Archon Fung @politicsprof.bsky.social · 27/09/2026I’m writing a bunch of external review and recommendation letters. I feel like kind of a sucker for drafting by hand (without AI). Though I do use AI to find errors and suggest additions. 000
Archon Fung @politicsprof.bsky.social · 04/09/2026Be part of the solution, not the problem. Vdem academic freedom index. 120
Reposted by Archon FungAsh Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation @harvardash.bsky.social · 27/08/2026Matthew Cavedon, Director of the @cato.org’s Project on Criminal Justice, joins Terms of Engagement hosts @politicsprof.bsky.social and Stephen Richer to discuss the democratic and legal implications of Flock cameras. Watch the full episode here: ash.harvard.edu/resources/te... 011
Archon Fung @politicsprof.bsky.social · 24/08/2026MIT's Charles Stewart takes to task Census Bureau estimate on non-citizen voting. Long, but worth reading: playingwithelectiondata.substack.com/p/census-bur...playingwithelectiondata.substack.comCensus Bureau Report Creates Confusion by Starting What It Can’t FinishThe report on noncitizen voting ignores the scholarship it cites and overstates what its matches show. 000
Reposted by Archon FungAsh Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation @harvardash.bsky.social · 19/08/2026@amandacarpenter.bsky.social joins @politicsprof.bsky.social and Stephen Richer on Terms of Engagement to examine how political corruption undermines democratic institutions and public trust. Watch the full episode: ash.harvard.edu/resources/te... 011
Archon Fung @politicsprof.bsky.social · 27/07/2026Is this what “abundance” looks like? www.nytimes.com/2026/07/27/b...nytimes.com5 Things to Know About Meta’s Giant Data Center in LouisianaThe road to the giant project was paved with secret meetings and an ever-expanding building plan. 020
Reposted by Archon FungAeon Magazine @aeon.co · 14/07/2026Tech billionaires like to claim their work is inspired by science fiction, but in truth, they are using its ‘chrome-plated aesthetic’ as a fig leaf to further what the social theorist Ali Rıza Taşkale labels ‘reactionary futurism’buff.lySilicon Valley has a science fiction problem | Aeon EssaysTech titans claim the genre inspired them. But all they’ve done is graft their politics onto stories of a better future 10252115
Reposted by Archon FungDaniel Munro @dkmunro.bsky.social · 18/07/2026“The future isn’t being shaped by democratic debate but through highly selective, often reactionary, fantasy… [Q]uestion isn’t whether science fiction will shape reality—that process is already underway. The question is: whose version will prevail?” Exceptional essay by @alirizataskale.bsky.social 113
Reposted by Archon FungAsh Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation @harvardash.bsky.social · 16/07/2026Tova Wang, Director of Research Projects in Democratic Practice at the Ash Center, shares her top picks for summer reads focused on making democracy more resilient, responsive, and inclusive. bit.ly/4gDDfA4bit.lyReimagining Democracy 2026 Summer Reading List – Ash Center 011
Reposted by Archon FungPew Research Center @pewresearch.org · 01/07/202632% of Democrats like political leaders who identify as democratic socialists. 56% of Democrats say they neither like nor dislike democratic socialists, who have won a number of recent Democratic primaries in D.C., New York and Colorado. #DemocraticSocialism #USPolitics #USDemocrats 73115
Reposted by Archon FungWalter Olson @walterolson.bsky.social · 25/06/2026And in fact I'm now catching up with a nearly simultaneous federal court ruling that the scheme is illegal, which includes an injunction against following through with it in 23 states plus D.C.votebeat.orgFederal judge blocks Trump effort to restrict mail votingTrump’s executive order threatened to upend mail voting in the 2026 midterms, but a court has blocked its major provisions from taking effect. 36213
Reposted by Archon FungWalter Olson @walterolson.bsky.social · 25/06/2026Lawless. The courts need to come down on this like a ton of bricks.thehill.comPostmaster general confirms plan to hold back mail ballots in states that won’t share voter dataPostmaster General David Steiner told lawmakers Wednesday that the U.S. Postal Service will no longer deliver mail-in ballots in states that refuse to provide sensitive voter data to the federal go… 1012138
