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Alexander Hudson

@aehudson.bsky.social
298 followers 473 following 51 posts

Political scientist | Assessing democracy @internationalidea.bsky.social | Author of The Veil of Participation (CUP) bit.ly/3jHUfYt | 🇨🇦 in 🇸🇪 | Posting in a personal capacity.

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Reposted by Alexander Hudson
UCL Constitution Unit @conunitucl.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Is democracy declining? What do citizens think? Has anywhere stemmed or reversed backsliding? On 13 October, hear from @clandwehr.bsky.social, Seema Shah @internationalidea.bsky.social and Jan Teorell @vdeminstitute.bsky.social at our free, online event. Sign up 👉️ ucl.zoom.us/webinar/regi....
The health of democracy in 2026. Tuesday 13 October 2026. 1:00pm–2:00pm. Prof Claudia Landwehr. Dr Seema Shah. Prof Jan Teorell. Chair: Prof Alan Renwick. UCL Constitution Unit.
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ConstitutionNet @constitutionnet.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
In Chapter 1 of our Annual Review, Adem Kassie Abebe draws on interviews with reform leaders in #Bangladesh, #Ghana, and #Palestine. He explores how reformers navigate political realities, public participation, and competing demands while pursuing constitutional change: buff.ly/sqUxfm7
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ConstitutionNet @constitutionnet.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
📢 Out now: Annual Review of Constitution-Building 2025 From political transitions and democratic backsliding to youth mobilization and constitutional resilience, the Review tracks key developments worldwide. Read more: buff.ly/sqUxfm7 #ConstitutionBuilding #Democracy
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International IDEA @internationalidea.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
⏳ Only one week left to wait! Join us on 15 September at 16:30 CEST for the launch of the Global State of Democracy Report 2026: ‘Democracy in an Age of Conflict’. 🌍📊 Register now: www.bit.ly/GSoD2026Launch #GSoD2026 #DemocraticResilience
bit.ly
Launch of The Global State of Democracy Report 2026: Democracy in an Age of Conflict | International IDEA
Can democracy withstand an age of conflict? Join us for the live launch of International IDEA’s 2026 edition of the flagship Global State of Democracy Report: ‘Democracy in an Age of Conflict’ on 15 September 2026, 16:30-18:00 CEST. Be part of the conversation and share your reflections using #GSoD2026 and #DemocraticResilience.
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Alexander Hudson @aehudson.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
I read this Substack post from the great Paul Wells a week or more ago, and I keep coming back to it. He really nails the application of the 'medium sized lie' that marks out the followers of an authoritarian leader. Highly recommended reading: paulwells.substack.com/p/on-falling...
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Alexander Hudson @aehudson.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
I highly recommend this book. The theory is interesting and thought provoking, and the empirical chapters provide a compelling set of tests.
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Heike Klüver @heikekluever.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
📣 We're hiring! Looking for a PostDoc? Join our team in Berlin! Work with @heikekluever.bsky.social, @macartan.bsky.social and Johannes Giesecke at Humboldt University, @scripts-berlin.eu and @humboldt-govlab.bsky.social Great people, great project, great city! 🗓️ Deadline: 15 August 2026
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glodemcoalition.bsky.social @glodemcoalition.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
On October 1st, 2026, we will convene the GDC Global Forum in Athens. Held in conjunction with the Athens Democracy Forum on 29&30 September, this will be a key moment for the coalition. Save the Date! Further details will follow soon. Event webpage and interest form in the comments. #GDCForum2026
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Alexander Hudson @aehudson.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
I'm biased, but this report is thought provoking and useful. It's also a very interesting read. We're looking forward to doing more research like this in the coming years.
