Dr. Alexandra “Ali” Cirone
@alicirone.bsky.social
6.5K followers 1.1K following 370 posts
Asst. Professor, London School of Economics Fellow in Democratic Innovations, Yale ISPS Studying lotteries in democracy and tech, HPE, political economy; turning history into data acirone.com
Posts Media Videos Starter Packs
Reposted by Dr. Alexandra “Ali” Cirone
tomwestland.bsky.social
CALL FOR PAPERS
A workshop at LSE next April on 'Uses and Abuses of the Murdock Atlas in Social Science Research'. We're looking for cross-disciplinary engagement to think critically about what this widely used source means, what it can & can't tell us. Submit by Nov 14
www.lse.ac.uk/economic-his...
Uses and abuses of the Murdock Atlas in social science research
www.lse.ac.uk
Reposted by Dr. Alexandra “Ali” Cirone
profdansmith.bsky.social
🎉Now online (open access): "Hidden Majoritarianism and Women’s Career Progression in Proportional Representation Systems" at @apsrjournal.bsky.social. @alicirone.bsky.social, @teele.bsky.social, Gary Cox, @fiva.no. www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Reposted by Dr. Alexandra “Ali” Cirone
politicsgirl.bsky.social
Governor Whitmer was almost kidnapped by armed thugs. Governor Shapiro‘s house was set on fire. Nancy Pelosi‘s husband was violently attacked by someone looking for her. Melissa Hortman was assassinated in her home with her husband and dog…and now this. The left is the victim, not the perpetrator.
thetnholler.bsky.social
SOUTH CAROLINA… “Judge Goodstein was walking on the beach when the fire started. Her husband, Arnie, was in the house with children and perhaps grandchildren. The family had to escape by jumping from a window or balcony...” www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article...
Reposted by Dr. Alexandra “Ali” Cirone
itaisher.bsky.social
This op-ed is excellent and I encourage everyone to read it.

Universities must reject the Trump compact.

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/02/o...
Opinion | Trump’s ‘Compact’ With Universities Is Just Extortion
www.nytimes.com
alicirone.bsky.social
Well done
governor.ca.gov
IF ANY CALIFORNIA UNIVERSITY SIGNS THIS RADICAL AGREEMENT, THEY'LL LOSE BILLIONS IN STATE FUNDING — INCLUDING CAL GRANTS — INSTANTLY.

CALIFORNIA WILL NOT BANKROLL SCHOOLS THAT SELL OUT THEIR STUDENTS, PROFESSORS, RESEARCHERS, AND SURRENDER ACADEMIC FREEDOM.
New York Times: "Trump Administration Asks Colleges to Sign ‘Compact’ to Get Funding Preference."

The White House asked nine top universities to pledge support for President Trump’s agenda to help ensure access to research funding.
Reposted by Dr. Alexandra “Ali” Cirone
bogatyrev.bsky.social
Today we kick off this year’s Political Behaviour Seminar series at @lsegovernment.bsky.social with @alicirone.bsky.social on gender dynamics in online deliberation. Glad to co-host the seminars with @florianfoos.bsky.social, @sarahobolt.bsky.social and @mathiaspoertner.bsky.social! Details below 👇
Gender Dynamics in Online Deliberation: Evidence from the 2023 Meta Community Forum on AI Chatbots

Deliberative mini-publics are currently being employed throughout the world, and it has been well documented that women are less likely to exercise their voice in deliberation.  Yet the advent of digital platforms that host discussions online could mitigate this gender gap, and make it easier to test theories about the design of deliberative institutions. Increasing descriptive representation — the number of women in a discussion group — could potentially improve women's frequency of participation and quality of experience; however, we know less about how these dynamics play out in deliberative settings that take place entirely online. Here, we leverage unique data from the 2023 Meta Community Forum on AI Chatbots, which brought together 1,541 people in a Deliberative Polling exercise that took place on a digital platform. Thanks to random assignment, the gender composition of each discussion room varies. We exploit the group composition to estimate how the number of female members in each group affects participation (as measured by speaking frequency and activity during the session), as well as self-reported measures of efficacy and satisfaction with deliberative processes. We find some descriptive evidence of a gender gap, but little to no effects of room composition on participation or evaluation; this has surprising implications for the design of digital deliberation.
alicirone.bsky.social
In the LSE Political Behavior seminar? So I’m not sure, but email me and I can send along the paper!
Reposted by Dr. Alexandra “Ali” Cirone
nadinesmith.bsky.social
Disney/ABC put Kimmel back on air. Sinclair & Nexstar are blocking him. These are state-licensed stations funded by ads, not Disney. Pressure advertisers, file FCC complaints, and push back on corporate censorship.
#FreeSpeech
#NoKings
#Kimmel
Heads up: Disney/ABC put Jimmy Kimmel back on the air, but many viewers still can’t see him. Why? Because Sinclair and Nexstar, which own a huge number of local ABC affiliates, are blocking his return.