Archon Fung @politicsprof.bsky.social · 25/06/2026My colleage @schneier.com argues for liability as a simple tool for AI regulation. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...theguardian.comIf an AI chatbot misleads you, who is to blame? | Bruce Schneier and Nathan E SandersA court in Germany found that Google was responsible for what its chatbots say in search summaries. This is the accountability we need 000
Archon Fung @politicsprof.bsky.social · 19/06/2026Great piece on organizing and the USGOV raids on the Ohio Organizing Collaborative from my colleague Liz McKenna www.bostonglobe.com/2026/06/19/o...bostonglobe.comProtest doesn’t scare the Trump administration. Organizing does. - The Boston GlobeMore than 100 federal agents descended on an Ohio group that does democracy’s slowest, most patient work. The target was not an accident. 000
Reposted by Archon FungPia Raffler @piaraffler.bsky.social · 18/06/2026The other studies examined here are by @darinc.bsky.social, O. Dube, @johanneshaushofer.com, B. Siddiqi, M. Voors, J. Arkedis, J. Creighton, @akshaydixit.bsky.social, @politicsprof.bsky.social, S. Kosack, D. Levy, C. Tolmie, @profmohanan.bsky.social, V. Rajan, K. Swanson, and H. Thirumurthy. 011
Reposted by Archon FungPia Raffler @piaraffler.bsky.social · 18/06/2026Our findings, viewed along those of Björkmann & Svensson 2009, also underscore the importance of considering the generalizability of research findings not just across space, but in the same setting *over time*, especially during periods of rapid socio-economic change. 121
Archon Fung @politicsprof.bsky.social · 02/06/2026Mathematicians worry that AI could break math. “… a handful of corporations are mobilizing their vast financial resources to impose an impoverished view of mathematics” www.nytimes.com/2026/06/02/s...nytimes.comAs A.I. Makes Strides in Mathematics, Mathematicians Urge Caution 000
Reposted by Archon FungPeter Levine @peterlevine.bsky.social · 26/05/2026notes on the papal encyclical on AI: peterlevine.ws?p=35700 031
Reposted by Archon FungPepper Culpepper @pculpepper.bsky.social · 14/05/2026Can you believe in the importance of evidence-based public policy AND think that populism can be good for democracy? That's the question I debated with @politicsprof.bsky.social and Stephen Richer this week. The short answer, of course, is yes! The long answer is more rewarding to listen to.youtube.comSinking Yachts: Can a Billionaire Backlash Save Democracy?YouTube video by Harvard Ash Center 042
Archon Fung @politicsprof.bsky.social · 11/05/2026How can democracies get billionaires under control? Join us Tues 12.15pm ET to find out. @pculpepper.bsky.social will join @stephenricher.bsky.social and me to talk about his new book Billionaire Backlash (co-authored with my colleague @taekurono.bsky.social). www.youtube.com/live/Md8F_of...youtube.comSinking Yachts: Can a Billionaire Backlash Save Democracy?YouTube video by Harvard Ash Center 021
Reposted by Archon FungFlorian Foos @florianfoos.bsky.social · 07/05/2026Chapter on AI and Democracy with Bailey Flanigan, @politicsprof.bsky.social and Charles Stewart 👇 0164
Reposted by Archon FungLee Drutman @leedrutman.bsky.social · 03/05/2026Both parties remain unpopular. www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/u... 4154
Reposted by Archon FungJosh Gerstein @joshgerstein.bsky.social · 24/04/2026Archon Fung @politicsprof.bsky.social makes a related point about society in general: that strife around who gets to speak in the public square (including campuses) has intensified as the ideological divide between the two major parties has grown more profound niemanreports.org/the-future-o...niemanreports.orgThe Future of American Democracy Amid Deepening Polarization - Nieman ReportsHarvard professor Archon Fung on the country’s political divisions and strategies for reaching across party lines. 143
Archon Fung @politicsprof.bsky.social · 21/04/2026Psyched to talk to @vanjones.bsky.social about big tech and American politics @4pm ET. In Obama days, most tech moguls were aligned with the Democrats. Now, some very big ones are aligned with Trump and MAGA. Should progressives ally w/ big tech, or fight them? ash.harvard.edu/events/how-d...ash.harvard.eduHow did the Democrats Lose Silicon Valley? Should They Try to Get it Back? – Ash Center 010
