Sign in

Mike Thompson-Brusstar

@mthompsonbrusstar.com
2.1K followers 1.3K following 1.9K posts

history and bureaucracy in the sinosphere | mthompsonbrusstar.com

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Mike Thompson-Brusstar
Daniel van Strien @danielvanstrien.bsky.social · 8h
Uploaded a dataset of 98,877 historical newspaper pages (1700s–1940s) to the Hub, each with its original OCR text, word boxes and confidence scores. huggingface.co/datasets/big...
Sample grid of newspapers in the dataset
13712
Reposted by Mike Thompson-Brusstar
Josh Hadro @hadro.bsky.social · 10h
You: "OCR is a solved problem" Me:
A screenshot of a page from The New Hampshire gazette, September 23, 1800, with text going in every possible direction, and brackets, and numbers
24911
Mike Thompson-Brusstar @mthompsonbrusstar.com · 12h
brb creating a rating of languages by how many words they have for “predatory official“ with historical chineses right at the top
130
Reposted by Mike Thompson-Brusstar
Brendan O’Kane @bokane.org · 21h
crop from the old Mathews dictionary, which I will have an announcement about shortly, for the rare graph 蠧, variant form 螙, meaning “grubs in wood; worms in books, clothes, etc. Used figuratively of corrupt officials." 

