Rikki Dean

🎓 Join us for our Autumn 2025 Webinar Series: “Using Social Media as a Research Tool”, co-organised with @aykutozturk.bsky.social!

We explore how social media data can help study democracy, political communication & public engagement. 🧵👇

🧩Democracy is complex, but maybe that’s an asset

🌍🪴@alexalenz.bsky.social, Xavier Fernández-i-Marín, Markus Hinterleitner, @cknill.bsky.social & Yves Steinebach show that democracies handle climate-policy complexity more smoothly than less democratic regimes 👇

🖇️ www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Booked today's trip to Lisbon through mine. Got a hotel that said contact them if I arrive after 6, but the details they provided were for a manager who resigned 2 years ago. And realised this morning that the "hand luggage" included in my flight was just a laptop bag. Extra £70 to take clothes.

AI in Politics: Repairing Democratic Connections? @rikkidean.bsky.social @ortiztudela.bsky.social und ich warfen im Rahmen unser Fellowships @goetheuni.bsky.social einen interdisziplinären Blick auf KI und LLM in der Demokratie. Jetzt nachzulesen: www.steiner-verlag.de/Connectivity...

Second, a more down-to-earth combination in which @tamaraehs.bsky.social, @rikkidean.bsky.social and I reflect on the potentials and pitfalls of AI for Democracy. Much has changed in the AI-sphere since we wrote it but many of our concerns remain! - AI in Politics: Repairing Democratic Connections?

Very happy to finally see this out! A while ago I had the wonderful opportunity to meet an awesome group of scientists from very diverse fields, interested in exchanging thoughts, experiences and ideas. In this book, we collect some of these exchanges as a celebration the richness of science.

Finally, three weeks later on Thursday 4th December at 12:00, @williamlallen.bsky.social rounds out the series by presenting important insights into the partisan attitudinal effects of data visualisation of refugee numbers.

Register: events.teams.microsoft.com/event/c939c6...

Asymmetric reporting:

Yesterday, David Lammy made a comment about Nigel Farage "flirting with the Hitler Youth" and it was 2nd story on BBC News at 10.

Today, Zia Yusuf repeatedly calls Keir Starmer a "stochastic terrorist... trying to incite violence against Farage" and it's not even mentioned.

How strategic narratives function in geopolitical settings as bordering practices?
I address this question in my latest article ‘Narrating Geopolitics: Strategic Narratives of Georgia’s EU Candidacy’ published in @geopoliticsjournal.bsky.social

From the research group @dec-gr.bsky.social, we are glad to share our new Scientific Data article presenting the release of the first 12 waves of the Spanish Political Attitudes Panel (POLAT).

rdcu.be/eIkms

That would really be a threat to British values.

I'm old enough to remember people complaining that the Kosovans were eating all the ducks and swans. Lucky that the ducks and swans, just like the scare stories about refugees, are a replenishable resource.

Looking forward to JD Vance denouncing this as another example of the European crisis of freedom of speech.

Picture of a swimming pool at dusk full of Canada geese with the Vancouver skyline in the background.

The Canadians appear to love their geese so much that they build them swimming pools.

Happy to see this out in @jeppjournal.bsky.social !

➜ doi.org/10.1080/1350...

The paper asks why the European Commission @ec.europa.eu increasingly sponsors participatory innovations – such as the European Citizens' Panels – although their strategic and functional value remains elusive

🧵 1/6

Don't miss the APSA Presidential Task Force on Democratic Innovations, kicking off at 10am in the VCC. #apsa2025 @di-apsa.bsky.social

But how could they possibly be sure it was his signature, and that his friend's partner hadn't solicited a fake letter from a random weirdo in order to set him up 20 years later?

Charlie Kirk described Kyle Rittenhouse, who shot dead two protesters, as "a hero to millions".

Several of my great new colleagues at @sotonpolitics.bsky.social and their collaborators have to put together this blockbuster paper on what happened when the UK Labour Party adopted radical right rhetoric on immigration. A must read for centre left parties across Europe.

Sunrise on a cloudy morning over the bay in Nanaimo, Vancouver Island, with half the sun emerging from clouds above the forest and the light reflecting on calm water of the bay.

A nice thing about jetlag when you are an owl, is that is it is one of the few times you get to experience the sunrise.

I am on board with moving our panel to the beach.

A Conservative would get away with it too. There was plenty worse amongst the last government. It is the hypocrisy that makes it stick - i.e. Labour believe that taxes are good and should be paid, so can't get away with not paying what they should.

Photo of a green and white catamaran ferry in Vancouver harbour

Beginning the final leg - the Vancouver > Nanaimo ferry. Only 14 hours after the first tram. Accidentally booked myself a senior ticket 🤪

Should add that my wife is not some property expert. This is something that anyone who has bought a property would probably know.

Was talking about this story with my wife last night. First thing she said was, "Raynor's explanation doesn't add up as mortgage conveyancers won't normally offer tax advice". Why are these people such amateurs?

When I went on a visiting fellowship to Australia, I was warned not to go near Kangaroos in water as they will try to drown you.

Tempted to ride the Gatwick monorail, even though I don't need to, just to add a seventh form of transport.

We have a paper on how Labour's strategy is disastrous.

There's an exclusive coverage in @newstatesman.com

www.newstatesman.com/politics/202...

Photo from the platform of the Croydon tram link showing the front end of the tram, and a passenger alighting on a sunny morning.

First leg of my epic journey for a pre-APSA visit to Vancouver Island University. Going to take Tram > Train > Flight > Metro > Bus > Ferry. So, a full house of transport options.

So happy that mine and @stefaniereher.bsky.social ESRC grant application for a 4 year comparative project on disability and political parties was successful!! @sotonpolitics.bsky.social