Reposted by Max GallienMarie Gardiner @mariegardiner.bsky.social · 27/07/2026I think we're all ready for The Muppet Odyssey. 945598
Reposted by Max GallienDorian Lynskey @dorianlynskey.bsky.social · 26/07/2026The decision of so many people to keep using X in its race-war phase has made me a bit more cynical overall about the ability to draw moral red lines. It’s beyond disappointing. 672513435
Reposted by Max GallienIan Dunt @iandunt.bsky.social · 23/07/2026It's funny how no-one ever asks where the money is coming from when you announce a cut in immigration. 392394535
Reposted by Max GallienOlúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social · 21/07/2026every time you write overly defensively you should remember that you are pursuing a strategy of writing careful sentences specifically for people who demonstrably either won't or can't read them 484814961
Max Gallien @maxgallien.bsky.social · 02/07/2026Glad to have been able to contribute a chapter on 'Informal Authoritarian Bargains' to this excellent handbook - it's all open acess, so perfect for next term's reading lists! 0122
Reposted by Max GallienDana El Kurd @danaelkurd.bsky.social · 01/07/2026It's out! The full "Handbook on Authoritarianism in the Arab World" is available open access here: www.bloomsburycollections.com/encyclopedia... 32631191
Reposted by Max GallienBen Goldsborough MP @bengoldsborough.bsky.social · 10/06/2026To all my colleagues still using X: is this not enough evidence that you must stop using it? 541061383
Max Gallien @maxgallien.bsky.social · 10/06/2026One of the most frustrating effects of AI in academia must be that it tinges the absolute joy of reading a set of great student essays with doubt and suspicion 060
Reposted by Max GallienDorian Lynskey @dorianlynskey.bsky.social · 04/06/2026Stop Saying Maxxing 1814811
Reposted by Max GallienDan Snow @thehistoryguy.bsky.social · 25/05/2026This is an unforgivably stupid situation. It is an astonishing own goal to try and drive student numbers down to move an immigration number that in turn is totally ignored by the anti-immigrant head bangers. 311389435
Reposted by Max GallienHumanists UK @humanists.uk · 08/05/2026One of David Attenborough's best speeches. Today we're celebrating the 100th Birthday of the humanist and naturalist David Attenborough! Thank you for a lifetime of inspirational broadcasting and devotion to science and the natural world. 011340
Reposted by Max GallienHakeem Jefferson @hakeemjefferson.bsky.social · 06/05/2026FWIW, I don’t think the major problem in my field, or related ones, is that people need to move faster & produce more. I read a lot of papers as part of the job, and I’m increasingly convinced we’d benefit from fewer papers and better ones, not more mediocre work produced ever more “efficiently.” 92363395
Reposted by Max GallienThomas Lecaque @tlecaque.bsky.social · 17/04/2026I want a "conference" where every academic cooks a dish for everyone and we all talk about our work casually while cooking. People can sous chef for each other. We eat and talk about our work in progress. You submit an abstract and a recipe. 8772288
Reposted by Max GallienAmy @lolennui.bsky.social · 07/04/2026books: the rectangle that can’t send you push notifications. Try: books. 294035862
Reposted by Max GallienCameron Blevins @cblevins.bsky.social · 03/04/2026This is so, so well-articulated. 97107673882
Reposted by Max GallienInternational Labour Review @ilr-rit.bsky.social · 24/03/2026👏 Congratulations, Max! In his new article with the ILR, Max revisits how we define and measure the informal sector, and the implications for research and policy. 🔔 Out now and #OA via @openlibhums.org with an early view from our Issue 2 for 2026 @ids.ac.uk 133
Max Gallien @maxgallien.bsky.social · 24/03/2026New article: why a lot of #informality research has been broken by poor measurements and inappropriate modelling - and what we can do about it. Completely open access in @ilr-rit.bsky.social: en.ilr-rit.org/article/pubi...en.ilr-rit.orgMeasurement and mirage: The informal sector revisitedRecent years have seen rapidly expanding scholarship and policy advice on the causes and consequences of informality, relying on the increasing availability of comparative measurements of informal sec... 021
Max Gallien @maxgallien.bsky.social · 24/03/2026If you're at #ISA2026 (or even if you're not), the good people at Columbia University Presa got you 20% off my book with the code below! (And for a couple of much more interesting books as well..) 010
Reposted by Max GallienRob Blackie @robblackie.bsky.social · 13/03/2026It is completely mad that the government is expelling high flying Sudanese students from British universities - from a scheme that is explicitly aimed at the future leaders of countries. 333888
Reposted by Max GallienIan Dunt @iandunt.bsky.social · 02/03/2026The government's immigration proposals are an obscenity: They needlessly punish refugees, make integration basically impossible, and introduce a sliding system of administrative abuse depending on how wealthy you are iandunt.substack.com/p/can-we-ext...iandunt.substack.comCan we extract the Reform nonsense from Labour?These immigration proposals are obscene, but the government can be forced to think again. 13641184
