Ben Yoel @benyoel.bsky.social · 16hQuestion to folks that have used CloudResearch for US surveys: do you know how to embed an attention check and use that to remove respondents + do the same with those that don't consent to take the survey? Thanks in advance for all the help! 011
Reposted by Ben YoelBen Yoel @benyoel.bsky.social · 30/09/2026How do elections in backsliding settings shape attitudes toward democracy? @gabrielagreilinger.com and I fielded two surveys: 1 pre/post & 1 after Hungary's election. In short, elections appear to increase satisfaction among winners, even months after. Working paper: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....papers.ssrn.comDemocratic Attitudes When Backsliding Reverses: Evidence from HungaryIncreasingly, opposition actors in settings undergoing democratic backsliding have been able to unseat anti-democratic incumbents. But unseating an anti-democra 2198
Reposted by Ben YoelGabriela Greilinger @gabrielagreilinger.com · 30/09/2026Excited to share our new working paper with @benyoel.bsky.social: we analyse public opinion dynamics around the consequential election in Hungary last April and specifically look at (anti-)democratic attitudes in the aftermath of Orbán's defeat. Available here: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....papers.ssrn.comDemocratic Attitudes When Backsliding Reverses: Evidence from HungaryIncreasingly, opposition actors in settings undergoing democratic backsliding have been able to unseat anti-democratic incumbents. But unseating an anti-democra 12411
Ben Yoel @benyoel.bsky.social · 30/09/2026Thank you so much! Any and all comments are most welcome. 110
Ben Yoel @benyoel.bsky.social · 30/09/2026Most alarming: we find, in the immediate aftermath of an election, winners became *more supportive* of anti-democratic principles, but that the effect of elections on such attitudes fades. We think the fact that a mere reminder of the election outcome increases SWD months after is quote noteworthy. 070
Ben Yoel @benyoel.bsky.social · 30/09/2026How do elections in backsliding settings shape attitudes toward democracy? @gabrielagreilinger.com and I fielded two surveys: 1 pre/post & 1 after Hungary's election. In short, elections appear to increase satisfaction among winners, even months after. Working paper: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....papers.ssrn.comDemocratic Attitudes When Backsliding Reverses: Evidence from HungaryIncreasingly, opposition actors in settings undergoing democratic backsliding have been able to unseat anti-democratic incumbents. But unseating an anti-democra 2198
Reposted by Ben YoelBen Yoel @benyoel.bsky.social · 29/09/2026Tomorrow at 9am PT/12pm EST/6pm CET, I'll be giving a talk at @snfagora.bsky.social (virtually) on my job market paper and book project on foreign pressure and opposition to democratic backsliding. All are welcome! Zoom link on website: snfagora.jhu.edu/event/academ...snfagora.jhu.edu 111
Ben Yoel @benyoel.bsky.social · 29/09/2026Tomorrow at 9am PT/12pm EST/6pm CET, I'll be giving a talk at @snfagora.bsky.social (virtually) on my job market paper and book project on foreign pressure and opposition to democratic backsliding. All are welcome! Zoom link on website: snfagora.jhu.edu/event/academ...snfagora.jhu.edu 111
Ben Yoel @benyoel.bsky.social · 25/09/2026Question to survey methods folks: is there a paper that shows/examines whether putting items in a matrix makes them more correlated as opposed to including them as separate individual items? Thanks in advance! 014
Ben Yoel @benyoel.bsky.social · 25/09/2026Sad I won't be there, but if you're in Atlanta/GA Tech this weekend, check out the excellent @gabrielagreilinger.com presenting our joint work on the effects of consequential elections in backsliding democracies on democratic attitudes and support for retaliation against former backsliding leaders. 021
