"Rethinking Repeatability in Observational Social Science" by Jonathan Ben-Menachem, Ari Galper, and Nic Fishman. Abstract: Sociology has remained relatively insulated from debates about the ‘replication crisis.’ Heeding calls to consider replication more deeply, we introduce a distinction between two types of research reforms that have emerged in the wake of the crisis: specification-restricting reforms and specification-expanding reforms. Specification-restricting reforms—the more popular of the two—aim to increase the repeatability of research findings by controlling false positives. We show how these reforms’ internal logic breaks down outside of randomized experiments; in observational contexts, they risk enshrining fragile or misspecified models. We further argue that the premise of these reforms is flawed. Replication rates cannot be reduced to the purported prevalence of false positive findings. In their place, we propose a replication framework cen- tered on specification-expanding reforms, stronger incentives for confirmatory research, and meta-analysis. This approach equips sociology to assess the repeatability of findings and build a more cumulative discipline.

Ok now this paper looks amazing. By @jbenmenachem.com and coauthors, forthcoming in Sociological Methods and Research.

Chapter 5: @martinarvidsson.bsky.social, Hedström, Jarvis & @marckeuschnigg.bsky.social on the intersection of Analytical Sociology and Computational Social Science.
Computational tools are most powerful when used to identify and test mechanisms, not just describe or predict aggregate patterns.

The choice is impeachment and removal or calamity for the United States. I don't see how anybody watching Trump's speech in Davos can draw any other conclusion. He's a senile madman.

How does tax regressivity at the top affect public support for taxation? In this article, we run an information provision experiment in the United States with a quota-representative sample of around 4,000 people and randomly present respondents with factual information about total tax rates by income group. We find that informing respondents that the superrich pay lower total tax rates than other people not only increases support for raising taxes on the rich but also lowers support for taxing the middle class. Our results highlight an important hidden cost of tax regressivity at the top: if left unaddressed, it risks undermining public support for broad-based taxation.

New in @bjpols.bsky.social!

Dave Hope, @lhaffert.bsky.social and I show that low taxes on the rich have a hidden cost: They undermine public support for broad-based taxation. 🖋️ cup.org/45lgPwN

This paper shows welfare programs alleviating health shock can reduce crime. It makes case poverty scholars have long made about the negative costs of poverty to society. The societal costs of crime need to be factored into benefit-cost analyses of poverty reduction programs.

New paper out with @kchihaya.bsky.social and @eduardotapia.bsky.social. We show how a tendency to move near kin can preserve patterns of segregation, using a combination of discrete choice models and micro-simulations applied to the case of immigrants and their descendants living in Stockholm.

it is *critically* important now for Dems to create a climate in which there is a threat of punishment once power is switched. The more we can create a threatening shadow of the future, the greater the probability of preventing harm in the present

This important paper shows a precipitous drop in girls' achievement in recent years, closing a third of the gap with boys.

Covid doesn't seem to be the smoking gun, but tiktok may be

Kernel density estimates of proximity to parents show clearly differences between groups, but only slight differences between stayers locations, movers' origins, and movers' destinations. Curves are multi-modal b/c of uneven distribution of residential populations across Swedish cities and towns.

Discrete choice models of residential mobility that account for the uneven distribution of housing show that people in all kinds of couples are more likely to move to neighborhoods near to parents. Differences in effects are slight, but the effects appear to be weakest for exogamous immigrants.

Results are indicative of weaker parent-child relationships for exogamous immigrants vs. endogamous peers and natives. This could be due to selection into exogamous unions or the effects of unions on relationships. In any case, our results suggest a spatio-demographic component to immigrant bargain.

New article w/ @jenjirayahirun.bsky.social: Exogamous 2nd gen immigrants in Sweden live further from parents than do endogamous immigrants, but closer than natives. But in terms of residential choices, exogamous immigrants are least likely to move near parents.