Reposted by Archon FungCrimson Courage @crimsoncourage.bsky.social · 19/04/2026This Friday don’t miss the opportunity to hear from @raskin.house.gov, @davidhogg.bsky.social, @cornellbrooks.bsky.social, Marshall Ganz, Theda Skopcol, @politicsprof.bsky.social, @alexkeyssar.bsky.social and more at the Teach-In (at Harvard & livestreamed) Register: www.students4freedom.org/events 132
Archon Fung @politicsprof.bsky.social · 15/04/2026Terrific explainer of Orban’s dummymander result this weekend… 000
Reposted by Archon FungMichael C. Dorf @dorfonlaw.bsky.social · 09/04/2026Inspired by Henry David Thoreau's observation that some ostensibly labor-saving inventions actually require more work than they save, on the blog today, I ask whether the need to correct AI's errors renders its current manifestations a net negative for legal research and writing.dorfonlaw.orgAI Legal Research and Thoreau's WarningDuring my Federal Courts class earlier this week, a student asked me a question about a point I had made that appeared to contradict a sente... 1155
Reposted by Archon FungWalter Olson @walterolson.bsky.social · 01/04/2026My colleague Stephen Richer, former Maricopa County Recorder, has some reactions to Trump's new mail voting E.O. from the standpoint of an experienced administrator in Arizona, a state whose permitted vote-by-mail timeline Trump seems to imagine he can block.cato.orgA Few Key Points on Trump's New Elections Executive OrderTrump is clearly frustrated with Congress’s inability to pass new election laws. He doesn’t interpret this as a mandate to go back to the legislative drawing board, but rather a license to legislate w... 12912
Archon Fung @politicsprof.bsky.social · 30/03/2026Pro-AI group to spend $100mn on US midterm elections as backlash grows @financialtimes.com www.ft.com/content/6a3f... 23516
Reposted by Archon FungPepper Culpepper @pculpepper.bsky.social · 17/03/2026US publication date is today for the Billionaire Backlash! If you’re in the Cambridge (MA) area, come to Harvard Book Store tomorrow night to hear us chat about the book with the inimitable @politicsprof.bsky.socialharvard.comPepper Culpepper and Taeku Lee at Harvard Book Store | Harvard Book Store1256 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02138 142
Reposted by Archon FungAsh Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation @harvardash.bsky.social · 17/03/2026Tune in to today's episode of Terms of Engagement, live on YouTube at 12pm ET. Watch here ⤵️ www.youtube.com/live/BgMn70uUVHQ?si…youtube.comTrump and His Billionaire Allies Make their Move on the MediaYouTube video by Harvard Ash Center 011
Reposted by Archon FungShorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy @shorensteinctr.bsky.social · 17/03/2026Tune in at noon ET to hear Director Nancy Gibbs in conversation with @politicsprof.bsky.social & Stephen Richer about the current state of the media on @harvardash.bsky.social's Terms of Engagement podcast. Join live or watch/listen later. 002
Reposted by Archon FungPatrick Heller @pheller.bsky.social · 03/03/2026Civil society fights back Nine Law Firms Surrendered. Four Law Firms Won. www.nytimes.com/2026/03/03/o...nytimes.comOpinion | Nine Law Firms Surrendered. Four Law Firms Won. 001
Archon Fung @politicsprof.bsky.social · 01/03/2026What's higher ed to do when it loves viewpoint diversity, but viewpoint diversity doesn't love it back? www.nytimes.com/2026/02/28/u...nytimes.comPentagon to Curb Ties With Top Universities and Think Tanks 020
Archon Fung @politicsprof.bsky.social · 17/02/2026Many of us in the democracy community tried to persuade the Obama folks that small-d democracy should be more of a priority than they made it. My sense then was that they nodded politely, but didn't really get the point. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/17/u...nytimes.comObama Took On Recession, Health Care and Iraq. What He Didn’t See Coming Was Trump. 020
Reposted by Archon FungAsh Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation @harvardash.bsky.social · 17/02/2026“The largest number of people to vote for anything in the history of Maine have said they don’t want super PACs. ... It demonstrates that this is a deeply purple issue; there was no difference in the results in red districts or blue districts." bit.ly/4tHG86Gbit.lyHow a little-known Maine ballot initiative could defang super PACs before the 2028 electionPoliticians — from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) to former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) — have decried the potential corrupting force of unlimited donations from plutocrats and corporations. 011