Words and phrases containing the graph include "rapacious underlings," "to prey upon one's country and injure the people," "hairy caterpillars," "silverfish," "rapacious schemes -- preying on the people," and "to breed weevils, etc."
3318
Reposted by Mike Thompson-Brusstar
Yangyang Cheng @yangyangcheng.bsky.social · 12h
How do digital platforms from Alibaba to Didi navigate shifting politics in China, and is the promise of agency and freedom in e-commerce a marketing myth? I learned so much talking to @lizhiliu.bsky.social and Jack Linzhou Xing for the latest Gateway to Global China @madeinchinajournal.com. Listen⏬
madeinchinajournal.com
Episode 12 | Entrapped by E-Commerce | Made in China Journal
Life before e-commerce can feel like a foreign country. For the ‘Chinamaxxing’ crowd, fresh meals and fancy gadgets delivered to your doorstep almost instantly, at astonishingly low prices, are among ...
043
Mike Thompson-Brusstar @mthompsonbrusstar.com · 29/09/2026
this is great
110
Mike Thompson-Brusstar @mthompsonbrusstar.com · 28/09/2026
yeah this might be one of the ones we wanna leave out. looking down the game tree of “scientists prove marriage makes people happier” … I dont think I’d like the press coverage
130
Mike Thompson-Brusstar @mthompsonbrusstar.com · 28/09/2026
For me the big thing is: is there a version of this question that doesn’t definitionally mean selection into treatment? those actively dating aren’t even necessarily on the marriage market (even only assuming ‘conventional’ heterosexual relationships)?
010
Mike Thompson-Brusstar @mthompsonbrusstar.com · 28/09/2026
I’ve seen papers using reforms to divorce law— e.g. no-fault divorce laws passing— but I don’t think that‘s exactly right for the question. Matchmaking near misses (human matchmaker) might be ok, you could also maybe do some (very creepy) dating app/site analyses that match on trajectory?
230
Reposted by Mike Thompson-Brusstar
Cambridge University Press Political Science & IR @cambup-polsci.cambridge.org · 28/09/2026
The Co-opted State by Sarah Brierley When politicians control bureaucrats' careers, governance suffers. This book uncovers how career control undermines public service delivery. 📚 cup.org/4pLCHdQ
The Co-opted State by Sarah Brierley
0106
Reposted by Mike Thompson-Brusstar
Roi Livne @rlivne.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Please consider donating to the Xiaohong Xu's memorial fund! We are very close to reaching the threshold of endowing the fund, which will allow us to support international students studying the sociology, history, and politics of China. maizeraise.umich.edu/professor-xi...
maizeraise.umich.edu
Professor Xiaohong Xu
Join me and make a gift to Professor Xiaohong Xu
021
Mike Thompson-Brusstar @mthompsonbrusstar.com · 27/09/2026
they probably are not posting I guess. and yet, here we are
010
Mike Thompson-Brusstar @mthompsonbrusstar.com · 27/09/2026
how do people survive doing research and three preps
210
Reposted by Mike Thompson-Brusstar
Abe Newman @abenewman.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
5/The most scariest part of the interview was the hubris of the engineering mindset. Cars, TV, social media, were not just a solution to a problem but redefined society and in doing so created problems. Engineering lens casts a myopic view that misses the crisis. direct.mit.edu/books/monogr...
direct.mit.edu
An Engine, Not a Camera: How Financial Models Shape Markets
In An Engine, Not a Camera, Donald MacKenzie argues that the emergence of modern economic theories of finance affected financial markets in fundamental way
1131
Reposted by Mike Thompson-Brusstar
Patrick Chovanec @prchovanec.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
627061
Reposted by Mike Thompson-Brusstar
Jeff Lockhart @jwlockhart.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
At least where I got my PhD, if I wasn't sure what I found, how it worked, if it was useful or significant, nobody pretended I accomplished anything.
521748
Reposted by Mike Thompson-Brusstar
Dominique Baker @bakerdphd.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Alright. Quant people who have written books, how do you stategize getting feedback on the work? Even 90 minute talks won't allow me to cover all the analysis so conference presentations definitely won't. Do you just visit different universities for 3 years showing a slice of the analysis?
173
Reposted by Mike Thompson-Brusstar
International Organization @iojournal.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
New from @mnagawa.bsky.social sky.social (@stanfordcddrl.bsky.social) examines how aid affects recipient governments. Using evidence from >600 officials in Uganda, she finds that better-funded donor projects divert bureaucratic effort away from core functions and leave departments more divided.
031
Reposted by Mike Thompson-Brusstar
Sara Morell @smorell93.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Come be my colleague! The College of New Jersey's Department of Political Science is hiring for an Assistant Professor in IR. Happy to answer any questions about the job. Please share widely! tcnj.taleo.net/careersectio...
tcnj.taleo.net
Assistant Professor-Political Science
Click the link provided to see the complete job description.
034
Mike Thompson-Brusstar @mthompsonbrusstar.com · 23/09/2026
when I say sickos it is always laudatory 🫡
010
Mike Thompson-Brusstar @mthompsonbrusstar.com · 22/09/2026
no one who studies the present believes me! the past was full of sickos with their own layout conventions for printed and handwritten material!! it is not trivial to deal with even if "all you want is the text"! which by the way, it shouldn't be!!!
3375
Reposted by Mike Thompson-Brusstar
Comparative Politics @comppol.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Why do revolutions produce sometimes strong yet unstable states after revolutionary victory? Kevin Wei Luo examines patterns of subnational-level state building in Communist China after 1949 in our most recent issue. 📖 Read: www.ingentaconnect.com/contentone/c...
023
Mike Thompson-Brusstar @mthompsonbrusstar.com · 22/09/2026
the universe has a sense of humor and it is dark like the bottom of the Marianas trench www.cnn.com/2026/09/18/p...
cnn.com
Exclusive: US military had close call after using AI for false intelligence report, sources say | CNN Politics
The episode shows the risks of using this new, relatively poorly understood technology in the middle of the Iran war
072
Reposted by Mike Thompson-Brusstar
Victor Ray @victorerikray.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
It's the last day to comment on the Department of Education's proposed accreditation changes (until 11:59). This is a continuation of the administration's attempts to exert political control over univerities. Please take a minute to comment. The @alliancehighered.bsky.social has templates here:
allianceforhighered.org
Public Comment Regarding the Education Department's Proposed Rules for Accreditation
13231
Reposted by Mike Thompson-Brusstar
value plus discounted @akhilrao.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
existence of pseudoscience implies existence of pseudoengineering
6182
Mike Thompson-Brusstar @mthompsonbrusstar.com · 19/09/2026
