Raúl Aldaz Peña

Thank you for this great review @raulaldaz.bsky.social ! If after reading this great review anyone is interested in the book (for yourselves or your libraries) feel free to use this discount voucher valid until Friday

Success could enhance legitimacy for a state-building coalition, strengthening a coercive and/or redistributive state. Failure could weaken the state (and democracy?).

The book serves IR, state and mixed-method scholars. Read it!

Here is the review: (7/7) www.researchgate.net/publication/...

Schenoni's argument provides lens to see one of the region's most pressing challenges: security.

From left to right, voters demand more state to fight organized crime. Whether through 'mano dura' and/or redistribution (coercion and/or public goods). (6/7)

The argument and findings of the book could be better understood if read with other recent literature. #DanielBaquero and I recently wrote a review, here is a thread:

bsky.app/profile/raul...

(5/7)

First. Expands the bellicist theory and tests it in difficult cases (Latin America). The book disputes established explanations for state capacity variation.

Second. The book provides an explanation for the revearsal of economic development and state capacity (late 19th C) within the region. (4/7)

2. Empirics. The focus on outcomes and mechanisms leads to a mixed-method strategy. The book presents fresh evidence using fQCA, diff-in-diffs, synthetic controls, and within-case analysis.

I think the book makes at least two major contributions (3/7)

It is theoretically and empirically strong.

1. Theory. The argument expands and ellaborates the classical bellicist theory. It provides expectations of the war-sate link pre and post-war, and mechanisms (depdendent on victory or defeat). In short, it derives several theoretical implications. (2/7)

Latin American Policy just published the review that I made of @llschenoni.bsky.social's outstanding book Brinking War Back In: Victory, Defeat, and the State in Nineteenth‐Century Latin America.

Here is a thread of the review.

The book tests the war-state capacity link in the region. (1/7)

Mokyr's work could not have been done today in most economics departments, but the irony is that his work would not fit in history departments today, either. Methodologically he seems more 'history' than 'economics' to economists, but the content and reasoning are too 'economics' for most historians

IR, Comparative, Methodology.

If we set aside ad-hoc explanations, two forces stand out in shaping global development: colonial institutions and war—even if the former fails to explain Europe itself. Latin America has long tilted the debate away from the latter, but what if the real driver was war here as well?👇

Communicating economic research: How to summarise academic papers for a policy audience How can researchers write accessible summaries of academic research? In this blog, I reflect on some key takeaways from editing over 500 VoxDev articles that summarise policy-relevant research in deve...

How can you summarise your research for a wider audience?

I think it's a no-brainer to present your work in a way that's accessible to those outside academia.

Having edited over 500 @voxdev.bsky.social articles, I've put what I've learned into this blog: voxdev.org/topic/commun...

Daniel Baquero has organized a neat panel on “Reform and Development from Historical Perspectives”
⏰ 8 am tomorrow (Saturday)
📍 East 3
Projects by Daniel, Steve Monroe, me, Yajie Wang, @charasz.bsky.social + @kkrakows.bsky.social. Discussion by @lisablaydes.bsky.social + @ricarthuguet.bsky.social

Also, there is avocado soup.

New political science grad students, a piece of unsolicited advice:

Take the full formal theory sequence; if your program doesn't offer it, go to the econ department (that's what I did). Formal logic is also a great option!

Why? You never know what will happen during grad school. 1/8

Thank you for taking the time to write the post! Finding a voice always seemed abstract, almost esoteric. Your thoughts help writers see voice as a more concrete element. At least that was my take.

Pure gold!

Using time series graphs to make causal claims be like

I'll write a proper review hopefully ready in the next few weeks. I'll further ellaborate more these ideas. But I'll also try to place the book in a larger discussion as well. But don't wait for the review to read it. (4/4)

From 2) above, you'll expect a mixed-method research design. It includes cross-section strategies to explain variance across cases, and a focus on specific cases via synthetic controls, and within-case analysis. Cool! (3/4)

Theoretically, the book extends the bellicist theory in two ways.

1) Going back to key insights from Weber and Hintz. 2) Developing these insights into empirical implications pre and post-war. The implications cover both outcomes and mechanisms. (2/4)

Ok, so I finally finished reading this book by
@llschenoni.bsky.social. If your are into states and development (in and beyond Latin America), you have to read it!

The book is theoretically ambitious and has a clever and brilliant research design. (1/4)

📢 ¡Convocatoria abierta!

Dossier: "Estudios de política subnacional comparada en América Latina: el aporte del territorio a la construcción de teoría"

🗓️ Cierre: 16/06/2025

🔗 Info completa: revista.saap.org.ar/index.php/re...

#RevistaSAAP #REPSA #CienciaPolítica #DossierAcadémico

Are you doing research in contexts of conflict, insecurity and development? Are you using participatory and creative research methods?

Apply now for our one-day workshop on 26 September, where we will discuss the benefits, practical and ethical challenges in using participatory methodologies.

The rise and reversal of bureaucratic capacity: lessons from Chinese history In a previous post, I discussed ways in which recent historical political economy research has advanced the study of state capacity.

New Broadstreet post by @pavisuri.bsky.social, who continues her series on state capacity. Today's post is on what we can learn about the origins and reversal of bureaucratic capacity in China & why state-building in China confounds scholars of Europe: www.broadstreet.blog/p/the-rise-a...

The Future of Historical Political Economy in Europe By Bastian Becker (Humboldt-University of Berlin), Lukas Haffert (University of Geneva), Cathrin Mohr (University of Bonn)

What does it take to advance this frontier and to more firmly establish HPE as a research field in Europe?

open.substack.com/pub/alexandr...

This paper investigates the individual-level economic impacts of Marxist-Leninist indoctrination. We examine the long-run effects of a rogue educational experiment that, between 1973 and 1975, exposed two cohorts of fifth graders in one Finnish municipality to a history and social studies curriculum influenced by Soviet ideas. The experiment aimed to study the formation of a ``functioning [socialist] worldview.'' Students in other cohorts and municipalities followed the standard curriculum. Using comprehensive register data and a difference-in-differences approach, we show that exposed students earned significantly less in adulthood than their non-exposed peers. This gap is partly explained by reduced labor supply and a shift toward more left-leaning, lower-paying occupations. We find no substantial effects on educational attainment, cognitive ability, or personality traits related to achievement striving. These findings highlight the long-lasting economic consequences of early exposure to ideological content in the classroom.

🎓 New working paper: "Communism in the Classroom: Long-Run Effects of an Experiment" (with Matti Mitrunen)

graphic that reads 'we're hiring: LSE Fellow in Advanced Quantitative Methods. Applications close: 27 April 2025. For more information and to apply, please visit www.jobs.lse.ac.uk'

We're hiring an LSE Fellow in Advanced Quantitative Methods❗

The successful candidate will contribute to the Department’s teaching activities through seminar teaching, methods surgeries, and dissertation/capstone supervision.

For more info and to apply➡️ jobs.lse.ac.uk/Vacancies/W/...

🚨Call for papers!

We will be hosting this great workshop next autumn, organized by @clpennec.bsky.social, @nicolasajz.bsky.social and our own Cevat Aksoy.

Submit your best political economy work!

We cannot take democracy for granted. The turn towards more democracy is a huge human achievement.

It is more recent than we often realize. Only 9 countries have had an electoral democracy for over 91 years - and even fewer for liberal democracy. Let's take care of these important institutions.