iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Kumar Ramanathan @kumar.fyi · 02/09/2026

Unfortunately I will not have enough room in my suitcase for multiple belts. Too many Boston Celtics hats to pack.

Reposted by Kumar Ramanathan

Ryan LaRochelle @rlarochelle.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

The 2026-27 Academic Year Schedule for the new APD Workshop Series is almost full. We have one slot left in March of 2027. I'm so grateful to all of the presenters, discussants, and co-organizers who have helped make this idea a reality. 🧵 with the schedule below. sites.google.com/maine.edu/ap...

sites.google.com

APD Workshop Series - Schedule

2026-2027 Academic Year Schedule All meetings run from 3:00PM - 4:00PM Eastern. A Zoom link and copies of works to be presented will be sent via email to everyone on the mailing list. Presenters and d...

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Kumar Ramanathan @kumar.fyi · 14/08/2026

Many policy problems that are generally described as problems of authority (the people who want to do the thing aren't in positions of power) are problems of capacity (the government doesn't have the resources and ability to do the thing).

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Ryan LaRochelle @rlarochelle.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

The fall schedule of the newly-launched APD Workshop Series is taking shape. We are really excited to be launching this initiative. Please sign up for the mailing list and consider joining us! sites.google.com/maine.edu/ap...

sites.google.com

APD Workshop Series - Schedule

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Liberal Currents @liberalcurrents.com · 27/07/2026

"The role of sports as small talk par excellence is eroded by the introduction of money on the line… Two strangers aren’t just shooting the breeze…they’re talking about dollars, not defensive lines. This quickly slides into trading the most rapidly inflating currency of our age—conspiracy theories."

liberalcurrents.com

Betting Alone

Sports betting is destroying an important part of the American social fabric.

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Ryan LaRochelle @rlarochelle.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

🚨Attention American Political Development Scholars🚨 We are excited to announce a new APD Workshop Series where scholars--especially grad students, post-docs, junior faculty, and folks at institutions with limited research budgets--can present works-in progress. sites.google.com/maine.edu/ap...

sites.google.com

APD Workshop Series

Mission: The APD Workshop Series provides opportunities for scholars of American Political Development--especially advanced graduate students, post-docs, junior faculty, and faculty at institutions wi...

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zoexiuha.bsky.social @zoexiuha.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

Belgium still the only team to score on Spain this FWC #MoralVictories 🇧🇪🇧🇪🇧🇪

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Brian Beutler @brianbeutler.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

Indeed, the fact that left and center are locked in a factional battle is both an artifact anti-democratic aspects of our political system, and the thing distracting both from a shared theory of power (or, perhaps more importantly, a theory of shared power). www.offmessage.net/p/shared-the...

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Kumar Ramanathan @kumar.fyi · 26/06/2026

What makes the modern Supreme Court such a problem for democratic accountability? In a new article, @wsnead.bsky.social and I tackle the longstanding question of the Court's counter-majoritarian potential, and update some political science theory along the way: doi.org/10.1017/S153...

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Neil Lewis, Jr. @neillewisjr.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

Periodic reminder that publishing papers is not the goal in and of itself. The paper is a mechanism for sharing what you have learned--sharing processes and outcomes that others should be aware of/should think about too. 1/3

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Illinois Answers Project @illinoisanswers.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

In Illinois, 1 million people are estimated to be compulsive gamblers or at risk of becoming one. Illinois Answers and @capitolnewsil.bsky.social spoke anonymously with people whose gambling spiraled into an addiction that cost them money, relationships and peace of mind. These are their stories.

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Warren Snead @wsnead.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

Why does the modern #SCOTUS seem so prone to counter-majoritarian decisionmaking? In a new @poppublicsphere.bsky.social piece, @kumar.fyi and I argue that the Court's relationship to democratic politics has changed as parties have become more cohesive and competitive. doi.org/10.1017/S153...

Abstract of Perspectives on Politics article "The Countermajoritarian Difficulty Revisited: Theorizing Court-Party Relations in the United States". The article argues that increases in interparty competition and intraparty cohesion has made the Supreme Court increasingly prone to counter-majoritarian decisionmaking.

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Perspectives on Politics @poppublicsphere.bsky.social · 19/06/2026

NOW OUT ON FIRSTVIEW!! The #Countermajoritarian Difficulty Revisited: Theorizing Court–Party Relations in the #United #States By @wsnead.bsky.social & @kumar.fyi doi.org/10.1017/S153...

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Arrianna Marie Planey, PhD MA @arrianna-planey.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

"Today’s social scientists (especially economists) tend to prize clean causal “identification” through “natural” experiments, with less emphasis on building big-picture narratives with theory and rich description."

jenndowd.substack.com

Did the iPhone Cause the Baby Bust?

