David Bartram
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dbartram.bsky.social
David Bartram
@dbartram.bsky.social
1.2K followers 740 following 380 posts

Sociologist. Interests: inequalities, happiness, migration, & causal identification. Editor-in-chief of @socialindicators.bsky.social. PhD UW-Madison. AI-free teaching & research since 1998. Posts are personal.

https://davidvbartram.wordpress.com .. more

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Political science 32%
Sociology 27%
Posts Replies Media Videos

Reposted by David Bartram, Dunlap

robertscotthorton.bsky.social
Scott Horton @robertscotthorton.bsky.social · 2d
In which Jeffrey Epstein, who laundered money for the Russians, explains how Donald Trump was doing exactly the same thing, and how this accounts for most of his wealth.

Reposted by Patrick Dunleavy, Michael D. McDonald, David Bartram , and 1 more

maxberger.bsky.social
Max Berger @maxberger.bsky.social · 3d
Donald Trump is:

- Openly racist
- Covering up evidence he may have sexually abused children
- Directly responsible for the murder of US citizens by masked agents of the state
- Openly looting the treasury and taking bribes from foreign leaders
- Polling at 38% amongst the American people

Reposted by Mark D. White, Rosemary A. Joyce, Melissa R. Michelson , and 18 more

roxanegay.bsky.social
Roxane Gay @roxanegay.bsky.social · 3d
1. It was not an accident.
2. It was not a staffer.
3. While the president may have dementia his racism is not due to dementia.
4. He isn’t sorry. He means every racist thought he shares.
5. His base agrees with him.
6. He will do it again.
7. No one in power will hold him accountable.

dbartram.bsky.social
David Bartram @dbartram.bsky.social · 4d
For the very wealthy, "happiness is probably best achieved by having a sense that you've done some good in the world, and that you've treated people around you with care and kindness. It's not exactly rocket science."

Reposted by David Bartram

businessinsider.com
Business Insider @businessinsider.com · 4d
Elon Musk, the world's richest person, questions if money buys happiness. Studies suggest income boosts happiness, but with diminishing returns.
Elon Musk says money can't buy happiness. Research shows he's both right and wrong.
Elon Musk, the world's richest person, questions if money buys happiness. Studies suggest income boosts happiness, but with diminishing returns.
www.businessinsider.com

dbartram.bsky.social
David Bartram @dbartram.bsky.social · 5d
FA with the editorial page.

FO what happens with the rest of the newspaper.
perrybaconjr.bsky.social Perry Bacon @perrybaconjr.bsky.social · 5d
There was (and remains) a real journalistic opening for a super-robust news operation that isn't doing false equivalence. That's what's needed in the Trump era. That could have been the Post. Except its owner doesn't want that. newrepublic.com/article/2061...
The Washington Post Is in Freefall—and There’s One Person to Blame
Today’s layoffs at this once-great newspaper were nowhere near inevitable. But Jeff Bezos was never committed to the paper’s best traditions.
newrepublic.com

Reposted by Victor Pickard, David Bartram, Nathan P. Kalmoe

perrybaconjr.bsky.social
Perry Bacon @perrybaconjr.bsky.social · 5d
There was (and remains) a real journalistic opening for a super-robust news operation that isn't doing false equivalence. That's what's needed in the Trump era. That could have been the Post. Except its owner doesn't want that. newrepublic.com/article/2061...
The Washington Post Is in Freefall—and There’s One Person to Blame
Today’s layoffs at this once-great newspaper were nowhere near inevitable. But Jeff Bezos was never committed to the paper’s best traditions.
newrepublic.com

dbartram.bsky.social
David Bartram @dbartram.bsky.social · 5d
Any reader with the least bit of empathy will end up caring about the main characters.

Learning objective achieved...

dbartram.bsky.social
David Bartram @dbartram.bsky.social · 5d
In my own view: my course on International Migration is greatly enhanced by having students read The Year of the Runaways by Sunjeev Sahota.

It helps "humanize" immigrants -- they (we) are not a generic category, they are of course human beings.

dbartram.bsky.social
David Bartram @dbartram.bsky.social · 5d
They want people to stay home so that doing it on Zoom insulates them from the anger.

So much cowardice...

