iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Will Allen @williamlallen.bsky.social · 7h

One month to go: send your special issue proposals to @migrationjrnl.bsky.social by Nov 1. See below for details on what we’re looking for, and the submission page.

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Will Allen @williamlallen.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Our group of @sotonpolitics.bsky.social faculty, PhD students, and visitors enjoyed the reopening reception at the @unisouthampton.bsky.social Winchester Gallery! Got us thinking of how to use data and research creatively. And my organising emails apparently give ‘chaperoning school trip’ vibes 🤷🏽‍♂️

A group stands in front of the entrance to the Winchester School of Art

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Will Allen @williamlallen.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Taking advantage of the last of the stone fruit season: peach and almond cake #poliskybakes

A round cake with big wedges of peach buried into the top, and one thick wedge on its side revealing the cross section of juicy fruit

A close up of holding a wedge of darl golden almond cake with large chunks of juicy peach showing through

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Will Allen @williamlallen.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Have sent in my #MI ballot for the November US midterms. Several important races and proposals including a Senate seat contested by @abdulelsayed.bsky.social (incidentally an Oxford DPhil grad), House seat #MI08, and state-wide proposals on a constitutional convention and campaign finance reform.

Holding a white envelope in front of a red postbox with the purple stamp and blue air mail label visible. ‘Official absentee ballot’ is written on the envelope, along with the address of the Essexville City Clerk.

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Will Allen @williamlallen.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

It's been quite the ride, with lots of supporters: I've received a @ukri.org Future Leaders Fellowship to examine how data visualization matters for what people know, think, and want on climate change, migration, and economic development and inequality. For details, see www.visualizer.org.uk #flf

visualizer.org.uk

VISUALIZER

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Will Allen @williamlallen.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Come along this morning to see me flap about in front of charts…and also talk about some research on whether dataviz changes minds on refugees 😉

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Vanessa Cheng-Matsuno @vchengm.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

WIPS – Women in Political Science will begin its online writing sessions next Friday 25 September. Would you like to join? We are a small, informal network for early-career women in permanent or tenure-track positions that work in politics, broadly defined (interdisciplinary is welcome!) 1/4

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Will Allen @williamlallen.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Focaccia two ways: roasted garlic and rosemary, and Korean-style with kimchi and green onion #poliskybakes

A golden loaf of fluffy focaccia with green sprigs of rosemary across the top

A fluffy loaf of focaccia with bright red kimchi and green spring onion across the top

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Will Allen @williamlallen.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

I'll be at @psaepop.bsky.social #epop2026 next week, and still have an offer of a few coffee chats on me for anyone wanting to talk about job markets, publishing, grant applications, or research connections. Or just say hi if we pass each other!

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Will Allen @williamlallen.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

The call for @migrationjrnl.bsky.social Special Issue proposals is open, deadline 1 November with results in January 2027. Particularly consider applying if you've recently held a workshop/conference, or are part of a network/consortium. academic.oup.com/migration/pa...

academic.oup.com

2026 Call for Special Issue Proposals

Deadline: 1 November 2026 Migration Studies is now accepting Special Issue proposals. The journal typically publishes one call for special issues per year. To

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Will Allen @williamlallen.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

The @magdalenoxford.bsky.social junior research fellowships are now open, including for politics. Due 15 Oct. 3 years of 100% research time to those who submit their PhD between July 2025-Oct 2027. Comes with good ECR pay, relatively generous support funds. www.magd.ox.ac.uk/job-vacancie...

magd.ox.ac.uk

Job Vacancies - Magdalen College

Magdalen College is one of the oldest, largest, and most beautiful colleges in Oxford – it is a wonderful place to work. You can explore and apply for current vacancies on our recruitment website via ...

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Will Allen @williamlallen.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

An accredited leadership development program for early-career researchers from the @britishacademy.bsky.social, with travel covered plus contributions to childcare costs.

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Will Allen @williamlallen.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

I'm very grateful to the @migcitizenapsa.bsky.social section for its 2026 Emerging Scholar award. While I couldn't be at #APSA2026 to accept it in-person, I did want to share my thanks to all those who have been part of my academic story so far.

Emerging Scholar Award
This award is to recognize and celebrate an outstanding scholar who is within 8 years from the year of their PhD or holds a pre-tenure status and whose scholarly publication, teaching, professional service, and/or public scholarship has made a significant contribution to understanding migration and/or citizenship in political life.

