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Matt Polacko

@mattpolacko.bsky.social

430 followers 460 following 17 posts

Postdoctoral Researcher @ University of Calgary | Politics of Inequality | mattpolacko.com

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Matt Polacko @mattpolacko.bsky.social · Aug 25

🚨New Publication🚨

Using the entire #Canadian Election Study (1965–2021), I examine voter turnout by class, education, & income over time & test whether the offerings of political parties impact these relationships.

Available #OpenAccess in @cjps-rcsp.bsky.social
#polisky

doi.org/10.1017/S000...

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Ruth Dassonneville @rdassonneville.bsky.social · 2d

Really excited that after several years of working on it, revising, and getting lots of rejections, our paper (w/ Rune Stubager & Mads Thau) on citizens’ responses to group appeals is *finally* out @ejprjournal.bsky.social

www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

A 🧵 on our findings...

How group appeals shape candidate support: The role of group membership, identity strength, and deservingness perceptions | European Journal of Political Research | Cambridge Core

How group appeals shape candidate support: The role of group membership, identity strength, and deservingness perceptions

www.cambridge.org

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Good Authority @goodauth.bsky.social · 2d

Depressed people are more likely to support Donald Trump.

New research shows a connection between mental health and political attitudes.

See the data here: goodauthority.org/news/depress...

Depressed people are more likely to support Donald Trump.

New research shows a connection between mental health and political attitudes.

goodauthority.org

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Inequality.org @inequality.org · 2d

Economic populism can win back Rust Belt voters, but Democrats face an uphill battle to shake negative associations with the party, according to new polling and analysis from the Center for Working-Class Politics. inequality.org/article/can-...

Can Democrats Win Back Rust Belt Voters?

New research from the Center for Working-Class Politics shows that economic populists are popular, but the Democratic label is a drag.

inequality.org

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Jonathan Hopkin @jonathanhopkin.bsky.social · 1d

The mainstream of British politics is now advocating policies that are beyond the wildest dreams of the BNP of just two decades ago

Jonathan Portes @jdportes.bsky.social · 2d

David is slightly unfair. There is a clear difference here.

Conservatives and Reform plan to forcibly expel large numbers of people who are legal, permanent residents of migrant origin. The BNP proposal is voluntary.

David Herdson @davidherdson.bsky.social · 2d

This below is from the 2005 BNP manifesto.

Spot the difference with current Tory and Reform policy.

(p14 news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp... )

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Philipp Heimberger @heimbergecon.bsky.social · 1d

I fear that the decline of reading will have disastrous societal consequences.

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Giles Wilkes @gilesyb.bsky.social · 3d

"Polarisation may be an unhelpful term .... It implies that both sides are becoming equally extreme. Arguably the real dynamic is that elements of the right have hardened, embracing positions that would have been unacceptable a decade ago" on.ft.com/46TGRHs by @henrymance.ft.com 1/

How polarised is Britain?

Behind media perceptions of a sharpening political divide is a more complicated picture

on.ft.com

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Phil Burton-Cartledge @philbc3.bsky.social · 2d

The problem is the Tories stopped being a centre right party in 2019, and there's little sign of any dynamics that can move it back in that direction.

Rob Ford @robfordmancs.bsky.social · 2d

Hard agree - there are very vivid examples of why the disappearance of a functioning centre right option in a system which props up the two largest parties every single day, when the news reports on the Trump administration.

Stephen Bush @stephenkb.bsky.social · 2d

It's fascinating how there are still replies on this, and indeed on every post about the decline of the Tories, with people on the left and centre-left people going 'good'. Honestly, I don't know how big of a warning sign you need that the death of the Tory party is bad for your politics!

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Alexia Katsanidou @alexiakatsanidou.bsky.social · 2d

The relationship between income and vote has reversed in the USA.

Thomas J Wood @thomasjwood.bsky.social · 5d

The last time I posted the income relationship to presidential vote among White respondents to the @electionstudies.bsky.social ANES, people asked for additional estimates among all voters.

Updated estimates here:

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Michael de Adder @deadder.bsky.social · 5d

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Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 4d

These are the people getting huge tax cuts — paid for by cuts to health care for millions of Americans.

Every lie Trump and Republicans are telling right now is meant to distract you from this.

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Will Jennings 🗳️ @drjennings.bsky.social · 3d

Both the Conservatives and Labour have a reputation problem on immigration and are making things worse things with their strategies. Labour are fishing in the wrong pool of voters and never likely to be seen as tough enough. The Conservatives lack credibility thanks to their recent record in office.