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Svend-Erik Skaaning @skaaning.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
New book on democracy. #OpenAccess Seven Myths about Democracy by Jørgen Møller & Svend-Erik Skaaning, Routledge taylorfrancis.com/books/oa-mon.... Challenges (full or partial) misunderstandings about the meaning, trajectory, causes, and consequences of democracy.
taylorfrancis.com
Seven Myths about Democracy | Jørgen Møller, Svend-Erik Skaaning | Tay
This timely book challenges seven widespread misconceptions about democracy that continue to shape public and academic debates about its past, present, and
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Udit Bhatia @uditbhatia.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
Come work with me! 2x 4-year postdocs. Open to political theorists, historians, and social scientists.
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Alexander Hudson @aehudson.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
It's a big week for democracy reports, so it's a good time to *tap the sign* on how I think we should read these reports. www.idea.int/blog/line-go...
idea.int
Line goes down: Or, how not to read a democracy report
If you’re reading this blog post, you’re most likely a person who is used to looking at trend lines. Trend lines are everywhere, tracking things like stock prices, sea-surface temperatures, crime rate...
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Reposted by Alexander Hudson
Dave Karpf @davekarpf.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
New post: Can AI Replace Social Science Researchers? (No. No it can't. Come on, now.) davekarpf.beehiiv.com/p/can-ai-rep...
davekarpf.beehiiv.com
Can AI Replace Social Science Researchers?
No. No it can't. Come on, now.
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International IDEA @internationalidea.bsky.social · 26/01/2026
When protests go viral, democracy goes digital. Democracy Assessment Intern Bjorn Carlson sits down with Bulgarian activists Malena Malcheva and Valeria Berkova to unpack how Gen Z is turning social media into a tool for democratic participation. Read more: bit.ly/49XpxTB
bit.ly
Democracy Goes Digital: Social Media and Bulgaria’s Gen Z Protests
Standing in her closet, folding clothes and speaking into a spatula suspended from the ceiling as a prop microphone, Bulgarian influencer and self-declared “Gen Z Machiavellian” Flora Stratieva (@flor...
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International IDEA @internationalidea.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
How can democratic systems be designed to remain resilient in an era of rapid political, technological, and social change? At #IICDEM2026, International IDEA's experts presented Strategic Foresight as a key tool for anticipating Democracy in 2050. @gibajaalberto.bsky.social @aehudson.bsky.social
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International IDEA @internationalidea.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
Democracy that Delivers - Our #DemocracyAssessment experts @aehudson.bsky.social and Atsuko Hirakawa, and Director for Asia & The Pacific @leenarikkila.bsky.social examine the practical performance of democratic institutions in delivering tangible outcomes for citizens. #IICDEM2026
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David Kenny @dkennytcd.bsky.social · 09/12/2025
New symposium issue of Comparative Constitutional Studies: “After the Referendum”. Includes analysis of referendum failures in Ireland (by me), Australia, Chile, and Taiwan, alongside other great papers and book discussion. Open access for a limited time! www.elgaronline.com/view/journal...
elgaronline.com
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International IDEA @internationalidea.bsky.social · 04/12/2025
#IDEACouncil convened for a session chaired by Swiss Ambassador to Sweden Adrian Junker. The Council reviewed highlights of the #IDEA30Years anniversary and approved a Strategy update along with the Programme and Budget for 2026. We look forward to continued cooperation to advance #democracy.
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Evidence in Governance and Politics (EGAP) @egap.bsky.social · 05/12/2025
Thank you to representatives from @internationalidea.bsky.social @idos-research.bsky.social @norad.no & the Advisory Council of International Affairs of the Netherlands for joining us and sharing your perspectives!
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Will Lowe @conjugateprior.org · 26/11/2025
"...in Times of Crisis" is the go to panel title around here, regardless of topic. One of the panelists must claim that something is "a wake-up call" and that something else is "not a panacea". An audience member will ask something about the "global south" and everyone will politely ignore them.
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Matt Martin @mattjmartin.com · 20/11/2025
The new Comparative Constitutions Project website is now live! Developed by yours truly. We're also releasing version 5.0 of our Constitutional Chronology and Constitutional Characteristics datasets, updated through 2023. Explore and download: comparativeconstitutionsproject.org
comparativeconstitutionsproject.org
Comparative Constitutions Project
Producing data about constitutions. Impacting the constitution-making process. Promoting peace, justice, and human development.
