Ben Clift
@benclift.bsky.social
700 followers 430 following 8 posts
Political economist at Warwick University Politics of economic ideas; IMF; climate politics; comparative capitalisms; politics of economic expertise https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=5n4wvocAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao
Posts Media Videos Starter Packs
Reposted by Ben Clift
hozic.bsky.social
With immense gratitude to @chris-clarke.bsky.social and @benclift.bsky.social for bringing to light this edited volume honouring the work and legacy of Timothy J. Sinclair. The contributions demonstrate that Tim’s research shaped understandings of finance and economic knowledge well beyond CRAs.
agendapub.bsky.social
Just arrived:

The Social Foundations of Global Finance
edited by @chris-clarke.bsky.social & @benclift.bsky.social

Chapters by @johannespetry.bsky.social, @hozic.bsky.social, Randall Germain, Magnus Ryner, Matthew Watson & others...

#OpenAccess eBook available 👇
www.agendapub.com/page/detail/...
Reposted by Ben Clift
climate-policy.bsky.social
🚨 NEW ISSUE: Issue 8 is out now, with the latest on #climatefinance, agro-pastoral #adaptation, the gap between #mitigation targets and #climatepolicy, the IMF's #climatepolicy approach, & more 💡

📣 Insights from @benclift.bsky.social @aliceclimate.bsky.social @lukemoffett.bsky.social & more ⬇️
Climate Policy, Volume 25, Issue 8 (2025)
www.tandfonline.com
benclift.bsky.social
“DONALD IS FINISHED—HE IS NO LONGER “HOT.” FIRST THE HANDS (SO TINY) AND NOW ME—GAVIN C. NEWSOM—HAVE TAKEN AWAY HIS “STEP.” MANY ARE SAYING HE CAN’T EVEN DO THE “BIG STAIRS” ON AIR FORCE ONE ANYMORE—USES THE LITTLE BABY STAIRS NOW. SAD!”

heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe?ut...
Subscribe to Letters from an American
A newsletter about the history behind today's politics. Click to read Letters from an American, by Heather Cox Richardson, a Substack publication with millions of subscribers.
heathercoxrichardson.substack.com
benclift.bsky.social
We are Hiring! We have a 3-year teaching fellow position in IPE. Come and work with an amazing group of IPE scholars and fabulous students in the Department of Politics and International Studies.

warwick-careers.tal.net/vx/lang-en-G...

deadline is approaching - July 31st.

Please spread the word
Reposted by Ben Clift
matthewlbishop.bsky.social
It’s remarkable how rarely our “public service broadcaster” now asks serious questions about the “small boats crisis” that do not reflect Farageist framing

One is: how can refugees fleeing persecution actually get to the UK safely so that we can uphold our commitments under international law?
Reposted by Ben Clift
profsob.bsky.social
Extremely wise words and applicable widely!
Wishing someone in Number 10 put this above their desks
mariosrichards.bsky.social
The problem with "policy-consultancy-by-polling" is not that the public are stupid or uninformed ...

... the problem is *it's not their job*.
Reposted by Ben Clift
mcopelov.bsky.social
We are dismantling American higher education & scientific research & health care & all the other things to fund concentration camps
reichlinmelnick.bsky.social
If the GOP reconciliation bill passes, ICE gets through FY2029:

- $45 billion for detention, on top of the current annual budget of $3.4 billion
- $14.4 billion for transportation and removal, on top of the current annual budget of $750 million
- $8 billion for hiring/retention
- Billions more.
Reposted by Ben Clift
drscottjames.bsky.social
Great to host this workshop on Epistemic Politics with @benclift.bsky.social at Warwick yesterday
Reposted by Ben Clift
hetanshah.bsky.social
Counterpoint: new Public First research shows every UK resident working adult (on a full time equivalent basis) is £466 a year better off on average as a result of international students. So let’s just publicise that instead of levying them
www.publicfirst.co.uk/calculating-...
Reposted by Ben Clift
benansell.bsky.social
This level of ‘analysis’ from the Minister in charge of higher education does not fill me with enormous confidence.
resprofnews.bsky.social
Jacqui Smith: Levy on international student fees ‘would show value of foreign students’

Smith said that if the government went ahead with the levy, it would “really demonstrate that [contribution] in terms of money that could then…be reinvested”.