2026, Dr. William L. Allen, University of Southampton
2025, Katharina Natter, University of Leiden
2024, Ayca Arkilic, University of Wellington

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Will Allen @williamlallen.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

One thing that sometimes gets forgotten among @erc.europa.eu announcements is how the good folks use their awards to make more humane opportunities: longer, well-resourced, and mentored early-career positions. Dear reader: @danjdevine.bsky.social is one of those good folks for political science.

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Will Allen @williamlallen.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Paseos de Bank Holiday en Oxfordshire

Dramatic white and grey clouds vive a dry field

Dramatic grey clouds above a dry field with a row of trees in the distance

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Will Allen @williamlallen.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Rainy bank holiday mood: coconut banana pancakes #poliskybakes #poliskycooks

A golden brown stack of pancakes with chunks of ripe banana and toasted coconut flakes scattered on top, with a drizzle of maple syrup across the plate

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Will Allen @williamlallen.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

While I can’t make #ecprgc26 this year, I love these events because they usually reveal practical things people do to manage their academic careers *beyond* research. At least at my institution, education and service makes up 60-70% of a standard assistant professor’s time, never mind life stuff!

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Will Allen @williamlallen.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

Paseos en Port Meadow / Oxfordshire walks

Reflections of white clouds in a tiger with a single black cow in the distance

A group of horses at the edge of a distant river as blue skies and white clouds surround them

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Will Allen @williamlallen.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

12 years goes by quickly! // Feliz duodécimo aniversario para nosotros

Two glasses with golden wine and a warm summer evening in the background

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Will Allen @williamlallen.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

Sunday lunch at Fallow lived up to the social media hype: I can only hope that my life brings 10% of the joy that one of their roasties does. (But we stayed for a cracker of a rhubarb and blood orange pavlova).

A small dish of dark brown corn ribs with a wedge of lime

A plate of golden Yorkshire puddings, roast pork, carrots, broccoli and rich gravy

A delicately layered dish of roast halibut with green cavolo Nero and a spicy Mexican salsa

A layered pink rhubarb and vanilla custard pavlova with a crispy meringue disc on top

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Will Allen @williamlallen.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

Oh dear, it’s happening: people sending me emails to do stuff that start with (probably sincere) hopes that I *had* a nice summer…

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Will Allen @williamlallen.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

What a treat! Dudamel, Ortiz, and the LA Phil #bbcproms

A large orchestra stands as a concert hall audience applauds

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Will Allen @williamlallen.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

Evening, Port Meadow Oxfordshire

A serene river with wispy clouds and sun set light reflected in the surface

Tall grass in front of a flat river and distant green trees. Blue skies and a small distant black bird make up two thirds of the top of the scene.

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Will Allen @williamlallen.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Totally endorse what @danjdevine.bsky.social says about @jeppjournal.bsky.social (have always had good experience with them as an author) as well as the upside of getting involved in editorial work pre-tenure/promotion if you’re minded that way. Go apply!

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Will Allen @williamlallen.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

Sincerely thankful to mentors and friends who have been so helpful along the way--a slightly weird and wonderful path to political science I wouldn't change. Yet someone much wiser reminded me that titles and papers don't love us back: people tend to remember how what you did made them feel.

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Will Allen @williamlallen.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

Particularly glad to see this will support even more opportunities and mentoring via the proven @britishacademy.bsky.social Early Career Researcher network

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Will Allen @williamlallen.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

Integrating immigrants increasingly falls to regional governments, but what do these policies actually look like? Mariri Niino and I have a new open-access @psjeditor.bsky.social paper examining how Japanese prefectures use "multicultural coexistence" in their planning: doi.org/10.1111/psj..... A 🧵

Title: Imagined Integration: The Logics of Japanese Immigrant Integration Policy

Journal: Policy Studies Journal

Authors: Mariri Niino, University of Oxford, and William Allen, University of Southampton

Abstract: As governments develop immigrant integration policies, they draw on and express conceptions about what successful integration looks like—what we call “imagined integration.” Yet this imagination likely displays variation that matters for implementation: integration policymaking is increasingly multilevel as it involves subnational layers of bureaucracy, and it may differ across national contexts which have distinct immigration experiences and political dynamics. In response, we trace the logics within Japan's approach to integrating a range of immigrants (“multicultural coexistence”) as its objectives pass through to subnational (prefectural) governments. As a major industrialized economy, Japan is instructive because its centrally organized approach to integration differs from Western cases, and yet its growing policy attention to integration typifies trends in neighboring Asian countries facing similar demographic and economic challenges. Through the first comprehensive content analysis of all available prefectural plans regarding multicultural coexistence (N = 31 as of 2025), we identify how subnational policymakers conceive coexistence, its justification, and its successful achievement on paper. Our study contributes to better connections between empirical understanding of important policies affecting immigrants in a key world region, as well as to theorization about the ideational aspects of policymaking.

