The billionaire backlash is working its way through the courts even as fatalists say nothing can be done about corporate power. The fatalists are wrong, and trusting jury trials is an important way forward. Thanks for the cogent insight @linamkhan.bsky.social and @dohamekki.bsky.social
The vivid partisan sorting of US house districts by income and party -- 2005 -2024
Well, this may not be as interesting as Pete Hegseth’s preaching of the gospel according to Quentin Tarantino, but I had a fabulous interview with David Marr of Late Night Live in Australia about how scandals lead the public to strike down on big corporations with great vengeance and furious anger.
The Baltimore Banner’s parent nonprofit acquires the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette www.niemanlab.org/2026/04/the-...
More from Nuffield Professorial Fellow @pculpepper.bsky.social, this time talking about anti-immigration policies and the AI bubble on @blavatnikschool.bsky.social's new YouTube series, 'Policy Unpacked'
Link to full episode below
#nuffsky
Think populism is always bad for democracy? Check out my discussion with Selcuk Gultasli from the European Center for Populism Studies to get a different take (ignore that the picture makes me a distorted clown).
When Populism Can Be Good
Populism is too often treated as if it is all one thing. But what if populist politics and democratic backsliding didn’t have to go together? A closer look reveals two kinds of populism, one of which is less threatening to liberal democracy.
muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...
Fantastic thread showing a government agency trying to assess AI claims in real time. Kudos to them.
Swollen RFK Jr. Warns Americans Not Eating Enough Bees Kennedy Vows To End ‘War’ On Stinging-Insect Diets
Swollen RFK Jr. Warns Americans Not Eating Enough Bees theonion.com/swollen-rfk-jr-warns-ame...
Enjoyed this perceptive review of Billionaire Backlash by @davekarpf.bsky.social , both the appreciation and especially the media challenge.
Taeku Lee and co-author Pepper Culpepper joined The Niskanen Center’s Science of Politics podcast to discuss their new book "Billionaire Backlash" and how corporate scandals can spur democratic reform.
www.niskanencenter.org/can-corporat...
This is a cracking good account of a likely success in cracking the identity of Satoshi Nakamoto. I’m only surprised this guy doesn’t have more bodyguards if it’s true.
When populism can be good
doi.org/10.1353/jod....
Paper in Journal of Democracy by @nuffieldcollege.bsky.social Fellow @pculpepper.bsky.social and Taeku Lee
The Rothermere American Institute at Oxford is recruiting for the Churchill Associate Professor of United States Politics, looking especially for a colleague with expertise in American political development. The application deadline is May 6. See the job listing here:
www.rai.ox.ac.uk/vacancies
I attended the #APSA Presidential Address last year, and if you were not there, I recommend reading it to learn about the challenges epistemic institutions, incl. Universities, are facing in the current political climate: www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Veiled Power: How Rosenwald Teachers Quietly Shaped the Civil Rights Movement Omar Wasow∗ Jacob M. Grumbach∗ April 1, 2026 Abstract What precipitates the collapse of seemingly durable social orders like Jim Crow? During the 1920s, approximately 5,000 “Rosenwald Schools” were built across the rural South through a partnership between philanthropist Julius Rosenwald and Black communities who raised matching funds, donated land, and petitioned local governments. Local elites saw vocational training that would preserve the racial order. We argue Black educators used this accommodationist cover to build veiled capacity: organizational infrastructure for collective action behind a veil of compliance. Counties with more Rosenwald Schools show greater civil rights protest in the 1960s. Mediation analysis reveals that pre-existing social capital predicted protest through Rosenwald teacher placements, not enrollment. Instrumental variable models suggest the effect is not driven by community selection. Moving from no Rosenwald teachers to the 75th percentile predicts 45% more protest. The political effects of education may depend less on what elites intend than on what educators build where elites cannot see.
Excited to share new paper w/ @jakemgrumbach.bsky.social: "Veiled Power: How Rosenwald Teachers Quietly Shaped the Civil Rights Movement"
The puzzle: did ~5,000 segregated schools built in rural South emphasizing “manual labor” strengthen or weaken Jim Crow? 🧵 omarwasow.com/wasow_grumba...
Ooh, that article on populism looks particularly intriguing!
It seemed seasonally appropriate to hide an Easter egg about the current Democratic primary inside our super conversation with Matt Grossman on the Science of Politics about the political science behind Billionaire Backlash. Check it out! www.niskanencenter.org/can-corporat...
What if populist politics and democratic backsliding didn’t have to go together? Pepper Culpepper and Taeku Lee identify two kinds of populism — one of which is less threatening to liberal democracy.
muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...
Pro-AI group to spend $100mn on US midterm elections as backlash grows @financialtimes.com
www.ft.com/content/6a3f...
Very much enjoyed this piece, which managed to say something new, interesting and important about the Epstein files despite the nonstop media coverage. You might enjoy our new book on scandals and what they tell us about public opinion toward billionaires.
This is really very good and reminds me yet again of how we need to start pulling together an Actual Political Economy of AI.
ChatGPT manages to combine its trademark sycophancy with league-leading failure to credit news organizations. It will steal your ideas even as it kisses your ass. Chapeau!
Excellent turnout and conversation on our panel “Is Democracy under Threat from Oligarchs and Corporate Capture?” at the Oxford Literary Festival today with @oliverbullough.bsky.social @sarahsteinlubrano.bsky.social and @stephenlaw.bsky.social
Democratic consultants: To replicate Mamdani’s success with the young people we must appeal to their short attention spans with memes and TikTok
Mamdani (actual quote): In the fifth century in what we now know as Ireland, a British warlord named Coroticus had laid waste to the countryside
The 92nd Street Y in New York is hosting a discussion series on the fate of democracy in the US. They invited us to talk about Billionaire Backlash and its implications for modern democracy, interviewed by Chuck Collins, author of Burned by Billionaires. What a great conversation! Check it out.
