Will Allen

Hope to see you and the @equalstrength.bsky.social crew in Belfast for @epssnet.bsky.social next year!

Ten years ago today, I started my PhD in Politics w/ @politicsoxford.bsky.social. As others are in the starting phases of their own programs, some thoughts on what I’ve learned, both since then and during the process (in no particular order). 1/

The fairest comparison is yourself against where you were a year ago. As long as I was making progress on the skills, knowledge, and networks compared to the year prior, that was a win for me. 6/

Don’t let the perfect dissertation be the enemy of the good-enough dissertation. Very rarely is the PhD project the defining thing you’ll work on forever. And it’ll probably look very different in forms that actually matter: books, articles. Plus life gets in the way, or a visa app in my case. 5/

Tool and tech up: take as many methods and research design classes or workshops as you can. Topics and trends change, so I decided early on to keep updating my data and methods toolkit (including qual approaches) as much as possible. 4/

Turn up every day for others, too. A solo project can feel lonely, so learning from and sharing feedback with my cohort was helpful for my own work and mental health. Plus, these folks may well likely be future peers or colleagues that you’ll see at conferences or editing journals in your field. 3/

Turn up every day for yourself. Building a habit of regularly chipping away at a problem meant that there was a greater chance (though no guarantee) of a breakthrough. 2/

Ten years ago today, I started my PhD in Politics w/ @politicsoxford.bsky.social. As others are in the starting phases of their own programs, some thoughts on what I’ve learned, both since then and during the process (in no particular order). 1/

The @migrationjrnl.bsky.social special issues call is now open, with a deadline of 15 Dec. Particularly good if you’ve recently held a workshop or conference on a theme related to migration. Citizenship, or integration, and have a collection of papers.

If you work on the politics of migration, integration, or citizenship, consider submitting it to @epssnet.bsky.social and the more-than-capable hands of co-chairs @kristinabsimonsen.bsky.social @aalrababah.bsky.social. Deadline is 7 November! #migcitsky #polisky

Another chance to see me profess my love (and the limits) of charts to change minds. Thanks @psapolpsychology.bsky.social for hosting! And check out the whole autumn series which looks excellent.

How dare you throw Hobbes under the bus like that 😉

Congratulations Jan, and a very cool project!

Cheers Jack! Next time I’m planning to use maple for that 🇨🇦 vibe

PS I’ve come to terms that this a baking and dog feed which occasionally has some social science content.

Three golden brown biscuits on a grey plate. Each of them have chunks of pecan on top, with crosshatch patterns baked into the top of each one.

Today is the first @sotonpolitics.bsky.social seminar of the term, which means colleagues are getting these honey and peanut butter biscuits with mixed spice, pecan, and flakey sea salt! An autumn mix of sweet and salty, just like my last paper’s Reviewer 1 and Reviewer 2. #poliskybakes

A Jack Russell terrier stands on a fallen tree stump with a green park behind her. As she looks over her kingdom she thinks about the lunch that awaits: chicken chicken chic

Buenos días, Oxfordshire 🐶

We really appreciate the recognition, especially when among such a fantastic line-up of scholars I personally admire! And @isabel-ruiz.bsky.social really deserves it as a nod to how she inspires junior scholars in the political economy of development and migration. bsky.app/profile/maar...

A chart showing that Colombians tend to prefer migration policies that allow conditional family reunification, some access to formal labor markets, an (to a lesser degree) annual limits on arrivals and some kind of limited protection period.

In a conjoint experiment, we show Colombians prefer policies that allow for conditional family reunification and access to formal employment. And, those with stronger humanitarian views favor fewer restrictions in core areas of health, work, and family (what we call "life, labor, and loved ones.")

Thanks @migcitizenapsa.bsky.social! @isabel-ruiz.bsky.social, @cvar-sil.bsky.social and I received an honorable mention for the section's Best Paper Award this year, for our study showing which types of migration policies towards Venezuelans that Colombians prefer. Free here: doi.org/10.1016/j.wo...

A Jack Russell terrier sleeps on her side, holding onto her human’s hand as she dreams of her favourite dinner: chicken.

Buenas noches, Oxfordshire

Congrats to you both! (And I only found out about our HM from your post, so thanks social media!)

A lamppost at the end of a old brick alley. The photo is blurry as the photographer moved.

Good evening, Oxfordshire

A great reminder from @jaeyeonkim.bsky.social as the academic job market season begins: “You won’t be the right fit everywhere. That’s okay. You only need one place where your work resonates and where you can continue to grow.” #academicsky #polisky

Sin duda con una personalidad similar 😉

For sure - I tagged the main APSA account hoping that the feedback would get to next year’s team for Boston. It’s a classic example of an accommodation that *everyone* can benefit from.

I’m not at #APSA2025 but this kind of video for big conference venues is super helpful for partially sighted (or just navigationally questionable) folks like myself to get around. Can watch ahead of arrival and feel more confident on site. Great work @rosalierubio.bsky.social @apsa.bsky.social!

Congrats to you all! Great to see this out.

I also should quickly add all of this *waves hands at fixed term jobs* is weird, somewhat idiosyncratic before and after quality thresholds, and was intimidating for me as someone who didn't have "standard" methods or political science training from the start.

The proposal should express why it matters for your field, in ways that experts outside your area understand. Then, your profile should explain why you're ideal to do that work. This strategy is common to most fellowship-style jobs: for more examples inc. from my JRF, see: bsky.app/profile/will...