要旨:

政府は移民政策を策定する際、望ましい統合のあり方について一定の構想を描き、それに基づいて政策を形成・表現していく。本稿では、このような統合に関する政策的理想像を「イマジンド・インテグレーション」(想像の移民統合政策)と呼ぶ。しかし、この構想は実際の政策実施において多様な実践を伴いうる。その背景には、移民統合政策の形成が近年ますます多層化し、地方自治体が政策主体として重要な役割を担うようになっていることに加え、各国における移民受入れの経験や政治的文脈の差異が存在する。こうした問題意存に基づき、本稿では、日本における移民統合理念としての「多文化共生」が、都道府県でどのように受容・展開されているかを検討する。日本は主要先進工業国の中でも比較的中央集権的な移民政策体制を有しており、この点で地方分権的傾向の強い西欧諸国と異なる特徴を持つ。他方で、人口減少や労働力不足を背景に外国人住民への対応が重要な政策課題となっている点では、アジア諸国に共通する動向も示している。本稿では、2025年時点で策定されている31件の都道府県多文化共生推進計画を対象に初めての内容分析を行い、地方自治体の政策担当者が「多文化共生」をどのように理解し、どのように政策目標として位置づけているのかを明らかにする。これにより、本研究は、世界的に重要性を増すアジア地域における移民政策についての実証的理解を深めるとともに、政策形成における観念的側面に関する理論的議論への貢献を目指す。

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Will Allen @williamlallen.bsky.social · 26/07/2026

There are few things as rewarding on a Sunday afternoon as homemade patacones (crispy fried plantain) and frijoles colombianos con hogao #poliskycooks

A bowl of plump beans served over rice with green coriander on top, and two crispy yellow slices of fried plantain on the side

A plate full of golden yellow fried plantain with flakes of white sea salt

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Will Allen @williamlallen.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

Partner of 11+ years just informed me that they would eat a Toblerone by dipping it in cold milk. Is this a thing and how have I only just now learned this?

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Will Allen @williamlallen.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

Are you an early-career scholar (self defined) and going to @psaepop.bsky.social #epop2026 in Liverpool? I’m happy to arrange a few coffee chats (on me) about the job market, publishing, applying for grants, or research on (visual) political communication or political behaviour. Just email me!

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Will Allen @williamlallen.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

🗳️ Did my civic duty this morning and sent my absentee ballot for the Michigan primaries in this year’s midterm elections. Some very important races including the open Senate seat and ones for my district (MI-8) which is one of the swingiest in the country ⚖️ Get informed and go vote!

An envelope labelled ‘absent voter ballot’ being held in front of a postbox, marking the moment a vote is cast from
abroad.

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Will Allen @williamlallen.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

Topline: immigrants who do jobs that are perceived to be socially valuable even if conventionally “lower” skilled are viewed more favorably—and this quality of occupations is distinct from skills and prestige. Full thread here: bsky.app/profile/will...

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Will Allen @williamlallen.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

Which immigrants do people prefer and why? Many point to skill levels, but @mfreino.bsky.social @isabel-ruiz.bsky.social and I argue people also consider the social value of work immigrants do, even if considered "lower" skilled. Open access in @ejprjournal.bsky.social: doi.org/10.1017/S147... 🧵