absolutely a dogshit poet bsky.app/profile/boka...
040
Mike Thompson-Brusstar @mthompsonbrusstar.com · 19/09/2026
the great Bluesky wars about if Mao was good were not what I had on my 2026 bingo card just gonna say we learn the answer to this question in my “politics of China“ class 🙂‍↕️
160
Mike Thompson-Brusstar @mthompsonbrusstar.com · 19/09/2026
you could but why would you
110
Mike Thompson-Brusstar @mthompsonbrusstar.com · 18/09/2026
oh this is lovely. thanks!!
020
Mike Thompson-Brusstar @mthompsonbrusstar.com · 18/09/2026
not sure. it depends a bit on the account of how it ”died”; if it was widely “repudiated” due to some change in circumstances it might surge for a few years as people dunk in passing or distinguish new approaches from old. I gotta read more
110
Mike Thompson-Brusstar @mthompsonbrusstar.com · 18/09/2026
i guess it’s more of an abandonment of an influential suite of assumptions and attendant explanations for phenomena — I’d say “like whatever happened to miasma theory” but it’s 2026
110
Mike Thompson-Brusstar @mthompsonbrusstar.com · 18/09/2026
👘🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪
100
Mike Thompson-Brusstar @mthompsonbrusstar.com · 18/09/2026
it’s hard to study the death of influential theories, and allegedly this one was killed in living memory? like the 1970s?
110
Mike Thompson-Brusstar @mthompsonbrusstar.com · 18/09/2026
it would be a great science of science paper, Zander
120
Mike Thompson-Brusstar @mthompsonbrusstar.com · 18/09/2026
do any of my theory / sociology heads know the story of what killed functionalism? not *why* they critiqued functionalism; I know that. I want to know who took down parsons in the pages of the ASR or theory and society or whatever?? no one ever cites a piece or anything when talking about it
333
Mike Thompson-Brusstar @mthompsonbrusstar.com · 18/09/2026
I promise to look at the paper later today, but is there a quick thought about how you deal with anticipation of treatment in the framework where there’s location shopping? asking for a similar setting I gave up on studying 😬😬😬
000
Reposted by Mike Thompson-Brusstar
Amanda Weiss @amandaweiss.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
🚨 New Working Paper! 🚨 Do voters *like* local prisons? Are prisons that good for the economy? After years of data collection (+ using a novel estimator?!), @nottone & I find new prisons: • Reduce Republican incumbent vote shares 1-3pp • Decrease per cap. incomes >$2,500 osf.io/dnwke 🧵👇
Abstract for the paper "The Electoral Effects of U.S. Prison Construction" by Ottone & Weiss: From 1980 to 2000, the United States opened over 400 prisons, a rapid expansion of carceral capacity mirroring the punitive turn in public policy and public opinion. Yet few studies have examined the impact of prison construction on nearby residents and their political behavior. We develop a theoretical model tracing how prison openings affect economic, attitudinal, and electoral outcomes in surrounding communities. Us- ing modern difference-in-difference methods and a novel county-level dataset covering forty years of prison openings, we find that prison construction decreases county-level vote share for Republican candidates, especially if Republicans represented the county during prison construction. Drawing on analyses of economic outcomes and prison bond measure support, we argue that voters sanction issue-owning Republican candi- dates for negative economic externalities and turn against funding for prisons. These findings challenge conventional wisdom about the political economy of prisons and have implications for how we understand contemporary expansions of carceral capacity.
22915
Reposted by Mike Thompson-Brusstar
Will Lowe @conjugateprior.org · 17/09/2026
imho the Foucault/Hacking crowd are right, there isn't really a statistics orientation until we decide to construct it out of statistics behaviour.
082
Mike Thompson-Brusstar @mthompsonbrusstar.com · 18/09/2026
good news for me then I guess
020
Mike Thompson-Brusstar @mthompsonbrusstar.com · 18/09/2026
congrats!!! well deserved, remember to take a deep breath!!
010
Mike Thompson-Brusstar @mthompsonbrusstar.com · 17/09/2026
tips for readings on accountants and (especially) *auditors* from history / sts angle? trying to make sure I am not missing sth big things on my radar: - trust in numbers - audit cultures - post-computer stuff want more: - numbers and 'control' (?) - public admin history (?) - pre-computers 🗃️
062
Reposted by Mike Thompson-Brusstar
Erin C. @erincikanek.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Every week the Studio wants a different pilot of a different kind of show. There is a Big Name Guest Star. Chaos ensures. Kermit has to go back to the drawing board for next week.
1153
Mike Thompson-Brusstar @mthompsonbrusstar.com · 12/09/2026
is this the dumbest way to get data ever?? you be the judge!!
020
Mike Thompson-Brusstar @mthompsonbrusstar.com · 12/09/2026
being the dumbest person to ever use a computer is sometimes miserable but it is also sometimes very funny
010
Mike Thompson-Brusstar @mthompsonbrusstar.com · 12/09/2026
humbled by physical media again today. last time it was a disk being unreadable for weeks, despite much engineering (had a smear on it. cleaned it and it worked first time). this time? i/o errors. some kind of DRM?? no. usb-powered disk drive was browning out. switched ports, completely fixed.
140
Reposted by Mike Thompson-Brusstar
Jessica Chapel @jnchapel.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
It's been gratifying to see the response to this project since we officially put it out into the world last week: www.bpl.org/news/boston-... #AI4LAM
bpl.org
Boston Public Library and Harvard IDI Release Open Dataset from 135 Years of Historic Newspapers
Newspapers represent one of the richest available primary sources for historical research — capturing not just major events, but births…
12917
Mike Thompson-Brusstar @mthompsonbrusstar.com · 11/09/2026
reviewers in my head: this boob -- this absolute nimrod, this dabbler -- has clearly not even bothered to read the small-print-run collection of papers on this topic from the oct. 1988 meeting sponsored by the liaoning organization department. unserious! reject!! and so:
the volume in question.
060
Reposted by Mike Thompson-Brusstar
Governance Journal @govjournal.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
New Article: Dead Ends and Policy Change in Chinese Experimental Governance From: Vincent Brussee doi.org/10.1111/gove...
doi.org
Dead Ends and Policy Change in Chinese Experimental Governance
Not all policy change is expansive, yet non-expansive trajectories remain underexamined. This article introduces the concept of dead ends: a stage of the policy process in which initiatives cease to ...
001
Reposted by Mike Thompson-Brusstar
Jon Green @jongreen.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
pretty big problem for these LLM companies if the stance on privacy is actually "we won't use your data/logs* without your permission *unless you're doing something our internal teams think is really cool" cims.nyu.edu/~tristanb/st...
042
Mike Thompson-Brusstar @mthompsonbrusstar.com · 08/09/2026
hard to believe he does anything else besides eating given all the pictures
121