The Guardian @theguardian.com · 3d

Tories to pledge to create immigration taskforce modelled on Trump’s Ice

Proposed ‘removals force’ will be tasked with deporting 150,000 people a year in bid to tackle illegal immigration The Conservatives will pledge to create a new immigration taskforce modelled on Donald Trump’s controversial Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) agency, the Guardian understands. The party’s leader, Kemi Badenoch, is expected to announce the policy on Sunday as it heads into its annual conference following a year of historic low poll ratings. The proposed “removals force” will be tasked with deporting 150,000 people a year in a bid to tackle illegal immigration. Continue reading...

www.theguardian.com

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The American Prospect @prospect.org · 3d

A proposed 2% wealth tax in France would affect 1800 people, and bring in $20 billion a year. It’s overwhelmingly popular, but it seems that Macron would rather let the far-right take power than tax the super-rich. From Robert Kuttner: trib.al/Snv1jbR

Taxing the Rich and the Survival of Emmanuel Macron

Today on TAP: A crucial political meeting in Paris today will force a choice between a popular wealth tax and a deepening political crisis.

trib.al

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Matt Polacko @mattpolacko.bsky.social · 4d

Thanks Raul!

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European Consortium for Political Research @ecpr.bsky.social · 5d

🏆 @mattpolacko.bsky.social has won the 2025 @epsrjournal.bsky.social Early Careers Prize for his outstanding contribution, 'Who benefits from the social democratic march to the middle?' 👏 Congratulations!

Read more 📑👉 buff.ly/gcFu5nf

#ECPRPrizes @luanarusso.bsky.social @andduer.bsky.social

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Matt Polacko @mattpolacko.bsky.social · 5d

Thanks Silke!

Matt Polacko @mattpolacko.bsky.social · 5d

Very grateful and honoured to be receiving the @epsrjournal.bsky.social Early Careers Prize. Many thanks to the committee! This provides great encouragement to continue researching the transformation of social democracy.

Article: doi.org/10.1017/S175...

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derek guy @dieworkwear.bsky.social · 6d

Jane Goodall was my first childhood hero, as I loved animals as a kid and was inspired by her story. I still remember the National Geographic specials about her. RIP.

Jane Goodall reaches out and touches a small monkey.

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Polling Canada @canadianpolling.bsky.social · 7d

Among immigrants - "Canada needs new immigrants"

🟢 Agree: 52%
⚫️ Disagree: 48%

Read it for free here: open.substack.com/pub/canadian...

Canada Divided on Immigration

Even immigrants themselves are split on the need for more newcomers to Canada

open.substack.com

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Caroline Lucas @carolinelucas.bsky.social · 6d

Sad news about such a pioneer and legend who did so much for animal protection and scientific research - and was the very best of us. RIP

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Jonathan V. Last @jvl.bsky.social · 8d

My thesis is that no matter how doomer you were in Nov. 2024, we're probably past your worst-case scenario for the first 9 months of this administration.

It's very strange for me to realize I wasn't pessimistic enough.

www.thebulwark.com/p/we-are-in-...

We Are in the Worst-Case Scenario

The November 2024 version of you would be shocked at what the September 2025 version accepts as reality.

www.thebulwark.com

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Jonathan Hopkin @jonathanhopkin.bsky.social · 8d

Labour are obviously not going to win a majority at the next election so the strategy should be to get as much done as they can while future proofing our democracy and building bridges with other non-xenophobic parties to form a broad front against Reform and Reform-lite

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Linda McQuaig @lindamcquaig.bsky.social · 8d

Here’s something that could make Canada Post profitable — like it did before -- but instead Mark Carney wants to gut our national post office. That’s no way to build a nation. #canlab #cdnpoli #postal #canpoli www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...

Linda McQuaig: Postal banking once made Canada Post profitable — and could again

Providing banking services to rural and low-income Canadians through post offices would be a Canada-first form of nation-building for the people.

www.thestar.com

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refugeepat.bsky.social @refugeepat.bsky.social · 8d

“For almost a century, Democrats have been at their strongest — when they united working people around a populist message powerful enough to overcome their cultural differences.”

Democrats Are in Crisis. Eat-the-Rich Populism Is the Only Answer. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/29/o...

Opinion | Democrats Are in Crisis. Eat-the-Rich Populism Is the Only Answer.

www.nytimes.com

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Anne Applebaum @anneapplebaum.bsky.social · 9d

An incredibly important election in a tiny country just went the right way. Moldova has resisted a huge Russian disinformation campaign and will not become a Russian puppet state.

Olga Nesterova @onestpress.onestnetwork.com · 9d

Moldova 🇲🇩 👍

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Prem Sikka @premnsikka.bsky.social · 11d

After the Brexit disaster Farage ally promises right-wing Bolshevik Revolution

Cull civil servants it doesn't like
Eliminate regulators
Tax cuts for the rich
Cut govt spending
More power to corporations
End ECHR
Mass deportation of legal immigrants

Will wreck economy/society
archive.ph/OcxzP

Reform UK must ‘get rid of virtually’ all regulators, says Nigel Farage ally

Arron Banks says rightwing party, if it wins power, should ‘cut away’ at civil service and roll back human rights laws

www.ft.com

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