Carl Henrik Knutsen

@chknutsen.bsky.social

5.9K followers 440 following 110 posts

Political science professor, University of Oslo; Research group leader, CIR group; Researcher, PRIO; co-PI, V-Dem

Videos

Political science 57%

Sociology 20%

Posts Replies Media Videos

Reposted by Carl Henrik Knutsen

Jonas Linde @jonaslinde.bsky.social · 2d

In this "new" article published in @jeppjournal.bsky.social, Atle Haugsgjerd, @rubenmathisen.bsky.social and I examine how political representation of the populist radical right (PRR) in Europe affects citizens’ satisfaction with democracy.

Populist radical right party representation and satisfaction with democracy in Europe

This paper examines how political representation of the populist radical right (PRR) in Europe affects citizens’ satisfaction with democracy. Earlier research provides conflicting expectations: Som...

www.tandfonline.com

Carl Henrik Knutsen @chknutsen.bsky.social · 6d

Congratulations with an excellent thesis and impressive defense, Thea! I really enjoyed our conversation :)

Reposted by Carl Henrik Knutsen

Thea Johansen @theajohansen.bsky.social · 6d

Yesterday I defended my thesis and officially became a doctor 🎓
Huge thanks to the committee @chknutsen.bsky.social @hannefjelde.bsky.social for the thoughtful questions and helpful suggestions for future work!

Reposted by Timothy Snyder, Carl Henrik Knutsen

Phillips OBrien @phillipspobrien.bsky.social · 6d

Hi All, Timothy Snyder and I held
a Substack Live a little while ago, and ranged widely on the Russo-Ukraine war. It ended up being divided into two parts. Here is part one where we talk about views of Russia, Ukraine and war in 2022. open.substack.com/pub/phillips...

On the Russo-Ukrainian War with Phillips OBrien

A recording from Phillips P. OBrien and Timothy Snyder's live video

open.substack.com

Reposted by Carl Henrik Knutsen, David R. Miller, Tom Louwerse

Brendan Nyhan @brendannyhan.bsky.social · 9d

As we welcome white Afrikaners from South Africa and deny entry to any other refugees. There is nothing subtle about what is happening here.

Michael Clemens @mclem.org · 9d

The US Administration has banned Americans from *adopting babies* from much of the African continent.

Adopting.

Babies.

What trait do those babies have that, when they grow up as fully American adults, would make them a threat to our country in any form?

Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 9d

On that last post: I genuinely cannot think of any good-faith reason to bar international adoptions from those 39 countries. Under this new ban, consulates will refuse adoption visas for any baby from Cuba, Haiti, Venezuela, Nigeria, or any of the 39 other countries.

Reposted by Brendan Nyhan, Carl Henrik Knutsen

Lee Morgenbesser @lmorgenbesser.bsky.social · 11d

PUBLISHED! My latest piece addresses the inactivity and passivity of the anti-Trump resistance. From my vantage point, it is not doing enough 🫣

I highlight seven lessons from those who have resisted authoritarian rule around the world.

theconversation.com/has-the-trum...

Has the Trump resistance been too passive? Here are 7 ways to effectively protest authoritarian rule

The ‘No Kings’ protests have been important, but smaller, more sustained acts of resistance have proven successful in other countries around the world.

theconversation.com

Reposted by Carl Henrik Knutsen

Tore Wig @torewig.bsky.social · 17d

Happy to announce that I have received an @erc.europa.eu Consolidator grant for the project "Authoritarian Threats to Scientific Knowledge". AutoKnow will study how authoritarian regimes and politics affect scientific progress, contents and topics in different fields.

www.sv.uio.no/isv/english/...

Large EU-grant to Tore Wig to study the state of science in autocracies - Department of Political Science

Will scientific progress slow down if more countries in the world become autocratic? That is one of the questions political science professor Tore Wig will seek to answer with two million euros from t...

www.sv.uio.no

Reposted by Dave O’Brien, Carl Henrik Knutsen

British Journal of Political Science @bjpols.bsky.social · 17d

From October 2025 -

Paths to Power: A New Dataset on the Social Profile of Governments - https://cup.org/47i6oKQ

- @jacobnyrup.bsky.social, @chknutsen.bsky.social, @peterla.bsky.social & Ina Lyftingsmo Kristiansen

#OpenAccess

BJPolS abstract describing the introduction of a global database called PtP, which contains detailed individual-level data on political, occupational, and social backgrounds from 144,789 cabinet members across 141 countries between 1966 and 2021. The text highlights the database's relevance to researchers in various fields including political and social sciences.

Adam Bonica @adambonica.bsky.social · 19d

Study after study shows campaign ads barely move the needle. So where does money’s real power come from? I ranked the five ways money corrupts politics—from least to most corrosive. What I’ve learned from 15 years of tracking political money:

Money Doesn't Buy Elections. It Does Something Worse.

