christina Pagel

FinTwitter @fintwitter.bsky.social · 2h

U.K 30 YEAR GILT YIELD DOWN 9.8 BPS TO 5.23%, IN BIGGEST ONE DAY FALL SINCE APRIL

Reposted by Simon Hix, Ben H. Ansell, Paul Goldsmith-Pinkham , and 3 more Simon Hix, Ben H. Ansell, Paul Goldsmith-Pinkham, Brian Weatherson, Michael Larkin, David Darmofal

Brendan Nyhan @brendannyhan.bsky.social · 2h

People on BlueSky: AI is useless! A stochastic parrot!

Mathematicians/biologists/physicists: It is already helping us do frontier technical research and in some cases solve open problems arxiv.org/pdf/2511.16072

(There are of course, as always, many caveats, but the paper is genuinely remarkable)

Ben Ansell @benansell.bsky.social · 3h

It is about time for the 'have we underestimated the Conservatives after all?' storyline and well given the scarier alternative, I for one welcome our previous blue overlords

Ben Ansell @benansell.bsky.social · 3h

I’m old enough to remember three or four Conservative Chancellor attempts to impose income tax on pension contributions (which would have been even more costly to mid and high income taxpayers). So I don’t expect this to have any more lasting power.

Ben Ansell @benansell.bsky.social · 3h

Rachel Reeves’ day so far

Ben Ansell @benansell.bsky.social · 3h

Indeed. Which in my view is the part of the sector who have created trouble for the rest of us

Ben Ansell @benansell.bsky.social · 4h

Yeh it’s literally half as bad as advertised! I think we will take that given the alternative.

Ben Ansell @benansell.bsky.social · 4h

You aren't reckoning with the capacity of our institutions to blithely ignore laws (cough cough on Employer Justified Retirement Age for example) that they don't like ;)

Ben Ansell @benansell.bsky.social · 4h

I think that's the good thing about a sub <£1k fee rather than a levy as it can more easily added to the bill. Obviously that's not great for foreign students but we are where we are

Ben Ansell @benansell.bsky.social · 4h

Because it would be highly convenient if it did, I guess ;)

Ben Ansell @benansell.bsky.social · 4h

Well they say it will be open to change but they would have to actively change it. Broadly speaking though I think most big providers will be OK and the small ones at least have the 200 student threshold thing.

Ben Ansell @benansell.bsky.social · 4h

Whatever gets you through the OBR forecast

Ben Ansell @benansell.bsky.social · 4h

I think the policy is more likely to be sacrificed than the salaries. But we'll see

Ben Ansell @benansell.bsky.social · 4h

hahahahahahahhahahahahah <Oxbridge vibes intensify>

Ben Ansell @benansell.bsky.social · 4h

I think for big Masters providers where foreign fees are north of £30k it will be a relief. Big unis also tend to have more of these expensive courses so will benefit less from the number of students threshold. Losers would be large providers with cheap courses I guess...

Ben Ansell @benansell.bsky.social · 4h

Delay on salary sacrifice too apparently... for two years but could also be til infinity. So I think universities can probably breathe out today - better than expected.

Ben Ansell @benansell.bsky.social · 4h

Good compared to expectations!

Ben Ansell @benansell.bsky.social · 4h

Wonder if the salary sacrifice will ever happen then...

Reposted by Jonathan Portes, Christina Pagel

Ben Ansell @benansell.bsky.social · 4h

I think this is probably good news for the sector since for most international masters courses at least this will be substantially less than the six percent that was advertised.

John Morgan @johnmorgan3.bsky.social · 5h

International student fee levy details confirmed in Budget document: flat fee charged on institutions "of £925 per student per year of study, starting in August 2028 academic year 2028-29".

No charge for first 220 students per year.
assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6926eb...

assets.publishing.service.gov.uk

Ben Ansell @benansell.bsky.social · 4h

Only mental if you believe it will happen, which, well, previous experience tells us is unlikely

Ben Ansell @benansell.bsky.social · 5h

Be unfortunate if there was widespread deflation I guess but yeh otherwise, threshold creep should be doing the trick

Reposted by Jonathan Portes, Ben H. Ansell, Steve Peers , and 3 more Jonathan Portes, Ben H. Ansell, Steve Peers, Charles West, Margot C. Finn, Christina Pagel

John Morgan @johnmorgan3.bsky.social · 5h

International student fee levy details confirmed in Budget document: flat fee charged on institutions "of £925 per student per year of study, starting in August 2028 academic year 2028-29".

No charge for first 220 students per year.
assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6926eb...

assets.publishing.service.gov.uk

Ben Ansell @benansell.bsky.social · 5h

I feel like it is not an obviously catastrophic budget if Bluesky has moved onto relitigating the Warren Commission

Ben Ansell @benansell.bsky.social · 5h

The OBR forecasts...

a man with glasses is surrounded by a glowing circle and the website pmitf.com is displayed below him

ALT: a man with glasses is surrounded by a glowing circle and the website pmitf.com is displayed below him

media.tenor.com

Ben Ansell @benansell.bsky.social · 5h

'Seems fine' basically exactly right. No horses frightened so far (NB horses retain right to be frightened for 48 hours post any Budget)

Reposted by Ben H. Ansell, Steve Peers, Stuart White , and 1 more Ben H. Ansell, Steve Peers, Stuart White, Tim Leunig

Frances Ryan @francesryan.bsky.social · 5h

And the two child benefit limit is abolished. An enormous victory for those who have campaigned tirelessly for eight long years through successive governments. This will lift at least 450,000 children out of poverty. Fewer kids will be hungry. No more women forced to disclose their rape.

Ben Ansell @benansell.bsky.social · 6h

Micawberism lives to hope something will turn up another day

Reposted by Ben H. Ansell

George Pearkes @peark.es · 6h

lol c'mon dog

*UK TORY LAWMAKER STRIDE SAYS OBR LEAK MAY BE 'CRIMINAL OFFENCE'