Reposted by Archon FungHenry Farrell @himself.bsky.social · 17/02/2026This Culpepper and Thelen article on how consumer identity supports platform power is a stone-cold classic. "Focusing on the critical role played by consumers in explaining the powers platform firms wield in the rich democracies lends insight as well into their distinctive vulnerabilities"pure.mpg.de 3479
Reposted by Archon FungWalter Olson @walterolson.bsky.social · 16/02/2026Brilliant, from the Colbert show the other night: Ian McKellen recites a speech, “The Stranger’s Case,” thought to be by Shakespeare in which Sir Thomas More addresses an unruly London crowd that has rioted demanding that strangers from abroad be sent back. “What would you think, to be thus used?”folger.eduThe Strangers' Case | Folger Shakespeare LibraryFolger Shakespeare Library is the world's largest Shakespeare collection, the ultimate resource for exploring Shakespeare and his world. Shakespeare belongs to you. His world is vast. Come explore. Jo... 0457
Reposted by Archon FungErica Chenoweth @chenoweth.bsky.social · 16/02/2026Join me and @stevelevitsky.bsky.social at our next session of The Breakdown, this Thursday 2/18 at 4pm ET. Register here: ash.harvard.edu/events/the-b...ash.harvard.eduThe Breakdown with Erica Chenoweth and Steve Levitsky – Ash Center 02912
Reposted by Archon FungGabriel Zucman @gabrielzucman.bsky.social · 15/02/2026The pace at which US wealth concentration is rising is simply staggering The concentration of AI wealth into the hands of a few tech barons + plutocratic capture ==> unchartered territory 12642191854
Reposted by Archon FungMike Wagner @prowag.bsky.social · 11/02/2026Important report from @bcburden.bsky.social who runs the @electionscenter.bsky.social on this point. electionlab.mit.edu/articles/opt...electionlab.mit.eduOpting Out? Recent Challenges in Recruiting and Retaining Poll Workers | MIT Election Lab 11915
Reposted by Archon FungKevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 03/02/2026This @bostonreview.bsky.social piece by @adambonica.bsky.social and @jakemgrumbach.bsky.social is an absolute must-read, as are many of the responses to it. Spread this one far and wide.bostonreview.netHow Not to Defeat AuthoritarianismModeration used to help Democrats win, but its advantages now have been greatly exaggerated. 621394653
Reposted by Archon FungHenry Farrell @himself.bsky.social · 03/02/2026"I demand the sum of one bm̶illion dollars" 2519
Archon Fung @politicsprof.bsky.social · 02/02/2026Join Jonathan Rauch, @stephenrich.bsky.social and me to talk about whether the Trump admin is "fascist," what that means, and whether the name matters on the @harvardash.bsky.social Terms of Engagement (Tuesday noon ET). www.youtube.com/live/vGghrgX...youtube.comSo, Is It Fascism?YouTube video by Harvard Ash Center 100
Archon Fung @politicsprof.bsky.social · 28/01/2026Like many men of a certain age, I’m a huge Springstein fan. Here’s a new track with some Dylanesque notes. 042
Reposted by Archon FungJoel S. @joelhs.bsky.social · 26/01/2026Normal thing for a major urban American newspaper to have to post. 8815221
Reposted by Archon FungPatrick Chovanec @prchovanec.bsky.social · 25/01/2026The fundamental tenet of Robert Peel, who founded the first municipal police force in London, is that the police are the people and the people are the police. Once this connection is destroyed, you are simply an occupying force. This is why ICE should be withdrawn from Minneapolis, today. 834379
Reposted by Archon FungMike Freiberg @repfreiberg.bsky.social · 25/01/2026Secretary of State Steve Simon’s statement on the outrageous request from the US Attorney General www.sos.mn.gov/about-the-of... 726889
Archon Fung @politicsprof.bsky.social · 25/01/2026Many of us educators in the democracy space have argued for decades that there should be more civic education courses in K-12, college, etc. But the folks in Minneapolis and your comment make me think the real problem is that leaders of business, media, and politics need more civic education. 020