Reposted by Steve Peers, Lesley A. Hall, Seán Hanley , and 1 more

gsoh31.bsky.social
Glen O'Hara @gsoh31.bsky.social · 7d
Before anyone gets too angry about this, several things. (1) Universities in the UK, unlike the US, are pretty much under the financial and admin control of central govt. If RefUK moves to wipe them out, as they will, then some will choose life. (1/3) www.timeshighereducation.com/news/univers...
Universities try to woo Reform as party gains ground
Serious lobbying efforts under way, with right-wing party expected to be more sympathetic to elite universities than rest of the sector
www.timeshighereducation.com

dbartram.bsky.social
David Bartram @dbartram.bsky.social · 8d
This sort of thing is the reason I'm happy to pay ~ $30 a year for a different email system (fastmail).

"If it's free, you're the product."

Reposted by Michael E. Mann, Jennifer A. Richeson, Steve Peers , and 10 more

mcbridetd.bsky.social
Timothy McBride @mcbridetd.bsky.social · 9d
Bovino Is Said to Have Mocked Prosecutor’s Jewish Faith on Call With Lawyers www.nytimes.com/2026/01/31/u...
Bovino Is Said to Have Mocked Prosecutor’s Jewish Faith on Call With Lawyers
www.nytimes.com

dbartram.bsky.social
David Bartram @dbartram.bsky.social · 10d
More of this please.

www.theguardian.com/music/2026/j...
Brian May says US is currently too dangerous for Queen to tour there
Queen guitarist says ‘everyone is thinking twice about going there at the moment’ when asked about touring plans
www.theguardian.com

dbartram.bsky.social
David Bartram @dbartram.bsky.social · 10d
Another angle that is going to soak up my time dealing with manuscript submissions to my journal.

If the students have figured it out, so too have the professional academics who are inclined to cheat...

Reposted by Marc Lynch, Kim L. Scheppele, Ben H. Ansell , and 41 more

justinhendrix.bsky.social
Justin Hendrix @justinhendrix.bsky.social · 10d
A Minnesota woman observing ICE agents in her car was cornered on one-way streets. An agent approached, called her by name—citing facial recognition. Days later, her Global Entry and TSA privileges were revoked, with no explanation.
How ICE Already Knows Who Minneapolis Protesters Are
www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Rafael H. M. Pereira, Philip N. Cohen, Kris Inwood , and 5 more

drjenndowd.bsky.social
Jenn Dowd @drjenndowd.bsky.social · 11d
We deserve to live until we are old.

substack.com/home/post/p-... #publichealth #demography #epidemiology #healthpolicy
Live Free and Die: US Life Expectancy Has a Problem (But It's Not Seed Oils)
We deserve to live until we are old
substack.com

Reposted by David Bartram

ucucommons.org
UCU Commons @ucucommons.org · 11d
From tomorrow, Friday 30 January, ballot papers will start to arrive by post for VP (HE and FE), and several key positions on our NEC.

We're supporting our own @markpendleton.bsky.social for VP (HE) and independent @suzitoole.bsky.social for VP (FE) & lots of other great people. Please share! #UCU
UCU elections 2026: recommended votes. All information is available at https://ucucommons.org/election26/

Reposted by Mark D. White, Rosemary A. Joyce, Philip N. Cohen , and 2 more

yale.edu
Yale University @yale.edu · 11d
Yale is launching a new Presidential Senior Fellowship to expand access to the transformative work of universities. As part of this program, author and columnist David Brooks will join the Jackson School of Global Affairs starting February 1.

Read more in Yale News: bit.ly/49QpJoY
Photo of David Brooks with blue background. Text on screen reads "Yale Jackson School of Global Affairs."

Reposted by Janet Murray, Michael W. Kraus, Laleh Khalili , and 3 more

victorerikray.bsky.social
Victor Ray @victorerikray.bsky.social · 11d
As @hebagowayed.bsky.social and I wrote in our Guardian article on abolishing ICE, this is Homan threatening to gun down Americans for using their free speech rights to accurately describe ICE as fascist secret police.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Seen from this vantage, Good’s killing is not a “mistake” but a reflection of how the agency is designed to operate. Take it from the border czar, Tom Homan, who said: “There will be more bloodshed unless we decrease the hateful rhetoric.” In other words, Homan, who received an award for his service under Obama, after introducing the idea of family separation, is telling citizens that exercising their constitutional right to speech will prompt government agents to gun them down.