Title: Beyond skills: How occupational essentiality and social value relate to attitudes toward immigrant labor.
Authors: William L. Allen, Mariña Fernández-Reino, and Isabel Ruiz
Abstract: Research on public attitudes toward immigration consistently shows that people prefer higher- over lower-skilled immigrants, largely for sociotropic economic and fiscal reasons. We argue that this account is incomplete: citizens also evaluate immigrant workers according to the essentiality and social value of the work they perform, alongside formal skills and education. We conceptualize two logics for evaluating occupations – economic-fiscal and moral-social – that shape attitudes toward labor immigrants, before testing this argument in two studies in the UK. Study 1 uses a preregistered conjoint survey experiment (N = 4,951) fielded during the UK’s third COVID-19 lockdown in January 2021. Respondents evaluated hypothetical labor immigrants varying in occupation, skill level, and origin. Immigrants working in occupations designated as ‘essential’ during the pandemic were substantially more likely to be preferred for admission (by about 22 percentage points) and more likely to be viewed as economically beneficial (by about 10 percentage points) than those in nonessential jobs, net of skill. Study 2 reports results from an online survey (N = 1,944) fielded in 2025 measuring perceptions of occupational essentiality, social value, economic value, prestige, skill, and labor shortages. Perceived essentiality is strongly associated with social value while remaining distinct from skill and prestige. Importantly, perceptions of occupational essentiality remained stable over time and correlated with preferences for admitting immigrants in those same occupations. Together, these findings highlight occupational essentiality as a distinct and consequential driver of immigration attitudes with implications for labor migration debates and policymaking.

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Will Allen @williamlallen.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

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Will Allen @williamlallen.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

Sincere thanks to @migcitizenapsa.bsky.social for its 2026 Emerging Scholar award! Widening and deepening the reach of political science motivates a lot of what I do, so it’s gratifying to know others recognize that goal, too. Congrats to the other recipients: apsanet.org/membership/o... #polisky

apsanet.org

Section 43 - American Political Science Association (APSA)

Migration and Citizenship Section Award Recipients More on the Migration and Citizenship section Best Article AwardBest Book AwardBest Chapter AwardBest

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Will Allen @williamlallen.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

Congrats @matthiasdilling.bsky.social on capping off a great year at @tcdpoliticalsci.bsky.social! Ruling that rare spot in the #academicsky and #polisky Venn diagram where super cool research meets effective teaching that students actually like.

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Will Allen @williamlallen.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

Entering the summer means another #academicsky season of jobs/promotions/grants/awards announcements. I always enjoy seeing what folks have been up to, and where they’re going next! It’s especially important in an industry and sector where these conventional ‘wins’ seem fewer and farther between.

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Will Allen @williamlallen.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

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Will Allen @williamlallen.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

Hard agree. I learn a lot by doing reviews (though editorial work means I’m doing a bit less lately). The voice point is intriguing, too: maybe I’m getting a more targeted set of requests in my wheelhouse, but I’ve found myself feeling more confident in my reviews lately. bsky.app/profile/will...

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Will Allen @williamlallen.bsky.social · 21/06/2026

Summer has arrived: grilled hallim, hot honey, dill #poliskycooks

Five golden brown slices of hallim cheese layered on a plate of giant cous cous and green rocket.

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Will Allen @williamlallen.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

Excited for #epss2026, where I'll share work about immigrants' occupational essentialness and public views on welfare: Friday, 10.50, Broadway (Hilton). With stellar coauthors @jacquibroadhead.bsky.social @mfreino.bsky.social @deniskierans.bsky.social @isabel-ruiz.bsky.social @msumption.bsky.social

Title: Immigrant Occupational Essentialness and Preferences for Welfare Redistribution
Authors: William Allen, Jacqueline Broadhead, Mariña Fernández-Reino, Denis Kierans, Isabel Ruiz, and Madeleine Sumption
This Version: 12 June 2026
Abstract: Who should have access to national welfare systems, and under what conditions? These questions are central to economic and migration policymaking in many high-income receiving countries. Existing evidence shows how people tend to prioritize nationals’ abilities to access welfare over migrants ("welfare chauvinism") although this varies across groups. Without dis- agreeing with this, we advance occupational essentialness as an underexplored dimension of immigrants’ profiles that also matters for welfare preferences. Conceptually, essentialness signals the centrality of work that immigrants perform to the core functioning of societies, and which often involves making contributions to and personal sacrifices for others. Our evidence comes from a pre-registered conjoint survey experiment fielded in the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic in January 2021. Across in-kind and means-tested cash transfer benefit types (NHS primary healthcare, housing benefits, Universal Credit), respondents prioritized immigrants working in essential over non-essential occupations by about 0.1 of a standard deviation. This was consistent for immigrants with shorter- and longer-term residency status. However, against pre-registered expectations, respondents who were negatively materially impacted expressed more generous preferences towards non-essential immigrant workers compared to unaffected respondents, though their preference for essential over non-essential workers was also modestly smaller. These patterns have implications for theoretical and conceptual development regarding redistributive politics, and policymaking on immigration and labor markets.

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