www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-u...
Jacqui Smith: Levy on fees ‘would show value of foreign students’ - Research Professional News
Skills minister says “there has been an over-dependence on international students” for higher education funding
www.researchprofessionalnews.com
Reposted by Ben Clift
mariellepm.bsky.social
How I'm thinking about gen-AI in a university context. Thoughts?
Tools like ChatGPT are known to often provide imprecise, incorrect or even blatantly false information. If you ask those tools to provide sources, they might invent them.
There are a lot of ethical challenges with using generative AI tools. Those are related to, for instance, data privacy (how the data were obtained or where the data you are feeding the tools come from and whether you are authorized to share them) and environmental costs (how energy-intensive the use of gen-AI is). 
I do not believe generative AI will make you a better student or a better professional. Maybe in the short run it will help you conduct some tasks more quickly, which could be useful. As a non-native English speaker, I sometimes use it to rewrite my sentences because the right word doesn’t always come to my mind quickly enough. But my (AI-free) training and career have taught me enough to know whether the sentences proposed have the meaning I want to give them.
Doing research is inherently about taking the time to find the right data, sitting with them to come up with an accurate analysis and then taking more time to reflect on it. Research is supposed to be slow. 
In the long run, using generative AI will disincentivize you to analyze what you read, to write, or to think. Those activities are what you learn in a political science programme. If you are just here to get a degree to get a job, maybe you don’t think you need to acquire those skills (after all, you have generative AI). And at the junior level, maybe you don’t. But at the senior level, you most certainly do. Again, think long-term. 
Also, if you stop using your brain, well, let’s just say that probably won’t lead to a favourable outcome.
Reposted by Ben Clift
warren.senate.gov
I'm on my way to the Senate floor to talk about the assault on my colleague, Senator Alex Padilla.

This is a horrifying moment in our nation’s history.
Reposted by Ben Clift
volts.wtf
Maybe quit voting for their fucking bills then? Maybe quit confirming their nominees? Maybe shut down the Senate with the many procedural tools available to you? Maybe do something other than send sternly worded letters?
schumer.senate.gov
Sen. Padilla thrown to the ground, manhandled, brutally taken down, handcuffed

It's disgusting
Reeks of totalitarianism
Un-American
Not what democracies do

Sen. Padilla was in that building to ask questions of what's going on in California, doing his duty to his constituents

We need answers now
jacobsoboroff.bsky.social
Senator Padilla’s office sends me this video of his take-down and detention at Sec. Noem’s press conference in L.A.
Reposted by Ben Clift
jonasalgers.bsky.social
Incredible
esqueer.net
Sitting US Senator Alex Padilla forcibly wrestled to the ground and arrested by the FBI for attempting to ask a question of DHS secretary Kristin Noem.
Reposted by Ben Clift
edburmila.bsky.social
When a cabinet member announces "We are using the military to liberate an American city from its elected leaders," where do you go from there. What is left to say. The idea of that being anything short of a near-universal "Wait, what the fuck is going on" moment proves how far we've backslid.
Reposted by Ben Clift
maxwellfrost.bsky.social
We are marching to Senator Thune’s office. There must be accountability for the detainment of a Senator. This is not normal.
Reposted by Ben Clift
markjacob.bsky.social
As a four-decade veteran of the daily journalism business, let me tell you: Every competent political reporter in this country knows that Trump is trying to establish a dictatorship. The industry's shame is that so few journalists will say so, and the ones who do lose their jobs.
Reposted by Ben Clift
financialtimes.com
US Senator Alex Padilla was wrestled to ground after raising questions during US Homeland Security secretary Kristi Noem's press conference, in a dramatic escalation of tensions in California. www.ft.com/content/93f1...
Reposted by Ben Clift
50501newyork.bsky.social
“They are building a techno-authoritarian surveillance state. We can see that happening in real time. This is huge amounts of data on every single person in America that can and will be used in opaque & unaccountable ways—and it is terrifying.”

Must watch interview with @carolecadwalla.bsky.social.
Carole Cadwalladr - Broligarchs, AI, and a Techno-Authoritarian Surveillance State | The Daily Show
YouTube video by The Daily Show
youtu.be
Reposted by Ben Clift
Reposted by Ben Clift
nadiawhittomemp.bsky.social
The government is legitimising Reform with anti-migrant rhetoric while alienating long-time Labour voters by shifting to the right.

This won't defeat the far right, nor will it improve lives ruined by austerity - it's clearly a lose-lose strategy.
Reposted by Ben Clift
casmudde.bsky.social
This obsession is with “young men turning to the right” is everything that is wrong with the discussion about the far right.

It is not just an inadequate read of what is happening, and a bias towards the male norm, but it also normalizes the far right and obscures support for inclusive politics. 🧵
Reposted by Ben Clift
warwickpais.bsky.social
Our programmes bring together students from around the world to explore global challenges. Be part of a diverse, dynamic, and inclusive academic community.

Find out more about Postgraduate study with us at buff.ly/4aZXoLO.