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Connor Ewing @cmewing.bsky.social · 20/11/2025
If you'd like to read a better account of the separation of powers—understood as a political architecture rather than a legalistic doctrine—check out @trivesbell.bsky.social's wonderful new book.
amazon.com
The Constitution of Conflict: How the Supreme Court Undermines the Separation of Powers (Constitutional Thinking)
The Constitution of Conflict: How the Supreme Court Undermines the Separation of Powers (Constitutional Thinking) [Bell, Thomas] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The Constitution of Conflict: How the Supreme Court Undermines the Separation of Powers (Constitutional Thinking)
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Thomas Bell @trivesbell.bsky.social · 18/11/2025
Today is the release date for my new book The Constitution of Conflict, published by @univpressofkansas.bsky.social! The book argues that the separation of powers is better understood as a political architecture than a judicially-enforced legal doctrine. www.amazon.com/Constitution...
amazon.com
The Constitution of Conflict: How the Supreme Court Undermines the Separation of Powers (Constitutional Thinking)
The Constitution of Conflict: How the Supreme Court Undermines the Separation of Powers (Constitutional Thinking) [Bell, Thomas] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The Constitution of Conflict: How the Supreme Court Undermines the Separation of Powers (Constitutional Thinking)
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International IDEA @internationalidea.bsky.social · 21/10/2025
🌍 Between 15-17 Oct, @internationalidea.bsky.social & BIRN Albania hosted “The Future of Democracy in the Western Balkans” foresight workshop in Albania, marking our renewed focus on the region. We explored possible scenarios for #democracy through 2040 and the key factors that may shape its future.
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Klaudia Wegschaider @wegschaider.bsky.social · 15/10/2025
Migrant Electoral Rights Dataset (1960-2020) 📊 Link to dataset: hdl.handle.net/1814/93661 📕 Link to codebook: cadmus.eui.eu/server/api/c... 💼 Link to 400 page documentation: cadmus.eui.eu/server/api/c...
hdl.handle.net
MER Migrant Electoral Rights dataset
Suffrage is a central element of democracy. Over time, electoral rights have increasingly become available to migrants—both as non-citizen residents and as non-resident citizens. However, existing dat...
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Alexander Hudson @aehudson.bsky.social · 15/10/2025
It was great to be back at Forum2000 this year. There were interesting speeches from María Corina Machado, Salome Zourabichvili, and Petr Pavel. Notably absent from most of the discussions, however, were the small matters of the dramatic degradation of US democracy and climate change.
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International IDEA @internationalidea.bsky.social · 10/10/2025
We celebrate the decision of the @nobelpeacecenter.bsky.social Committee to award the 2025 #NobelPeacePrize to Venezuelan democracy champion Maria Corina Machado. It is a timely recognition of the essential relationship between #democracy and #peace. www.idea.int/news/stateme...
idea.int
Statement on the award of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize to Maria Corina Machado
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free bahruz samadov (mike) @molenasreddin.bsky.social · 03/10/2025
we at the IDEA democracy assessment team have written an explainer on 'democratic resilience': what it means, where it came from, and what it needs to mean if we're to have a democratic future. hope you give it a read! www.idea.int/blog/democra...
idea.int
Democracy Notes Explainer: What is democratic resilience?
The term ‘democratic resilience’ is increasingly common in the public lexicon, making prominent appearances in official policy documents, in academic and
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Alexander Hudson @aehudson.bsky.social · 03/10/2025
If a party narrowly wins an election and then implements a very good (or bad) agenda, how should we evaluate democracy in that country? Measures of democratic performance will certainly be affected, but is that enough of the story? I have some thoughts on the matter. www.idea.int/blog/line-go...
idea.int
Line goes down: Or, how not to read a democracy report
If you’re reading this blog post, you’re most likely a person who is used to looking at trend lines. Trend lines are everywhere, tracking things like stock prices, sea-surface temperatures, crime rate...