Ben Yoel @benyoel.bsky.social · 21/09/2026I'm thrilled to be giving a talk at next week at the @snfagora.bsky.social Academy Workshop on my job market paper, where I examine the causes and consequences of foreign pressure on democracy and democratic backsliding. The talk is fully online, link to join here! snfagora.jhu.edu/event/academ...snfagora.jhu.eduInternational Pressure and Opposition to Democratic BackslidingRegister to attend by Zoom at https://zoom.us/meeting/register/pS1vAMA7QjGfAZ-xW3maiw. There is no in-person attendance for this event. Authoritarian and backsliding regimes actively seek to delegitimize domestic opposition movements. But it remains unclear […] 050
Ben Yoel @benyoel.bsky.social · 10/09/2026Yes, indeed. Very excited to be in the same cohort as @francescayton.bsky.social! 120
Ben Yoel @benyoel.bsky.social · 10/09/2026I'm very excited to have officially started as a Postdoc at @stanfordcddrl.bsky.social! I'm also grateful for their very kind write-up of my work, as well as that of my cohort members. If you're in the Bay Area this academic year, I'd love to grab coffee. cddrl.fsi.stanford.edu/news/introdu...cddrl.fsi.stanford.eduIntroducing CDDRL's 2026-27 Pre- & Postdoctoral FellowsIntroducing CDDRL's 2026-27 Pre- & Postdoctoral Fellows 192
Ben Yoel @benyoel.bsky.social · 06/09/2026APSA 2026 done! Was a pleasure to serve as a discussant for an awesome panel on measuring democratic erosion and present my JMP on foreign pressure and public support for pro-democracy movements. 020
Ben Yoel @benyoel.bsky.social · 06/09/2026Still around at APSA? I'll be presenting my job market paper on the effects of foreign cues on public attitudes toward pro-democracy movements today at 10am at Hynes! The panel features a diverse set of papers on the domestic and international politics of opposition to democratic backsliding. 062
Ben Yoel @benyoel.bsky.social · 03/09/2026Good to be in Boston for the first time. APSA Pre-Conference Job Market Workshop ✔️ now onto APSA! If you’re around tomorrow until Sunday, I’d love to grab coffee. I'll also be presenting my job market paper on Sunday at 10am. 040
Reposted by Ben YoelBen Yoel @benyoel.bsky.social · 01/09/2026It's hard to underscore how unprecedented this move is. We have never seen a mainstream Jewish (Zionist) politician join a predominantly Islamist party. Segalovitz served as a leading figure in the Israeli police and earned a lot of allies in the Arab sector. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/31/w...nytimes.comMansour Abbas Recruits Yoav Segalovitz to Join Raam Party in Israeli ElectionMansour Abbas has recruited a Jewish lawmaker best known for reducing the crime rate in Arab cities. Could that be enough to get Mr. Abbas a seat in the next government? 151
Ben Yoel @benyoel.bsky.social · 01/09/2026My work on support for diverse coalitions from Israel (using a survey I fielded in July 2025) suggests that while diverse coalitions are likely to lead to backlash, endorsements from trusted individuals can ameliorate perceptions of status threat. Paper: static1.squarespace.com/static/64078...static1.squarespace.com 000
Ben Yoel @benyoel.bsky.social · 01/09/2026Up until now, cross-group parties (i.e., Jewish-Arab ones) have predominantly been on the left and communist flanks in Israel. By joining Ra’am, an Islamist party, that had voted in line with the govt and was informally part of it, Segalovitz's move sets an incredibly critical precedent. 100
Ben Yoel @benyoel.bsky.social · 01/09/2026It's hard to underscore how unprecedented this move is. We have never seen a mainstream Jewish (Zionist) politician join a predominantly Islamist party. Segalovitz served as a leading figure in the Israeli police and earned a lot of allies in the Arab sector. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/31/w...nytimes.comMansour Abbas Recruits Yoav Segalovitz to Join Raam Party in Israeli ElectionMansour Abbas has recruited a Jewish lawmaker best known for reducing the crime rate in Arab cities. Could that be enough to get Mr. Abbas a seat in the next government? 151
Ben Yoel @benyoel.bsky.social · 31/08/2026I'll also have the pleasure of discussing four excellent papers on Friday at 2pm that seek to provide innovative measures to better understand trends in democratic backsliding by @semuhi.bsky.social, Daniel Quiroga-Angel, and the team at the Democratic Erosion Consortium. Come say hi if around! 020