PhD student in Analytical Sociology

🚨🎓 We’re looking for new PhD students!
The area of specialization is open, but successful applicants should demonstrate a clear interest in themes that align with ongoing research at @iasliu.bsky.social
📅 Deadline: 31.08.2025
💼 Fully funded positions
How to apply 👉 liu.se/en/work-at-l...

Poster for the Institute for Analytical Sociology (IAS) Programme Autumn 2025 at Linköping University. The text explains that the seminars feature international scholars, are open to all, and will be broadcast on Zoom.

✨ The IAS Seminar Series returns for the Fall 2025 semester with a stellar lineup of speakers and thought-provoking talks. Open to all!

#AcademicSky #Sociology #CSS

Postdoc in Computational Social Science

@iasliu.bsky.social is advertising another postdoc position as part of the Swedish Excellence Center in Computational Social Science. For recently graduated or soon-to-graduate PhD students, the setting is really conducive to getting high quality research done. Apply by September 30th!

More information in English: strategiska.se/app/uploads/...

The Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research has a call for grant proposals for US-based researchers with Swedish citizenship or a degree from Sweden who want to move to a Swedish university. SEK 15 million over 5 years. Aimed at science and tech, so maybe a CSS researcher?

Amazing. Right out in the open: "universities are free to do research as long as they're sympathetic to the administration."

I want to personally play this clip in the face of every fucking clown who spent the last several years pretending that the left is the "real" threat to free speech.

“Seventy-eight percent of ocean microplastics are synthetic tire rubber, according to a report by the Pew Charitable Trust.”

From the article below (a complement to the one the quoted text is about, not the same piece)

👇🎯 Been saying this for years. But it's actually worse than this. They think we are less worthy of actual citizenship & openly suggest that our votes shouldn't count, & they pay absolutely no consequences for this in the National Conversation™️:

bsky.app/profile/mcop...

It's been a couple wks since the various reports of Trump's incursions at the LoC. In that time, I've been backing up the OCR text of Chronicling America, just in case

I documented my process on my blog. Just sharing in case others want/need to back up Chron Am for their own peace of mind

Analytical sociologists look around nervously.

Replication crisis not as bad as feared? “Observed replication rates could have been predicted by issues with replication power alone…. predicted replication rate is almost identical to observed replication rates in experimental economics (60% vs. 61%) and experimental social science (54% vs. 57%).”

A major escalation of the ongoing weaponization of the federal government against institutions that are deemed insufficiently obedient.

This isn't about Harvard, specifically: This is an authoritarian regime weaponizing the state to force civil society institutions into submission.

Must-read @poppublicsphere.bsky.social for folks working on populism: "Populist Radical Right Parties are most successful among classes facing a deterioration of their economic position within the social hierarchy. The magnitude of the association is substantial." www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

I.R.S. Is Said to Be Considering Whether to Revoke Harvard’s Tax-Exempt Status The move would be a major escalation of the Trump administration’s attempts to choke off federal money and support for the leading research university.

I’m old enough to remember the IRS “scandal” from the Obama administration that the GOP fed to a thirsty media, parlaying it into reams of tedious coverage and hackneyed “news analysis”. Every accusation is a confession for these malign mungers.

There are serious concerns about the data validity of the income measurement of the EU-SILC in Hungary after 2017. The numbers reek of manipulation to make the Orban government appear better at fighting poverty than it actually is. This is serious, as it undermines trust in the whole data set.

20 Republicans in the Senate and a handful in the house can end this right now.

I've already had two federal grants terminated and face a 33% pay cut due to future terminations. It's painful, but not as painful as the conversations I'm having every day with brilliant trainees in graduate school and postdoctoral positions who see little future for themselves in US science.

An ‘Administrative Error’ Sends a Maryland Father to a Salvadoran Prison The Trump administration says it mistakenly deported an immigrant with protected status but that courts are powerless to order his return.

OMFG. Read this and weep for our country and the man whose life is ruined. The Trump administration did this and now claims it can't be fixed. That's not good enough. All Americans should be losing their minds over this, even those who don't usually pay attention. www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...