Campaign ads barely move the needle. The real influence is hiding in plain sight.

open.substack.com

Reposted by Carl Henrik Knutsen

Department of Political Science, University of Oslo @statsvitenskap.bsky.social · 24d

📢 New Article
👥 Daniel Alexander Novick Goldstein @daniel-a-n-goldstein.com (ISV) & Drew Stommes
👉 Who Should Fight? Experimental Evidence on Policy Corrections to the Unequal Costs of US Wars
📗 Open Access in International Studies Quarterly
🔗 doi.org/10.1093/isq/...

Who Should Fight? Experimental Evidence on Policy Corrections to the Unequal Costs of US Wars

Abstract. The physical costs of war—who fights and experiences casualties—are borne unequally in the USA. However, little is known about how informing indi

doi.org

Reposted by Carl Henrik Knutsen

World Politics @worldpolitics.bsky.social · 29d

In today’s Encode/Decode @chknutsen.bsky.social and @palinakolvani.bsky.social analyze how #regime type and #state #capacity shape the abilities and incentives of #political #leaders to respond to #COVID-19. Read the full article here: doi.org/10.1353/wp.2...

Carl Henrik Knutsen @chknutsen.bsky.social · Nov 25

Also very happy to see that the trip to Norway paid off! A shining example of what international collaboration can do to push the frontiers of knowledge 😀

Reposted by Carl Henrik Knutsen

Lee Morgenbesser @lmorgenbesser.bsky.social · Nov 25

What happens when you combine @jacobnyrup.bsky.social fondness for turning dictators into Pepper Pig characters with my PowerPoint slides for the course I teach, Way of the Dictator. You get one of the greatest collaborations in the history of comparative authoritarianism 😆

@chknutsen.bsky.social

Reposted by Carl Henrik Knutsen

Jonas Stein @tromsojonas.bsky.social · Nov 23

Spennende fast stilling på UiT Norges arktiske universitet for kvantitative samfunnsvitere (statsvitenskap, organisasjonsteori eller sosiologi). I tillegg får du muligheten til å bo i Tromsø og Nord-Norge 😁 www.jobbnorge.no/ledige-still...

Førsteamanuensis i samfunnsvitenskap (288658) | UiT Norges arktiske universitet

Stillingstittel: Førsteamanuensis i samfunnsvitenskap (288658), Arbeidsgiver: UiT Norges arktiske universitet, Søknadsfrist: onsdag 3. desember 2025

www.jobbnorge.no

Anne Applebaum @anneapplebaum.bsky.social · Nov 22

This is not a peace plan. It is a proposal that weakens Ukraine and divides America from Europe, preparing the way for a larger war in the future. In the meantime, it benefits unnamed Russian and American investors, at the expense of everyone else.
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...

Trump Has a Recipe for War and Corruption, Not Peace

Who would benefit from the White House’s 28-point proposal for Ukraine?

www.theatlantic.com

Reposted by Carl Henrik Knutsen

Nicholas Grossman @nicholasgrossman.bsky.social · Nov 22

This week in America:

Distracted boyfriend meme with Trump ignoring MBS to check out Mamdani

Reposted by Carl Henrik Knutsen

Kevin Rothrock @kevinrothrock.me · Nov 22

Reuters reports that the U.S. has threatened to cut intel sharing and weapons supplies for Ukraine to press it into agreeing to Trump's 28-point plan. Sources say Kyiv is "under greater pressure from Washington than during any previous peace discussions." Trump wants it signed by Thursday.

www.reuters.com

Reposted by Stephen M. Walt, Carl Henrik Knutsen, David R. Miller

Brendan Nyhan @brendannyhan.bsky.social · Nov 20

This is what competitive authoritarianism looks like - regime ally trying to purchase media and remove critical voices

Jonathan Cohn @jonathancohn.bsky.social · Nov 20

Media consolidation remains a major threat to democracy.

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Larry Ellison discussed axing CNN hosts with White House in takeover bid talks

Exclusive: Senior officials indicated favorability toward Paramount Skydance acquiring Warner Bros Discovery

www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Carl Henrik Knutsen

Brendan Nyhan @brendannyhan.bsky.social · Nov 18

Especially when you are paying the president tens or hundreds of millions of dollars (in blatant violation of the Constitution) www.nytimes.com/2025/11/15/w...

Reposted by Brendan Nyhan, Carl Henrik Knutsen, Leigh Sparks , and 7 more Brendan Nyhan, Carl Henrik Knutsen, Leigh Sparks, Daniel W. Drezner, Alan Richardson, David R. Miller, Andrew Rudalevige, James Connelly, Daxton R. Stewart, Maria Sobolewska

David Roberts @volts.wtf · Nov 18

Is it a threat to free speech when the President of the United States threatens to yank the broadcast license of a channel whose reporters are asking him challenging questions?

