@benfrancis.bsky.social
PhD-ing in Peace & Political Science at University of Notre Dame. Climate and gender politics. Previously: a decade in aid sector in Palestine, Libya, Afghanistan, Nepal and elsewhere. Unrewarding sense of loyalty to: Man United, UK Labour Party. He/him
So far in 2026 I have been blessed with three journal rejections and a conference rejection. The year isn't ten weeks old yet.
Academia is great, because if you work really hard and put everything into ideas you really care about it might turn out you still suck and aren't very smart!
In the Fukuyama glow of the post-Cold War neoliberal consensus I kinda dug the "choosing between the main parties is like choosing between Coke and Pepsi" brand of disaffected cynicism.
In 2026 it just makes you sound like a lunatic, though.
My acknowledgements won't thank anyone at all. Just a full page of grievances and grudges to be aired. That's the real subversion of expectation - no gratitude at all, just a grotesque literary middle finger to all the haters.
"I'd like to begin by acknowledging that the following people suck..."
Ed Davey: "How can we expect to be taken seriously as a country if our currency depicts wildlife? Now excuse me while I try to win votes by base jumping off The Shard and landing in a giant vat of custard"
Decorating my office yesterday for the next few months of PhD writing. The teenage version of me who adorned his bedroom with posters of rock stars and action movies is reaching through time to raise his judgemental eyebrow at me.
Philadelphia got a few inches of snow this weekend which hasn't melted. Most of the paths have been cleared and people are getting on with their lives. But when I jog my sizeable backside around a little urban 5k loop this morning I'll feel like I'm in Rocky's training montage in Rocky IV.
Respectfully, as an (increasingly begrudging) LP member, at the next GE it's impossible for any party to credibly hold an "us or Reform" position. It's "Reform or anyone" & in the absence of formal electoral pacts it will be up to voters to judge strategically who that party is in their constituency
As a Labour Party member I'm glad the NEC has blocked Burnham. Starmer has performed poorly in his first 18 months and we should consider whether a leadership challenge might be the way to go in May but there's no reason for the party to facilitate an opportunist to position themselves in advance.
Sometimes I walk by this building in Philadelphia and think "Oh sure, it's a nice idea but I've been to dozens of countries around the world and I just don't think it exists"
As a(n increasingly begrudging) LP member receiving this cringe email this morning was disheartening. They're just so bad at comms, even internally.
Either be the serious, technocratic, centre left bods you claim to be or join the populist rhetoric circus but if it's the latter at least do it well.
Amad Diallo said to be excited that his new coach is so focussed on the right wing
Looking at my Google Scholar this morning and feeling cheery after realising I got another citation!
I know "out-racist the racists" hasn't worked the last 17 times this Labour government have tried it but perhaps it really could be a winning strategy next time?
This is so disturbing given the context that presumably none of these speakers have consented in to this.
Friends! Please consider signing this petition which needs (and deserves) a lot of attention to reach its target in the coming days. The Welsh government is making a monumentally poor decision that will have a detrimental impact on digital education in Wales.
petitions.senedd.wales/petitions/24...
Just published at PNAS (@pnas.org): “Electing amateur politicians reduces cross-party collaboration”
We show that districts electing first-time members of the U.S. House experience substantial declines in bipartisan representation in the subsequent Congress.
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Check out PWH postdoc @shanascogin.bsky.social's insight on Nepal's youth uprising here ⬇️
Super interesting new paper by Ben Francis, one of my graduate co-authors, who is writing excellent theoretical studies and doing important empirical work on gender, the ethics of positionality statements, and the environmental movement. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
New article out! 🚨 I analyze how peace scholars are using reflexivity & positionality statements. Their use is climbing, but approaches are varied. Our field is still shaping best practices. Open access in Peacebuilding.
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Excited to be at LeHigh University today to do a guest lecture. Climate change is a gendered phenomenon, let's talk about it!
Be cautious of the white dude academic opining on distant events but I've worked in and cared about Nepal for many years and have spent today refreshing horrific social media updates from friends & former colleagues there. Sending solidarity to young Nepalis taking on a corrupt & violent government.
Novel. Innovative. Wordplay du jour.
Interpreting submission guidelines and upload structures required for (some) journals is significantly more difficult a feat of problem-solving than any other part of academia. I feel I deserve two PhDs; one for my research and one for successfully navigating the Kafkaesque task of submitting it.
I continue to be a Labour member begrudgingly because I still believe the party is the best vehicle for representing working class rights in the contemporary British political arena but I consider that membership on a daily basis. I could be won back to enthusiasm under a Rayner leadership, I think.
So almost a 30% reduction in jobs from last year's market which many people told me was a bad year itself.
Not to worry, I'm going to take this PhD and deliver insightful lectures on climate politics while doing minimum wage service industry work. Destroy higher ed, but you can't stop me lecturing!
An election where Iowa flips and Maine doesn't would cement Susan Collins middle name as "fucking" in a lot of casual conversations.
The absolute worst part about living 750 miles away from campus during the 5th year of your PhD is still getting the emails about the free food that's available after events. My grad student instincts are still strong. I still want the freebies!
The Fossil-Fueled Roots of Climate Inaction in Authoritarian Regimes
The Fossil-Fueled Roots of Climate Inaction in Authoritarian Regimes By William Kakenmaster, University of Notre Dame Why do some authoritarian regimes contribute more to climate change than others? I suggest that climate…
Swearing repeatedly is a legitimate research technique and an effective coping mechanism
TIL that @rizahmed.bsky.social is pro-sortition (random selection of citizens to become politicians) 😱
youtube.com/shorts/M7oTO...