Great opportunity to donate in memory of a beloved scholar of African politics. The Lee Ann Fujii Minority Fellows Program Travel Grants will help up to 15 scholars from underrepresented backgrounds get to APSA each year, 2019-2023. Details: #APSA2018...
Obviously, too soon to tell. But with the new Obama announcement setting an enddate-ish, my nominee might just be: Pakistan. Pakistan got to have heaps of aid despite spending the entire time...
It is nothing new to say that the internet is a major distraction. But I'm particularly amazed at how well-intentioned online searches lead to bottom-feeder-celebrity-gossip trolling. How does a...
I was a fan of X-Men long before I was a fan of Poli Sci. So, I am eagerly awaiting the chance to see Days of Future Past, which may or may not do kind things to one of the very best X-tales. + For...
The Onion reports on a story of profound importance to readers of this blog. Well, go read!
I stayed up too late  last night drinking cheap Scotch and playing Borderlands 2. Then I accidentally snagged the wife's computer -- she's somewhere that has a high of -40° today -- but, thanks to the wonders of multiple-user operating systems and Dropbox, I think I'll get some work today. Anyway.... I know that the point has been made before, but during the 2012 election the opposition party in the United States attacked the President relentlessly for 'cutting Medicare.' A month after the election, though, they're all like "slash Medicare or we'll blow up the economy!" Words fail. Moving on...
As one of the two great still-extant medieval institutions, the church confronts the digital age with a mixture of trepidation and hope. Hope, because congregations and ministers with online presence can build up new types of community and remain in contact through a variety of media; trepidation, because the church, like any incumbent industry, looks with fear at the fate of travel agents, small retailers, and print newspapers. Having seen each industry fall to the likes of Expedia, Amazon, and the Huffington Post, the leaders of churches throughout the United States and beyond worry that...
Most academics will admit to themselves and students that the majority of dissertations and books are written in a 6 month block of time (the remainder of the post focuses on a PhD process, but it can be easily applied to book writing). I'm talking here about the WRITING process- not the research, figuring out the question, organizing the chapters etc (no wizard can do all that in 6 months- at least not this wizard). But once you've done your (field) research, reading, thinking through the chapters, taking notes etc. it really should only take you 6 months to finish the thesis. For PhD...
If you haven't heard yet, Albert O. Hirschman passed away today. Some good discussion at Crooked Timber, including a link to a terrific piece by Rajiv Sethi. Hirschman's stature in the social sciences was of such magnitude that, while still alive, the Social Science Research Council named a lifetime achievement award after him. I don't have a great deal to add myself. I learned a tremendous amount from his works, including The Passions and the Interests and Exit, Voice, and Loyalty. Perhaps I am getting on myself, but it seems like we're gradually losing a group of scholars whose influence...
Let's make like a blacksmith and forge some linkage: A detailed examination of how China's military-industrial complex is making surprising advances. (The Diplomat) Chris Blattman reviews James C. Scott's new Two Cheers For Anarchism. With 30 pages left to go, I can say that it should have been on my "best books read in 2012" list. Why do academic job searches take so long? One would expect that given the surfeit of applicants it would take less time now to fill positions, but the reverse seems to be true. (Inside Higher Ed) Via many people: Your favorite econometrics textbook is wrong. I...
With less than a month left to nominate awards and guarantee voting rights, here’s where we stand: Nominees for Best Blog (Group): Abu Muqawama Arms Control Wonk Crooked Timber The Disorder of Things IPE at UNC Kings of War Nominees for Best Blog (Individual): Abu Aardvark’s Middle East Blog (Marc Lynch) Chris Blattman Dart-Throwing Chimp (Jay Ulfelder) International Political Economy Zone (Emmanuel Yujuico) iRevolution (Patrick Meier) M. Taylor Favrel Phil Arena’s Blog Running Chicken (Ari Kohen) Saideman’s Semi-Spew (Steve Saideman) Slouching Toward Columbia (Daniel Trombly) Texas in...
Morning Ducks! Here's your Monday morning round-up: South Asia: The US has informed the UN, in compliance with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, that the US military detained more than 200 teens for about a year at a time on average in a military prison next to Bagram Airfield.  Most of the children were around age 16 but some were as young as 11.  The youth were kept in the general facility for "enemy combatants" population.  Under the Bush administration, 2,500 youth were detained by the US military in Iraq. In related troubling news, a US military official contended that "Some...