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Popehat @kenwhite.bsky.social · 02/10/2025
Every few months now I re-read this "Who Goes Nazi?" piece from 1941 and am blown away by how it captures the people we are dealing with 80 years later. harpers.org/archive/1941...
harpers.org
Who Goes Nazi?, by Dorothy Thompson
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Klaudia Wegschaider @wegschaider.bsky.social · 01/10/2025
🤔 Curious about our new open access dataset on migrant electoral rights? Join us for the webinar to get an overview. 📊
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Alexander Hudson @aehudson.bsky.social · 30/09/2025
At a time like this, we really need more from journalism than this mealy-mouthed non-statement. Also amazing that this came out the same day as Secretary Hegseth stated his opposition to 'stupid rules of engagement'.
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Anna Fruhstorfer @annakfruhstorfer.bsky.social · 22/09/2025
Something I have been working on is starting to feel real, the proofs of Constitutional Change under Autocracy have arrived. I could not be more excited! Publication is expected in early 2026.
Book Cover with title (constitutional change under autocracy), author (Anna Fruhstorfer), and publisher (Oxford University Press).First page of proof with book title, author, and publisher
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International IDEA @internationalidea.bsky.social · 12/09/2025
Yesterday, @internationalidea.bsky.social launched its Global State of Democracy 2025 Report: #DemocracyOnTheMove. The #GSoD2025 report focuses on the intersection between #migration and #democracy. (Re)Watch the live recording of the event ➡️ youtube.com/live/fom0bzA... #DemocracyForAll
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Alexander Hudson @aehudson.bsky.social · 15/09/2025
As you've likely heard, today is the International Day of Democracy. A good day to read a report about the Global State of Democracy? I know that can seem like a herculean labour one would rather walk past.
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Maarten Vink @maartenpvink.bsky.social · 11/09/2025
Great to see @globalcit.bsky.social’s Rainer Bauböck at the launch of the @internationalidea.bsky.social Global State of Democracy Report 2025. Emphasising the important implications of out-of-country voting in times of democratic recession both in migrant origin countries and destination countries.
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Klaudia Wegschaider @wegschaider.bsky.social · 09/09/2025
➡️📍📑 New Working Paper with @sumpierrez.bsky.social and Rainer Bauböck Work on migrant voting rights often has a state-centric perspective. We propose *migrant franchise constellations* as a migrant-centric approach. A 🧵 with our argument and new data! 🗳️ preprints.apsanet.org/engage/apsa/...
The expansion of voting rights beyond territory and citizenship marks a major democratic development of the last fifty years. Migrant suffrage has been mostly studied from a state-centric perspective. But the rights that migrants hold emerge from specific combinations of the country of residence and the country of citizenship. From this migrant-centric perspective, what is the diagnosis of the spread and status of global migrant suffrage? We present franchise constellations as a migrant-centric framework for studying voting rights. Drawing on the most comprehensive dataset on migrant electoral rights, combined with novel data on nationality-specific restrictions, we compute almost 1.3 million dyad-year observations based on 172 countries between 1960 and 2020. Using migrant stock data, we find that at least 74 million migrants remained completely disenfranchised in 2020. Bilateral and multilateral efforts emerge as a fruitful path for addressing global migrant disenfranchisement.
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Ryan Briggs @ryancbriggs.net · 10/09/2025
The pretty draft is now online. Link to paper (free): www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/epdf/10.... Our replication package starts from the raw data and we put real work into making it readable & setting it up so people could poke at it, so please do explore it: dataverse.harvard.edu/dataset.xhtm...