I'm not so convinced. An interesting new paper highlights the power and pitfalls of simple stories

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Michael McDonald @electproject.bsky.social · 06/06/2026

If your background is data analytics and not politics you don't understand the meaning of the political data you analyze

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Kumar Ramanathan @kumar.fyi · 06/06/2026

Yes! This is one reason why turning political science departments into fascimilies of data science programs would be an enormous mistake.

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JW Mason @jwmason.bsky.social · 15/05/2026

I wrote a post about this recently. It is a central fact about industrial capitalism that real resources are allocated on the basis of hopes and dreams, rather than as a rational response to prices in existing markets. jwmason.org/slackwire/mo...

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Kumar Ramanathan @kumar.fyi · 09/05/2026

A beautiful piece about the Pedway, the oft-forgotten and fascinating web of underground tunnels that connects downtown Chicago.

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Kumar Ramanathan @kumar.fyi · 05/04/2026

The critical thing about Supreme Court term limits is not the "limit" part, it's the "term" part. Defined term lengths -- whether multiple terms are allowed or not -- are the feature of the reform that would enable judicial appointments to be responsive to political change.

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Kumar Ramanathan @kumar.fyi · 31/03/2026

New from me, @wsnead.bsky.social, & @rbayes.bsky.social! We look at who the public holds responsible for Supreme Court decisions, test frames that can change this responsibility attribution, and discuss implications for democratic accountability. Full article, no paywall: doi.org/10.1017/jlc....

Screenshot of first page of article titled "Responsibility Attribution for Supreme Court Decision-Making: Politicization, Partisanship, and Dobbs"

Abstract: "The U.S. Supreme Court’s ambiguous institutional position—insulated from external pressures yet retaining important linkages with elected officials—complicates how the public assigns responsibility for its decisions. Using a survey experiment that shows respondents information about Dobbs, we explore how messages that politicize or depoliticize the Court affect responsibility attribution for Court decisions. We find that politicizing the Court increases responsibility attribution towards President Trump, and that this effect is conditioned by party cues. We explore downstream effects on evaluations of political actors, but do not find conclusive evidence. We argue that these findings have important implications for democratic accountability."

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Jacob Oller @jacoboller.bsky.social · 16/03/2026

The most ironic possible year for WB to tie a record for wins by a single studio

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David Dayen @ddayen.bsky.social · 16/03/2026

Eight Oscar wins for Warner Bros. so far with several virtually guaranteed to come, continuing the best critical and financial year for a studio in decades. The only reason it's getting sold is the mountain of debt after 3 failed mergers, a problem it's solving with another debt-fueled merger.

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Kumar Ramanathan @kumar.fyi · 16/03/2026

I believe this is the fourth year in a row I've lost to Matt in the Oscars prediction pool. My sisyphean struggle continues. 🫡

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cta @chicagocta.bsky.social · 10/03/2026

Meet Ronald, a dedicated Rapid Transit Operator who’s been moving Chicago for 30 years! For Ronald, it’s all about connecting with riders, and serving the community with professionalism and heart. Thank you, Ronald, for the incredible work you do in making every ride safe, reliable, and welcoming!

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Kumar Ramanathan @kumar.fyi · 24/02/2026

Even as they split on the tariffs case, SCOTUS conservatives in both camps tried to apply the major questions doctrine—underscoring that their shared project of concentrating policymaking authority in the Court continues. More on how the MQD imperils policymaking from me and @wsnead.bsky.social 👇

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Warren Snead @wsnead.bsky.social · 24/02/2026

The SCOTUS majority that struck Trump's #tariffs argued extensively about whether to use the major questions doctrine (MQD) to do so. Why would the use of this doctrine matter? In a recent article, @kumar.fyi and I discuss the emergence of the MQD and its high stakes for policymaking.

An article abstract arguing that the emergence of the major questions doctrine will exacerbate the problem of policy drift -- the phenomena where policies change over time as they fail to adapt to changing socioeconomic conditions.

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Connor Ewing @cmewing.bsky.social · 23/02/2026

There is still time to yeet your Academia dot edu profile into the sun.

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Kumar Ramanathan @kumar.fyi · 18/02/2026

This is so incredibly clear and insightful. I found it very useful in thinking through the problems facing rental housing in Chicago, even though we're not dealing the specific question of rent regulation at the moment.

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@alvinvelazquez @alvinvelazquez.bsky.social · 09/02/2026

I almost cried during the Bad Bunny show when I saw the workers repairing the electrical system. I spent years working on Puerto Rico's crisis, and this was the one thing I couldn't resolve before moving to the academy. Thanks to the @lpeblog.bsky.social and @lpeproject.bsky.social for sharing this.