Ben Yoel @benyoel.bsky.social · 31/08/2026Heading to APSA this week? I'll be presenting my solo work on the effects of foreign pressure on attitudes toward pro-democracy movements on Sunday at 10am, alongside excellent papers by @yukosato.bsky.social, @osamet.bsky.social, @ozlemtuncel.bsky.social, and Pelin Musil on opposition politics. 122
Ben Yoel @benyoel.bsky.social · 29/08/2026First trip to the Hoover archive! Super comprehensive collection of diplomatic cables. My first ever time doing archival data collection. Thanks to everyone for the advice and tips. 030
Ben Yoel @benyoel.bsky.social · 20/08/2026The TLDR of the paper: foreign cues can actually be quite powerful in shaping people's opinions toward pro-democracy movements and willingness to share information about them, but I find that this depends heavily on the content. In short, whether a foreign actor praises or shames matters a lot! 011
Ben Yoel @benyoel.bsky.social · 20/08/2026I'll be presenting my job market paper (part of my book) on this terrific panel in two weeks. More specifically, I examine the effects of foreign rhetorical pressure and attitudes toward pro-democracy movements in backsliding settings using two survey experiments. If you're at APSA come say hi! 172
Reposted by Ben YoelAvishay BSG (Ben-Sasson-Gordis) @avishaybsg.bsky.social · 17/08/2026Interested in Israeli election polling? My friend Tal Elovits created this wonderful aggregation website with plenty of quality of life features for the junkies among us. k26polls.co.il/en.htmlk26polls.co.ilThe data behind the seat projectionsRaw support percentages for every list, as filed with the Israeli Central Elections Committee. 1166
Ben Yoel @benyoel.bsky.social · 01/08/2026Thank you, Alex, and wonderful meeting in person at EPSS!! 000
Ben Yoel @benyoel.bsky.social · 31/07/2026I’m so thrilled and honored to be starting a Postdoc at @stanfordcddrl.bsky.social in the next few weeks! I’ll be mostly working on a book project on international pressure and opposition to backsliding. If you’re in or around Stanford and the Bay Area for the next year, I’d love to meet. 1120
Ben Yoel @benyoel.bsky.social · 31/07/2026Question to folks who have done/do archival research. What advice (if any) might you have? I'm doing some archival work for the first time for my book project at the Hoover Institution in a few weeks, and am primarily interested in digitizing documents. All comments/thoughts appreciated! 141
Ben Yoel @benyoel.bsky.social · 01/07/2026Congrats! Can't wait to read closely and cite. Will be of relevance for a piece @ozlemtuncel.bsky.social and I are working on, as well. 120
Ben Yoel @benyoel.bsky.social · 20/06/2026My first ever European conference ✔️! It was a delight to present my dissertation work on foreign pressure in an age of democratic backsliding, to discuss some awesome work on the international dimensions of autocratization, and meet scholars with shared interests from Europe and around the world. 090
Ben Yoel @benyoel.bsky.social · 19/06/2026Great to be at EPSS. Today at 5:10pm I’ll be presenting my work on foreign cues and public support for pro-democracy movements in backsliding contexts and discussing three excellent papers on the international consequences of autocratization across the Global North and South. 030
Ben Yoel @benyoel.bsky.social · 15/06/2026Abstract of the follow up study. I fielded a survey before and after Hungary’s election. In short, I find that foreign cues are especially powerful in shaping public opinion toward pro-democracy movements in the pre-election period. Come to my talk Friday to hear more! 010
Ben Yoel @benyoel.bsky.social · 15/06/2026Nice to be back in Europe. I‘m in Dublin and Belfast this week, and I’ll be presenting extensions of my dissertation work on foreign cues and support for pro-democracy movements at EPSS on Friday afternoon. If you’re in town, I’d love to meet! 150
Ben Yoel @benyoel.bsky.social · 12/06/2026In our Elements we demonstrate using survey experiments and observational data from five countries that democratic backsliding is rarely, if ever, ethnically neutral, and that citizens are much more open to tolerating anti-democratic actions against ethnic minorities. 084