The social sciences face a replicability crisis. A key determinant of replication success is statistical power. We assess the
power of political science research by collating over 16,000 hypothesis tests from about 2,000 articles in 46 areas of the
discipline. Under generous assumptions, we show that quantitative research in political science is greatly underpow-
ered: the median analysis has about 10% power, and only about 1 in 10 tests have at least 80% power to detect the
consensus effects reported in the literature. We also find substantial heterogeneity in tests across research areas, with
some being characterized by high power but most having very low power. To contextualize our findings, we survey
political methodologists to assess their expectations about power levels. Most methodologists greatly overestimate the
statistical power of political science research.
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International IDEA @internationalidea.bsky.social · 03/09/2025
From Research to Practice Voices from Our Pilot Areas The third panel of #LegitimultFinalConference, featuring @internationalidea.bsky.social’s Democracy Assessment experts @aehudson.bsky.social & @gentagola.bsky.social, focuses on lessons learnt and good practices for future activities.
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Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 28/08/2025
New, from me: America is no longer a functioning democracy. It is a competitive authoritarian system, hurtling rapidly toward authoritarianism. This was a hard piece to write but we can't move forward if we don’t acknowledge where we are. donmoynihan.substack.com/p/the-author...
donmoynihan.substack.com
The authoritarian checklist
It is time to admit that America is no longer a functioning democracy
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Alexander Hudson @aehudson.bsky.social · 28/08/2025
You'll read the report anyway (right?), so why watch the launch? It's a time-effective way to hear the main messages from the report directly from one of the authors. And, there will be an outstanding panel discussion with a diverse panel of external experts. Sign up to see it live, or watch later.
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Alexander Hudson @aehudson.bsky.social · 27/08/2025
I have worried a bit about how reports on the state of democracy that are (1) based on data from expert surveys that may then (2) be read by the coders, could create a feedback loop that would bias future measures. Good to see some empirical tests of this, and that it's not a problem for V-Dem.
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Centre for Deliberative Democracy @deldemucan.bsky.social · 08/08/2025
🔔 New Book Alert 🔔 "The Sciences of the Democracies" by our colleague Jean-Paul Gagnon and over 30 contributors challenges us to rethink how we understand and study democracy. Congratulations to all the authors! Open access download here: uclpress.co.uk/book/the-sci...
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Alexander Hudson @aehudson.bsky.social · 07/08/2025
I have been fortunate to have a small part in an interesting and provocative book that was just published yesterday. Among other things, the book is a call to radically open up our study of democracy -- including what it looks like, where it happens, and who the participants in it may be.
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Constitutional Studies @constlstudies.bsky.social · 16/06/2025
We are thrilled to relaunch this year as an international, multilingual, open access journal, published by the Comparative Constitutions Project and the International Association of Constitutional Law. First reissue out this June! Read more at tinyurl.com/mtsuc85u and follow to get future issues!
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Alexander Hudson @aehudson.bsky.social · 13/06/2025
I guess I'm a 'long-time listener, first-time host' for International IDEA's podcast. I had the great pleasure to talk to two science journalists about their experiences covering the Covid-19 pandemic, and more broadly about the role of journalism in democracy. www.idea.int/podcasts/leg...
idea.int
Legitimult: Making democracy crisis-proof III
This is the third of a podcast series featuring LEGITIMULT, its findings and tools for addressing and solving future crises. This episode builds “Lessons from Covid-19 – Journalism in a Post-Pandemic ...
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International IDEA @internationalidea.bsky.social · 12/06/2025
The Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs hosts the flagship event of #IDEA30Years with remarks by Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard and Secretary-General @kevincasasz.bsky.social. Former President of Chile Michelle Bachelet provided an engaging keynote speech. #DemocracyIsAVerb
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International IDEA @internationalidea.bsky.social · 10/06/2025
As we celebrate #IDEA30years, we have partnered with Sweden to convene one of the world’s biggest gatherings of election authorities, to discuss ways of confronting new threats of disinformation, election denialism and autocratic interference. #ProtectElections #DemocracyForAll
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Svend-Erik Skaaning @skaaning.bsky.social · 02/05/2025
Interested in debates about how to measure democracy and/or the use of observable and judgmental indicators? Then check out this piece.
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