Max Gallien @maxgallien.bsky.social · 19/02/2026Every #Ramadan, the people of #Pakistan give over 600 billion rupees in #zakat - more than any state social welfare program. And, as our recent study found, the majority of that goes to women - a good reminder in these days of what people can do. Full working paper here: www.ictd.ac/publication/... 100
Reposted by Max GallienInternational Centre for Tax and Development (ICTD) @ictdtax.bsky.social · 19/02/2026🌙As Ramadan begins, attention turns to zakat — one of the five pillars of Islam. As many Muslims choose to pay zakat during Ramadan, this month represents a key period for wealth redistribution. But how much is actually paid? And to whom? Find out➡️ ow.ly/C9rk50YhJMN Max Gallien Umair Javedow.lyZakat as Non-State Social Welfare Provision: Distributional Dynamics and Gender Equity in Pakistan - ICTDWe examine the distributional dynamics of zakat in Pakistan to help understand non-state welfare provision in a Muslim-majority country. 021
Reposted by Max GallienBen Ansell @benansell.bsky.social · 19/09/2025An actual quote from the Secretary of State for Business and Trade Too often people go to university to ‘explore research and knowledge’ Look forward to Wes S saying 'too often people go to hospital to have operations' or Heidi Alexander saying 'too often people go to the station to catch a train' 473119985
Max Gallien @maxgallien.bsky.social · 11/08/2025Man I long for the day when I get to write opening paragraphs that aren't endless variations on "well, we know that the world is on fire". 040
Reposted by Max GallienAlan Rusbridger @arusbridger.bsky.social · 11/08/2025Letter of the day (in the Times) 12263872473
Reposted by Max GallienInternational Centre for Tax and Development (ICTD) @ictdtax.bsky.social · 27/06/2025📝NEW POLICY BRIEF: With tax now the main source of dev't finance, countries are under pressure to raise tax revenue fast. But done poorly, these could have damaging effects. The key is to tax smarter - but how? ➡️ ow.ly/2VCf50Wg8NU #FfD4 #Tax4Dev #TaxResearchow.lyThe Tax Era of Development: Taxing Smarter for Equity, Growth, and Resilience - ICTDTax is not only the primary source of financing in lower-income countries, but also the lynchpin of development finance. 102
Reposted by Max GallienInternational Centre for Tax and Development (ICTD) @ictdtax.bsky.social · 25/06/2025NEW RESEARCH: Are Pakistanis supportive of wealth taxes? Here is what we found⬇️ 1️⃣Support for wealth taxes cuts across class, income and gender 2️⃣It increases when people feel that taxes are spent well and transparently 3️⃣Trust in the state drives support Find out more: www.ictd.ac/publication/...ictd.acPublic Support for Wealth and Progressive Taxes in Pakistan - ICTDThis brief explores public support for wealth taxation and the factors that shape those attitudes in Pakistan. 121
Max Gallien @maxgallien.bsky.social · 24/06/2025If you're coming to #FfD4 in Seville next week and are interested in talking the future of tax & development, get in touch! I'll be there with a wonderful delegation of the @ictdtax.bsky.social - and we have a side event well worth checking out: www.ictd.ac/event/ffd4-s...ictd.acFfD4 Side Event | From Insight to Impact: Harnessing Research Collaboration to Build Better Tax Systems - ICTDOn July 3rd, the ICTD will host a side event at the Fourth International Conference on... 031
Max Gallien @maxgallien.bsky.social · 23/06/2025📰New data: Is there public support for new #progressive and #wealth_taxes in Pakistan? Our policy brief dissects brand new public opinion data on a range of wealth and progressive tax proposals, based on a survey of 7500 voting-age Pakistanis. What do we find? (1/...) www.ictd.ac/publication/... 131
Max Gallien @maxgallien.bsky.social · 16/06/2025Really nice to see that the Journal of Borderland Studies considers 'Smugglers and States' a "must-read for scholars of political economy, border studies, and state formation". If that's you, the book is available here: cup.columbia.edu/book/smuggle... 010
Reposted by Max GallienProf Melanie O'Brien @drmelob.bsky.social · 28/05/2025Despite the expansion of border fences, these barriers 'shift criminal dynamics, destabilize border communities, and have far-reaching implications for regional trade relations.' #humanRights 021
Reposted by Max GallienCentre on Armed Groups @armedgroups.bsky.social · 28/05/2025For those working on border governance: Centre Experts @maxgallien.bsky.social, Shalaka Thakur & Co-Director @weigand.bsky.social offer a valuable analysis in @foreignpolicy.com on what border walls actually achieve - and what they don’t 👇 013
Max Gallien @maxgallien.bsky.social · 27/05/2025Since the end of the Cold War, the number of border walls and fences around the world has sextupled. But do they actually work? In this piece for @foreignpolicy.com, Shalaka Thakur, @weigand.bsky.social and I draw on our research and share some scepticism foreignpolicy.com/2025/05/23/b...foreignpolicy.comDo Good Fences Actually Make Good Neighbors?The number of border walls worldwide has surged since the end of the Cold War. 073
