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Kumar Ramanathan

@kumar.fyi
1.9K followers 637 following 90 posts

Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Illinois Chicago. I study the politics of law, public policy, and cities in the United States. All views are my own. Timeline may include stray 🎬/🏀 content. More at www.kumar.fyi.

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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.
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Kumar Ramanathan @kumar.fyi · 26/08/2026
Bought an induction range from Samsung a couple of years ago and was able to get an education discount using my .edu email! Induction is great, zero regrets about the switch from gas.
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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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Julia Poe @juliapoe.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
When I think about trans people in sports, I don’t think about lobbies or legislation. I think about my friends. Wrote about pick-up hoops, queer community and love:
chicagotribune.com
Column: When I think about transgender people in sports, I think about my friends
Despite the rabid fixation upon the concept of trans women in sports, those who beat the drum the loudest for exclusive policies rarely seem to care about trans people themselves.
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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
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 · 30/07/2026
Candidate disclosure search on the SBE website also turns up: - Latonia "Toni" Brooks www.elections.il.gov/CampaignDisc... - Danielle Carter-Walters www.elections.il.gov/CampaignDisc... - Zoe Ma www.elections.il.gov/CampaignDisc... - Jabari L. Taylor www.elections.il.gov/CampaignDisc...
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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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Kumar Ramanathan @kumar.fyi · 03/07/2026
Perhaps we should send him copies of the works of @profmsinha.bsky.social
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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
Thanks, Ryan! Excited to hear how it goes.
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Kumar Ramanathan @kumar.fyi · 26/06/2026
For political science faculty on here: we wrote this hoping it would be accessible for undergrad courses. If you choose to assign it, we would love to hear how it is received!
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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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Kumar Ramanathan @kumar.fyi · 04/06/2026
I won't be at the conference at Smith (sadly), but would be happy to help support any ideas that emerge! It'd be great to have a periodic conversation of some kind.
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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 · 04/05/2026
I've been meaning to prep the dataset for a public release but haven't done it yet. Happy to chat if this would be helpful; feel free to DM me!
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Kumar Ramanathan @kumar.fyi · 04/05/2026
@tommyo.bsky.social developed a method in his book that uses partial tract-level data available in select cities from 1910 onwards to generate improved estimates. I built on this method to generate district-level racial demographic estimates for my dissertation/book project.
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Kumar Ramanathan @kumar.fyi · 04/05/2026
It's tricky to get estimates for districts pre-1960, though. Adler's dataset uses county-level Census data which is mostly fine but does poorly in counties divided into multiple districts (especially a problem in northern cities where racial demographics are not evenly distributed within counties).
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Kumar Ramanathan @kumar.fyi · 04/05/2026
The Census Bureau's Congressional District Data Books have these data for the 87th Congress onwards, but it's tricky before that. Scott Adler has a public dataset that tabulates these data (sites.google.com/a/colorado.e...).
sites.google.com
Adler, Scott - Congressional District Data
Scope of the data The data set includes a wide range of economic, social, and geographic information for every U.S. congressional district, from 1943-1998. The variables range from such basic informa...
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Maggie Hendricks @maggiehendricks.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
Sky draft pick analysis just for you. yes you! www.theixsports.com/features/gab...
theixsports.com
What No. 5 pick Gabriela Jaquez brings to Chicago Sky | The IX Basketball
The Chicago Sky selected UCLA's Gabriela Jaquez with the No. 5 overall pick and took Latasha Lattimore and Tonie Morgan in later rounds.
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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
Link to the article: doi.org/10.1515/for-... If you don't have access via the link and want a copy of the paper, DM me!
doi.org
The Major Questions Doctrine: Judicial Power and the Prevalence of Policy Drift in the United States
A major challenge of governance in the United States is policy drift, the phenomenon wherein a policy’s outcomes are transformed due to a failure to update its rules or structures to meet changing cir...
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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 · 12/12/2025
I also use TurboScan and love it! Handles different types of documents very well, and great options for uploading to cloud drives as you go. Very handy with a tall phone tripod.
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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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Kumar Ramanathan @kumar.fyi · 23/10/2025
Apologies! Correct title is A Consumer's Republic. Links for library catalogs and purchase: search.worldcat.org/title/54471431 bookshop.org/p/books/a-co...
bookshop.org
A Consumers' Republic: The Politics of Mass Consumption in Postwar America
The Politics of Mass Consumption in Postwar America
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Kumar Ramanathan @kumar.fyi · 23/10/2025
Whoops! Serves me right for posting from memory 😅
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Kumar Ramanathan @kumar.fyi · 23/10/2025
Lizabeth Cohen's book The Consumer Republic is a great treatment of this development. She argues that postwar economic policy and suburbanization led to personal consumption becoming central to social identity and status. Been thinking about that book a lot lately.
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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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