Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Cline Center @cline-center.bsky.social · Aug 27

Human flourishing starts with informed decisions. The Cline Center's mission is to advance this by turning complex data into actionable insights. Learn how our interdisciplinary teams are creating impactful knowledge for a better world.

Cline Center @cline-center.bsky.social · Aug 19

Our website has interactive maps you can use to explore the frequency of coup events around the world. You can find them here:

Coup d'État Project | Cline Center

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

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Cline Center @cline-center.bsky.social · Aug 13

Coups d'etat come in many forms, as exemplified by the Romanian Revolution of 1989. Signifying the end of a totalitarian regime, this event is classified in our Coup d'Etat Project as a realized coup that involved a popular revolt. Learn more from this video:

The Romanian Revolution of 1989

At the Cline Center, we maintain one of the largest global registries of coups d’état. In this video, we examine the complex events of the Romanian Revolution of 1989 and explain why our Coup d’État…

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Cline Center @cline-center.bsky.social · Aug 5

Cline Center director Scott Althaus discussed the SPOTLITE data release with WBEZ. He says, "The Cline Center Spotlight project aims to rebuild trust between law enforcement agencies and the communities they serve." Read here:

Police use of force is declining, according to University of Illinois study

The study looked at national incidents of police using lethal force. The total number of such incidents in 2023 was the lowest in almost a decade.

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Cline Center @cline-center.bsky.social · Aug 1

Our latest SPOTLITE data reveals a 24% decrease in police-involved lethal force incidents in the U.S. from 2021 to 2023, marking 2023 as having the fewest incidents since 2015. More details can be found about the SPOTLITE Project here: buff.ly/KTLl0nW

Cline Center @cline-center.bsky.social · Jul 30

Of the civilians we were able to classify, we found 47.1% were White, 35.1% were Black, 16.6% were Hispanic, and 1.6% were Asian/Pacific Islander.

Learn more about our SPOTLITE Project here: buff.ly/KTLl0nW

Cline Center @cline-center.bsky.social · Jul 30

Our latest release of SPOTLITE data offers for the first time a comprehensive picture of the demographic characteristics of civilians involved in police uses of lethal force on a national scale, including incidents without lethal outcomes.

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Reposted by Cline Center

Scott Althaus @salthaus.bsky.social · Jul 24

Big news from the @cline-center.bsky.social: police uses of lethal force in the US dropped 24% from 2021 to 2023, with 2023 having the smallest number of lethal force incidents involving police since 2015.

news.illinois.edu/research-pol...

Research: Police uses of lethal force dropped dramatically in US from 2021-23 – News Bureau

news.illinois.edu

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Cline Center @cline-center.bsky.social · Jul 24

We’re proud to share the latest update to our SPOTLITE project, which now includes data through 2023. The database documents 28,726 incidents of police use of lethal force from 2014–2023. Learn more: buff.ly/KTLl0nW

Cline Center @cline-center.bsky.social · Jul 17

The Cline Center is happy to announce the Cline Center’s 2025-2026 David F. Linowes Fellows. Congratulations to Professors Yun Huang and Don Casler @doncasler.bsky.social! You can learn more about their projects and the Linowes Fellowship here: : buff.ly/Sc6usa4

Cline Center @cline-center.bsky.social · Jul 10

Since 1945, there have been 374 attempted coups, 262 conspiracies, and 458 successful coups globally, and we're still counting. We have one of the largest global registries in the world, and we continue to monitor these political events. Learn more through interactive maps here:

Coup d'État Project | Cline Center

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

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Cline Center @cline-center.bsky.social · Jul 2

The Cline Center is redefining research by blending social science, humanities, and data science. From next-gen tools to news analysis at extreme scales, we’re making data work for scholars.

Cline Center @cline-center.bsky.social · Jun 26

Did you know that the countries with the most coup activity are Bolivia, Sudan, Argentina, Haiti, and Venezuela? This includes successful and attempted coups as well as conspiracies. Explore more from our coup data here: buff.ly/GAeuLwQ

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Cline Center @cline-center.bsky.social · Jun 18

The top 5 states with the most police uses of lethal force according to SPOTLITE registry are California, Texas, Florida, Georgia, and Ohio. Learn more on SPOTLITE dashboard: buff.ly/ie2VyW6

Cline Center @cline-center.bsky.social · Jun 9

The Cline Center’s expansive global news index illuminate societal well-being and the forces that shape it. Dive into the data that drives change: buff.ly/3XZYRJD

Cline Center @cline-center.bsky.social · Jun 3

The Cline Center’s research employs news indexes and unique datasets to fuel social science research focused on societal well-being. Here’s a look at the data resources we curate to support impactful studies and data: buff.ly/PLd8gfd

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Cline Center @cline-center.bsky.social · May 26

Coups come in 3 types: successful, attempted, and conspiracy. Want to learn more about global coup d'etats? Explore our updated dataset: buff.ly/tRLyYrn

Cline Center @cline-center.bsky.social · May 22

The Cline Center is pleased to announce the Cline Center’s 2024 Schroeder Summer Fellowships. Congrats to Larissa Migotto Brandolt and Do Young Gong! To read about their interesting projects visit: buff.ly/kej5XQJ

Cline Center @cline-center.bsky.social · May 20

How do police uses of lethal force impact communities? The Cline Center's SPOTLITE registry is designed to shed light on critical issues by providing detailed data on incidents across the United States, supporting evidence-based policy reform.
Learn more: buff.ly/3B9GmwX

Cline Center @cline-center.bsky.social · May 6

Archer is the Cline Center’s tool for accessing the Global News Index. Now, you can learn more about how to use its tools through our video series, available on Youtube: www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...

Cline Center for Advanced Social Research

The Cline Center for Advanced Social Research works to equip and empower social scientists, humanists, and data scientists to address 21st century challenges that threaten human flourishing - climate…

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Cline Center @cline-center.bsky.social · Apr 23

With the Washington Post discontinuing its fatal police shootings database, the Cline Center is committed to expanding SPOTLITE—our database tracking police uses of lethal force. 2014-2021 data can be found: clinecenter.illinois.edu/spotlite
2022 and 2023 will be released soon

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Cline Center @cline-center.bsky.social · Apr 22

Happy Earth Day! Protecting our planet isn't just an environmental issue—it's foundational to all fields of study, including social research. Let's work together to ensure a sustainable future🌎

Cline Center @cline-center.bsky.social · Apr 16

Discover Archer: the Cline Center’s tool for accessing the Global News Index. With a user-friendly interface and advanced API capabilities, Archer empowers users to refine queries, create facets, and visualize results easily. Explore its potential: clinecenter.illinois.edu/project/data...

Archer | Cline Center

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

clinecenter.illinois.edu

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Cline Center @cline-center.bsky.social · Apr 10

Thank you @jatucker.bsky.social for guiding UIUC students and faculty in a timely conversation about how to mitigate online harms. We discussed navigating one of the most pressing challenges of our time: how to navigate information -- real or false -- in a digital ecosystem.

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Cline Center @cline-center.bsky.social · Apr 8

True scientific progress requires validity, replication & falsifiability. That’s why we prioritize transparency in methods, measures & quality criteria—ensuring research that stands the test of time.

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