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Brian Highsmith @bhighsmith.bsky.social · 24/11/2025

🚨We analyzed 138 million geocoded property tax records to quantify how municipal boundaries spatially overlap onto economic segregation in every US metro area—creating disparities in localities’ ability to fund public goods. And we made an interactive map of our results! [1/16]

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Kumar Ramanathan @kumar.fyi · 08/12/2025

Movie you’ve watched more than six times with a gif. Hard mode: no Stars (Wars nor Trek), LOTR, or Marvel, Disney Animated or Pixar.

media.tenor.com

a close up of a man 's face with the words " doughnut hole " above him

Alt: GIF of Daniel Craig from the movie Knives Out

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Jay Van Bavel, PhD @jayvanbavel.bsky.social · 11/11/2025

The race to churn out papers is a systemic problem. Early career scholars are desperate to get more papers to compete in the academic job market. This can make it hard for faculty mentors hard to reduce their output unless they shrink their lab (which removes opportunities from next generation).

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Taniel @taniel.bsky.social · 30/09/2025

If you want to see how much a single local official can change things, look no further than Chicago, where the new prosecutor this year has ground exonerations to a halt by hindering the work of the commission that reviews wrongful convictions boltsmag.org/chicago-cook...

boltsmag.org

Exonerations Grind to a Halt Under Chicago’s New Prosecutor - Bolts

Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke has weakened her office’s already broken system for freeing the innocent, even as allegations of coercion mount against a former Chicago detective.

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Kumar Ramanathan @kumar.fyi · 03/08/2025

Mississippi Masala—an impeccable, beautiful film, start to finish

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TransitCenter @transitcenter.bsky.social · 24/07/2025

From Portland to Chicago to Philadelphia, transit agencies across the U.S. are facing existential peril. If you’re not already engaged in the fight to secure stable, robust, long-term funding for transit in your community then now’s the time to roll up your sleeves.

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Taniel @taniel.bsky.social · 02/07/2025

More details on tonight's elections in San Diego (and also St. Louis!)—and what we know of the results—in the article below. And also follow @boltsmag.org to make sure to stay on top of local elections happening in all corners!

boltsmag.org

The Six Elections to Watch This July - Bolts

We’re only days removed from the political earthquake in New York City’s mayoral race, but the election calendar matches on: There are many fewer contests on the ballot in July... Read More

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Matt Nelsen @mattnelsen.bsky.social · 17/06/2025

Today is publication day for Liberation Stories. Cathy Cohen, @kumar.fyi, and I contributed a chapter to this volume: “Data for Liberation: the Role of Surveys in Social Movement Infrastructure.” (1/6)

thenewpress.org

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Dan Immergluck @danimmergluck.bsky.social · 04/06/2025

This is good. It's not "anti-Abundance" but it favors a sort of equity-focused abundance. It gets at some of my concerns with the book/movement. (And please don't @ me with "abundance is always equitable" simplistic B.S., thank you.)

nataliespievack.substack.com

Reconciling a Liberalism that Builds with a Liberalism that Cares

How can we balance abundance and equity?

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Kate Lowe (she/hers) @kateontransport.bsky.social · 22/05/2025

Great @chicagotribune.com op-ed from Richards (fmr @septaphilly.bsky.social GM). Promises of funding later do not pay the bills. We need public plan on specific $ sources to prevent cuts (better yet, expand service with more investment). Still relevant op-ed www.chicagotribune.com/2024/08/19/o...

chicagotribune.com

Kate Lowe: Chicago’s public transit fiscal crisis needs more attention

The effects of the Regional Transportation Authority’s projected 2026 $730 million operating deficit could be devastating.

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Kate Lowe (she/hers) @kateontransport.bsky.social · 13/01/2025

Hoping for some political will from city as we're about to see agency leadership change. CEO decision not the only major factor 4 CTA future but choice matters. Tumlin/SF & Clarke/DC have great reputations, but confident more amazing leaders (inc. beyond white men) flying more under national radar

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Warren Snead @wsnead.bsky.social · 08/01/2025

Watching “The Night Agent” on Netflix. Good News: The VP’s daughter is enrolled in APD. Bad News: She skips APD to go shopping.

Screenshot from “The Night Agent” of VP’s daughter planning to skip a what would surely be a fascinating session of her American political development course at Georgetown.

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Injustice Watch @injusticewatch.org · 07/01/2025

📣 Attention Chicago renters 📣 We’re hosting workshops over the next two months to teach you how to research building code violations and landlords using public records. Registration is required! buff.ly/4a51ZLY

A graphic flyer titled "Know your building. Know your landlord." The flyer includes a short description of the workshop as well as dates and locations: "In this workshop, you’ll learn to use public records to research code violations and property ownership for any building in Chicago. Jan. 25, Lincoln Square, 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Sulzer Regional Library (4455 N. Lincoln Ave.). Feb. 8 West Garfield Park | 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Legler Regional Library (115 S. Pulaski Rd.). Feb. 22 Woodlawn, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Coleman Library Branch (731 E. 63rd St.)"

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