I ask because I feel like there used to be tons of pundits worried about free speech. Where'd they go?

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · Nov 18

Trump in response to an Epstein question: "ABC, your company, your crappy company is one of the perpetrators. I think the license should be taken away from ABC because your news is so fake and so wrong. And we have a great commissioner, a chairman, who should take a look at that."

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · Nov 18

Reposted by Anne Applebaum, Timothy Snyder, Michael E. Mann , and 53 more Anne Applebaum, Timothy Snyder, Michael E. Mann, Shannon Vallor, Ben H. Ansell, Elizabeth Saunders, Nandita Sharma, Jonathan A. Eisen, Will Jennings, Brendan Nyhan, Ken Caldeira, Patrick A. Jansen, Scott L. Greer, David H. Kaye, Carl Henrik Knutsen, Mary Feeney, Jamie Morgan, Jonathan M. Gilligan, American Library Association, Nicolas Véron, Alex Callinicos, Fabián Muniesa, Cathy N. Davidson, Ramón López Facal, Michael Kevane, Maya Sen, Jonathan Hopkin, Charles W. Smith, Rebecca Tushnet, Alan Richardson, David R. Miller, Silvia Secchi, Jacob T. Levy, Robert B. Reich, Michael H. Whitworth, James Goodwin, Thomas Hegghammer, Manuel Puppis, Jason Lyall, Sarah Roberts, Ann Bartow, Andy Reisinger, Philipp Sarasin, Pauline Stafford, Jonathan Marks, Andrew Rudalevige, Nathan Richardson, Tim Stephens, Pam Jarvis, Aviel Roshwald, Stella M. Rouse, Aidan O’Sullivan, Richard Moorhead, James M. Thomas, Dunlap, David Darmofal

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · Nov 18

Trump suggests Khashoggi had it coming: "You're mentioning someone that was extremely controversial. A lot of people didn't like that gentleman that you're talking about. Whether you like him or didn't like him, things happen. But he knew nothing about it. You don't have to embarrass our guest."

Reposted by Carl Henrik Knutsen, Chris Hanretty, Erika Franklin Fowler

Toni Rodon @tonirodon.bsky.social · Nov 17

People value free and fair elections, and prefer living in a country with free and fair elections but with less desirable outcomes (e.g. low levels of wealth) to living in a country without free and fair elections but with better outcomes journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/00104140251392539

Are People Willing to Trade Away Democracy for Desirable Outcomes? Experimental Evidence From Six Countries - Jonathan A. Chu, Scott Williamson, Eddy S. F. Yeung, 2025

To what extent do people prioritize living in a democracy over other indicators of good governance or personal well-being? This question has become contested as...

journals.sagepub.com

Reposted by Richard S.J. Tol, Carl Henrik Knutsen

Ben Stanley @benstanley.eu · Nov 14

1. Someone comes up with a cool method.
2. Star scholars publish papers in big journals using cool method.
3. Cool method market for papers gets saturated.
4. Someone writes a paper pointing out a big flaw in cool method.
5. Reviewers reject cool method papers using 4.

Rinse, repeat. Rinse, repeat.

Reposted by Carl Henrik Knutsen

C-REX @crexuio.bsky.social · Nov 5

Join us tomorrow at @uio.no for the 3rd C-REX/CIR meeting on Democracy and Extremism. Presentations by @chknutsen.bsky.social & @jacravn.bsky.social, followed by comments from parliamentary leader T. Brenna (Labour Party) & H. Nordby Lunde (former Conservative MP). www.sv.uio.no/c-rex/aktuel...

Demokratiets motstandskraft i møte med det ekstreme - C-REX – Senter for ekstremismeforskning

Hvordan designe et robust demokrati og beskytte det mot voldelig ekstremisme? Innledninger ved professor og statsviter Carl Henrik Knutsen og professor og statsviter Jacob Aasland Ravndal. Kommentarer...

www.sv.uio.no

Reposted by Carl Henrik Knutsen

Jacob Aasland Ravndal @jacravn.bsky.social · Oct 31

Ser frem til å innlede til dette frokostmøtet sammem med @chknutsen.bsky.social om demokratiets motstandskraft i møte med det ekstreme i regi av @crexuio.bsky.social og CIR forskergruppen ved @statsvitenskap.bsky.social

www.sv.uio.no/c-rex/aktuel...

Demokratiets motstandskraft i møte med det ekstreme - C-REX – Senter for ekstremismeforskning

Hvordan designe et robust demokrati og beskytte det mot voldelig ekstremisme? Innledninger ved professor og statsviter Carl Henrik Knutsen og professor og statsviter Jacob Aasland Ravndal.

www.sv.uio.no