Sinclair is demanding an apology and even a donation. Nexstar says it “wants assurances.” These are not private streaming choices. These are state-licensed stations that depend on local ad dollars, and they are using their gatekeeping power for political leverage.

👉 What you can do:
	1.	Check your local station. See if it is owned by Sinclair or Nexstar.
	2.	Watch the ads. Write down which brands are keeping these stations afloat.
	3.	Pressure advertisers. Let them know their dollars are funding censorship.
	4.	File a complaint with the FCC. These stations are supposed to serve the public interest, not political agendas.

Remember: Disney does not control your local affiliate. Sinclair and Nexstar do. Advertisers are what keep them alive.

This is not just about one late-night host. It is about whether powerful corporations can silence national programming for political reasons.
alicirone.bsky.social
Are you available for guest lectures?? Come on down! (Over?)
alicirone.bsky.social
Great example for teaching, thanks!
Reposted by Dr. Alexandra “Ali” Cirone
fieldsmeyer.com
Pritzer gets the mechanics of authoritarianism – systemic intimidation, seizing control of elections, etc. – in a way others in national democratic leadership don't or won't say out loud.
atrupar.com
Pritzker: "One of the reasons Trump wants to send troops into cities is bc he wants to be able to take control of the 2026 elections...if they've got troops in cities, & it becomes a kind of norm for people, then it won't be abnormal for them when they're going to vote having troops at ballot boxes"
alicirone.bsky.social
Grandpa is being so embarrassing; turn it off
atrupar.com
Trump is now whining to the UN about the UN working with another developer and not him on their building
Reposted by Dr. Alexandra “Ali” Cirone
adambonica.bsky.social
Democrats should become the anti-corruption party. 72% of voters think a member of Congress would likely accept a bribe if offered one. 80% say donors run DC. The solution isn’t left vs right, it’s clean vs corrupt. But first, Democrats must reform themselves and reject big money.
The Democrats' Path Forward: Become the Anti-Corruption Party
But to reform the system they first need to reform the Democratic Party.
open.substack.com
Reposted by Dr. Alexandra “Ali” Cirone
justinwolfers.bsky.social
Critical part of the President's new $100,000 charge for H1-B visas: The Administration can also offer a $100,000 discount to any person, company, or industry that it wants. Replacing rules with arbitrary discretion.

Want visas? You know who to call and who to flatter.
alicirone.bsky.social
Everyone needs to realize that the emperor has no clothes on
jayrosen.bsky.social
"Every single reliable poll shows that a majority of Americans disapprove of Trump. Media brands that cave to Trump, or appear to do so, risk alienating a huge swath of the American audience." —@brianstelter.bsky.social

e.newsletters.cnn.com/click?Ecm9zZ...
Hope you're having a great weekend. This special Saturday edition of Reliable is jam-packed with news. Here's the latest on President Trump, TikTok, the Pentagon, Farm Aid, and more. But first...
e.newsletters.cnn.com
alicirone.bsky.social
As a practicing Catholic (and a lay minister each Sunday!) this is outrageous.

Charlie Kirk preached exclusion, division, and actively endangered groups in society; the complete OPPOSITE of what we actually hear at mass each week (which is love and help thy neighbor)
atrupar.com
Cardinal Timothy Dolan on Fox & Friends on Charlie Kirk: "This guy is a modern day St Paul. He was a missionary, he's an evangelist, he's a hero. He's one I think that knows what Jesus meant when he said 'the truth will set you free.'"
alicirone.bsky.social
Yeah also never thought family in Illinois would be cheering on Pritzker but there ya go
Reposted by Dr. Alexandra “Ali” Cirone
carnes.bsky.social
Super easy way you can send a message, right now, from whatever device you're viewing this post on. #boycottdisneyabc
Reposted by Dr. Alexandra “Ali” Cirone
katelynburns.com
president calls for political violence against those who disagree with him
Reposted by Dr. Alexandra “Ali” Cirone
socialmedialab.ca
This is a very dangerous moment for America. The media's turning a blind eye to escalating right-wing calls for violence is journalistic malpractice. bsky.app/profile/whst...
whstancil.bsky.social
These are calls for mass political violence, against all Democrats. They openly call for the bombing of "Democrat" cities and for the jailing or killing of Democratic politicians. They are from some of the most influential voices in right-wing politics. Will anyone say anything?
Reposted by Dr. Alexandra “Ali” Cirone
maxberger.bsky.social
In his Oval Office address on political violence, Trump lists the attempt on his life, the Scalise shooting, and attacks on ICE agents.

He does not mention Jan 6th, the attack on the Pelosi family, the Hortman murders, the kidnapping attempt on Gretchen Whitmer, or the fire at Gov Shapiro’s house.
atrupar.com
Trump: "For years those on the radical left have compared wonderful Americans like Charlie to Nazis. This kind of rhetoric is directly responsible for the terrorism we're seeing in our country & it must stop right now. My admin will find each and every one of those who contributed to this atrocity"