Big congratulations, Theresa!
23.09.2025 08:27
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Big congratulations, Theresa!
Very excited to take part in the upcoming @mysociety.org event. Iโll be sharing my research on what information citizens seek from their governments, drawing on an analysis of ATI requests sent to the UK central government via the @whatdotheyknow.bsky.social platform. Join us here: bit.ly/3In2szZ
no better way to depart from #ecprgc25 than ๐ my paper just published in @eupthejournal.bsky.social! I find localism in an unlikely place & show that people feel more represented when they live in incumbent MEPs' hometowns, using survey data from ๐ท๐ด๐ญ๐บ๐ฎ๐น๐ง๐ช doi.org/10.1177/1465... #Polisky
๐ Delighted to share new research out today: The Political Consequences of the Mental Load
๐ European Sociological Review
doi.org/10.1093/esr/jcaf019
@europeansocreview.bsky.social
What happens to political engagement when the โmental loadโ of running a household gets too heavy? ๐งต
"First, please please please letโs move on from the Harry Potter references."
Kevin Munger is the best. Period.
His response to the Economist article is great:
kevinmunger.substack.com/p/i-guess-th...
๐ข CALL FOR PAPERS!
Weโre looking for presenters for the upcoming term (early October to mid-December 2025).
If youโd like to present, please fill out the form here: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
๐ Deadline for proposals: August 31
President Nawrocki starts his five-year term in Poland.
This presidency is expected to bring a much more difficult cohabitation with Tusk's government than under President Duda. Nawrocki is set to clash with the government over the rule of law. And he is already criticizing judges. Let's unpack.
Thank you, Zac, for your kind words and support throughout the years! :)
Big thank you to @alexparsons.bsky.social & @mysociety.org for the WhatDoTheyKnow data - without their support, this research would not be possible! And to all of you who provided feedback on the numerous drafts ;)
The interactions through ATI laws also represent a useful opportunity for civil servants to explain and clarify any ambiguities that citizens have. The findings show that information requests represent for people a vital communication channel with public administration.
Information requests could serve as a litmus test for newly adopted or reformed policies for policymakers. It can provide them with insightful information on how citizens see and experience these policies and use this information as feedback to be incorporated into modifying these policies.
The most represented topic was the UK Welfare reform. In-depth analysis of selected requests demonstrated that policy beneficiaries were confused about changes. They used ATI legislation to raise criticism of the reform or seek clarification on how it would affect their individual cases.
People submit ATI requests when they are not listened to on other platforms for communicating with public administration and their elected representatives.
Requesters donโt just seek transparency and accountability, as was the initial expectation for passing ATI laws. They use ATI to navigate everyday life, raise concerns about new or recently reformed policies, and seek clarification on how they will impact their lives.
Using a dataset of 37k ATI requests submitted via the WhatDoTheyKnow platform (WDTK) to the UK central government bodies, I used structural topic modelling to explore what it is that UK citizens want to know from their government. I find that the information demand is very heterogeneous.
In this research, I examine what information requests can tell us about information-seeking patterns, public concerns, policy acceptance and engagement with the government.
๐ข New Publication!
Iโm happy to share that my research on access to information found its home in the Journal of Quantitative Description: Digital Media.
Hereโs the link to the full study (open access):
journalqd.org/article/view...
We had a sense that we lost an entire generation of Palestinian journalists, but seeing the actual figures (a person behind each) is shocking.
Most were local journalists - people who risked their lives to report on the ground, document human rights abuses, and bring stories that might otherwise remain untold.
In just one year, 113 journalists and media workers were killed in direct reprisal for their work. Of those, 82 were killed in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) provides one of the most comprehensive longitudinal global datasets on journalists and media workers who have been killed, imprisoned, or gone missing. Last year was the deadliest year for journalists since CPJ began collecting this data in 1992.
If you have time and are interested in gender & politics, join me on 6 May 2025, 14:15โ15:15 CEST (online)! Iโll be sharing some work-in-progress on how gender influences which issues get attention in the Slovak parliament: www.eui.eu/events?id=57.... Feedback is much appreciated!
Law enforcement wearing masks, again, even as one of the Trump administration conditions for universities is that no-one can wear a mask that disrupts their surveillance.
If you are visiting the United States, having a negative view of Trump is enough to get you denied entry.
If this was coming out of Russia or China, we would deplore such an authoritarian attack on freedom of expression.
I guess it's time to re up this - in case you want to donate to Ukraine - a short thread: u24.gov.ua offers different types of donations (you choose if it's humanitarian, science, medical, defence, rebuilding Ukraine)
NEW: Voice of America is in upheaval. Journalists are facing HR investigations for comments critical of Trump. One of VOA's highest-profile journalists was put on leave today after a Trump aide called him a traitor. And the White House bureau chief was reassigned. www.nytimes.com/2025/02/28/b...
๐จApplications Open!
Round 3 of the FRONTIERS Science Journalism Residency Program is now accepting applications from early-career journalists.
๐ Open to journalists with up to five years of experience
๐
Deadline: 6 May'25 (17hCET)
Learn more and apply ๐ bit.ly/4hmg4Yt
@ercresearch.bsky.social
It captures how Mariรกn Koฤner, accused of ordering Jรกnโs murder and sentenced for financial fraud, was able to thrive with impunity for so long. You can get it too (thereโs also an English version): donio.sk/vydanie-knih...