Ben Yoel @benyoel.bsky.social · 12/06/2026I‘m thrilled to share that my manuscript, “Who Counts? Ethnicity and Support for Democratic Backsliding,” coauthored with Hannah Ridge, is now under advanced contract as a Cambridge Elements in Experimental Political Science and will hopefully be out in April 2027. Immensely grateful. 1131
Reposted by Ben YoelThe WhoGov Project @whogov.bsky.social · 09/06/2026We are happy to release Version 4 of WhoGov, which expands WhoGov to 2025. It now contains data on cabinet members from 1966-2025. The update is supported by UiO:Democracy and can be downloaded through GETGOV's page or through Nuffield College: politicscentre.nuffield.ox.ac.uk/whogov-datas.... 1/2sv.uio.noGoverning elites since the dawn of modern democracy (GETGOV) - Department of Political ScienceEver since humans settled into communities, there have been political classes. A small elite governs, while the majority are governed. Yet, who are the people in the governing elite? GETGOV will answe... 11810
Ben Yoel @benyoel.bsky.social · 09/06/2026We are continuously validating and updating the data. I, for one, am very grateful to have been able to have previously advised from folks from the State Department, Freedom House, and others on measuring democratic erosion, drawing from the data and my experience working on this. More in the paper! 030
Ben Yoel @benyoel.bsky.social · 09/06/2026We identify over 20,000 events pertaining to democratic erosion events in over 155 countries spanning the period from 2000-2024. In short, we find that, while democratic erosion events have sharply risen, so have resistance events. As such, democratic erosion is not inevitable. 151
Ben Yoel @benyoel.bsky.social · 09/06/2026I'm pleased to see our paper introducing the Democratic Erosion Event Dataset (DEED), an events-based dataset on democratic erosion, finally out in Nature Scientific Data. In our data, we distinguish between resistance, precursors, symptoms, and destabilizing events www.nature.com/articles/s41...nature.comThe Democratic Erosion Event Dataset (DEED) - Scientific DataScientific Data - The Democratic Erosion Event Dataset (DEED) 24014
Ben Yoel @benyoel.bsky.social · 07/06/2026EPSS paper submitted! I will be presenting the early stage theory & results from my book project on foreign cues and public support for pro-democracy movements in backsliding contexts on Friday the 19th at 5:10pm and discussing several terrific papers. If you will be at EPSS, I would love to meet. 180
Ben Yoel @benyoel.bsky.social · 28/05/2026Final paper from my dissertation sent out for peer review finally! 020
Reposted by Ben YoelBen Yoel @benyoel.bsky.social · 25/05/2026Tomorrow at 12pm ET/6pm CET. We will be speaking with activists from Israel's Protest Headquarters about Israel's autocratization as well as lessons learned and what the democracy protests in Israel mean for the country's upcoming critical election (scheduled to be held in October at the latest). 053
Ben Yoel @benyoel.bsky.social · 25/05/2026Tomorrow at 12pm ET/6pm CET. We will be speaking with activists from Israel's Protest Headquarters about Israel's autocratization as well as lessons learned and what the democracy protests in Israel mean for the country's upcoming critical election (scheduled to be held in October at the latest). 053
Ben Yoel @benyoel.bsky.social · 18/05/2026Panelists are all former government officials and activists who have played an instrumental role behind the scenes in helping manage the protests in Israel. We will discuss lessons learned, the successes and failures of the protests in Israel, and the country's upcoming election. All welcome! 010
Ben Yoel @benyoel.bsky.social · 18/05/2026I'm pleased to share that I'm co-organizing a webinar in partnership with @stanfordcddrl.bsky.social on Israel's judicial reform & the country's upcoming critical election. Webinar is May 26 12pm ET. This is part of a project with @carnegieendowment.org. Link: cddrl.fsi.stanford.edu/events/cross...cddrl.fsi.stanford.eduCross-Sectoral Mobilization in Defense of Democracy: Insights from Israel’s 183