Reposted by Max GallienIan Dunt @iandunt.bsky.social · 27/05/2025UK must impose sanctions on Israel to meet legal obligations, say more than 800 lawyers www.theguardian.com/world/2025/m...theguardian.comUK must impose sanctions on Israel to meet legal obligations, say more than 800 lawyersExclusive: Letter to PM signed by retired supreme court justices among others says lack of action will imperil international legal system 17774237
Reposted by Max GallienBen Ansell @benansell.bsky.social · 14/05/2025This blithe attitude- oh we'll figure out if current migrants have to wait five more years or not, maybe they'll satisfy our nebulous economic contribution requirement and get fewer. It cannot hold. No-one high skilled will come to a country making it up as it goes along. www.ft.com/content/7bad...ft.comMigrants who arrived in UK after 2020 face five more years on settlement pathGovernment’s migration crackdown set to double default period for those pursuing potential pathway to citizenship 315443
Reposted by Max GallienMarie Le Conte @youngvulgarian.marieleconte.com · 12/05/2025christ, what a day to be an immigrant cursed with the ability to read 22683348
Max Gallien @maxgallien.bsky.social · 10/05/2025Lazy weekend rexommendation: always a sucker for coming of age but really enjoyed this book, it's got a unique voice, poetry, wit and force that stays with you. 000
Max Gallien @maxgallien.bsky.social · 08/05/2025This, so very much this. Having researched borders and their porosity for a decade - it is really stunning how resilient the myth of the 'complete border control' is, and how much chaos and and nonsense it has caused. It has never existed historically, and is entirely unreasonable to aim for now. 030
Reposted by Max GallienSam Halpert @samhalpert.bsky.social · 15/04/2025Even accepting the premise that AI produces useful writing (which no one should), using AI in education is like using a forklift at the gym. The weights do not actually need to be moved from place to place. That is not the work. The work is what happens within you. 103105043369
Max Gallien @maxgallien.bsky.social · 25/04/2025"With #aid declining, FfD4 must include a concrete commitment to scale up investment in #tax systems" - as we are heading into the critical phase of #FfD4, a timely and insightful blog by @giuliamascagni.bsky.social @ictdtax.bsky.social www.ictd.ac/blog/aid-dec...ictd.acWith aid declining, FfD4 must include a concrete commitment to scale up investment in tax systems - ICTDI recently took part in the third high-level symposium of the UNDP’s Finance, Integrity and Governance... 020
Reposted by Max GallienColumbia University Press @columbiaup.bsky.social · 24/04/2025We are delighted to announce that Max Gallien has been named as the recipient of the 2025 APSA-IPSA Theodore J. Lowi First Book Award for his first book titled SMUGGLERS AND STATES. buff.ly/4G316B6 @maxgallien.bsky.social @ipsa.org @apsa.bsky.social 192
Reposted by Max GallienAllison Hartnett @ashartnett.bsky.social · 23/04/2025Just a little over one week to submit your abstract for the 2nd Annual Historical Political Economy Conference at @usc.edu, co-sponsored by @usccis.bsky.social and the USC PIPE Collaborative. Keynote Address by @saumjha.bsky.social. docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F... #econsky #poliskydocs.google.comSecond Annual Historical Political Economy Conference: Call for PapersCo-organized by Allison Hartnett, Assistant Professor of Political Science; and Jeffery A. Jenkins, Provost Professor of Public Policy, Political Science, and Law University of Southern California Oc... 036
Max Gallien @maxgallien.bsky.social · 23/04/2025"Western democratic partners of Tunisia have been strikingly and shamefully muted as Mr Saied’s campaign of repression has unfolded." A sharp and clear @theguardian.com view on Kais Saied's authoritarianism in #Tunisia: www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...theguardian.comThe Guardian view on Tunisia’s democratic regression: burying hope where the Arab spring began | EditorialEditorial: The sentencing of opponents and other public figures to as much as 66 years in prison highlights the president’s dismantling of political achievements 000
Max Gallien @maxgallien.bsky.social · 19/04/2025None of this is surprising in a #Tunisia that has become deeply authoritarian. But it is worth to continuously note the depth and extent of this regime's paranoia and vindictiveness, and the pain it insists on inflicting on its opposition. www.reuters.com/world/africa...reuters.comTunisia hands lengthy prison terms to opposition leaders on conspiracy chargesA Tunisian court handed jail terms of 13 to 66 years to opposition leaders, businessmen and lawyers on charges of conspiring, a case the opposition says is fabricated and a symbol of President Kais Saied's authoritarian rule. 011
Reposted by Max GallienJulie Cupples @juliecupples79.bsky.social · 12/04/2025Good news on steel, can MPs please do universities next Saturday? 24812
Reposted by Max GallienInstitute of Development Studies (IDS) @ids.ac.uk · 11/04/2025Congratulations to IDS researcher Max Gallien who has won the Theodore J. Lowi First Book Award for his book Smugglers and States! 👏 🥳 👏 141
Reposted by Max GallienAbu Aardvark @abuaardvark.bsky.social · 10/04/2025Published in my @columbiaup.bsky.social series- congratulations and well-deserved! 1144