Reposted by David Bartram

charlienotold.bsky.social
Charlie Young @charlienotold.bsky.social · 13d
This is Louis Mosley (Executive VP of Palantir for the UK and Europe): Mosley is a former Conservative Party councillor, used to work as a research associate for Rory Stewart and is the grandson of Oswald Mosley, founder of the British Union of Fascists (and wears black shirts for his interviews)

dbartram.bsky.social
David Bartram @dbartram.bsky.social · 13d
"never again" isn't meant to be (only) "never again for Jews"...
joelhs.bsky.social Joel S. @joelhs.bsky.social · 14d
The US Holocaust Museum being more outraged by Tim Walz saying that, like Anne Frank, children today are in hiding from armed agents of the state, than they are about the fact that children are in hiding from armed agents of the state, is why Holocaust remembrance culture is in crisis.
Tweet from the US Holocaust Memorial Museum: "Anne Frank was targeted and murdered solely because she was Jewish. Leaders making false equivalencies to her experience for political purposes is never acceptable. Despite tensions in Minneapolis, exploiting the Holocaust is deeply offensive, especially as antisemitism surges."

Reposted by Jonathan Portes, Edward Witten, Steve Peers , and 6 more

joelhs.bsky.social
Joel S. @joelhs.bsky.social · 14d
The US Holocaust Museum being more outraged by Tim Walz saying that, like Anne Frank, children today are in hiding from armed agents of the state, than they are about the fact that children are in hiding from armed agents of the state, is why Holocaust remembrance culture is in crisis.
Tweet from the US Holocaust Memorial Museum: "Anne Frank was targeted and murdered solely because she was Jewish. Leaders making false equivalencies to her experience for political purposes is never acceptable. Despite tensions in Minneapolis, exploiting the Holocaust is deeply offensive, especially as antisemitism surges."

Reposted by Stephen P. Jenkins, David Bartram

markfabian.bsky.social
Mark Fabian @markfabian.bsky.social · 14d
After 5 years I can finally share a full WP of our project conducting cognitive interviews of life satisfaction reporting.

Main findings:
1. LS scales are psychometrically valid, but...
2. Standard statistical assumptions made when analysing LS data are not credible.

osf.io/gv5e3/files/...

Reposted by David Bartram

jamestapper.bsky.social
James Tapper @jamestapper.bsky.social · 15d
This whole, horrible situation has exposed the US’s 2nd amendment as a sham. The entire point of it, all the dead children in schools, was all apparently so that ordinary citizens could arm themselves against tyranny. When tyranny arrives, what happens? www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
NRA and pro-gun groups call for ‘full investigation’ into killing of Alex Pretti
Groups typically aligned with Trump call for investigation as NRA wades into the national dialogue
www.theguardian.com

dbartram.bsky.social
David Bartram @dbartram.bsky.social · 19d
Essential clarification: are you addressing this comment to editors (e.g. to me)?

Editors are distinct from publishers. I as editor have no $$ to pay reviewers.

I support your suggestion -- but it is a matter for publishers, not editors.

dbartram.bsky.social
David Bartram @dbartram.bsky.social · 19d
My practice:

1) I write to ask them whether they did it using AI. (They never respond -- but my question acts as a notification that it is detectable even if not provable.)

2) I disable their reviewer rights.

dbartram.bsky.social
David Bartram @dbartram.bsky.social · 19d
Or, show up with red-noses. Imagine a whole room-full...

Reposted by Richard S.J. Tol, David Brady, Mel Bartley , and 15 more

pengzell.bsky.social
Per Engzell @pengzell.bsky.social · 19d
JOB! I'm hiring a postdoc for 2 years on my ERC MaMo project.

Looking for someone with strong quant methods, ongoing work close to the project's aims, and a desire to publish in sociology. Start flexible in the next 12 months.

Formal call out shortly, but contact me first.
Markets and Mobility: How Employers Structure Economic Opportunity Intergenerational mobility, measuring the ability to achieve economic success regardless of family background, is a critical reflection of a society’s commitment to equality of opportunity. Rising income inequality has raised concerns about the potential erosion of upward mobility. While education has traditionally been viewed as the path to mobility, its transformative power is facing challenges in a rapidly evolving job market. This project reorients the focus of intergenerational mobility research by highlighting the labor market as an arena for the reproduction of advantage. It employs a comparative approach, using administrative data from four countries: Sweden, Austria, England, and the United States. It also incorporates evidence from a broader set of nations through cross-national surveys, longitudinal household surveys, labor force surveys, secondary data, and digital trace data. The project employs cutting-edge empirical methods, including quasi- experimental designs, event studies, within-family comparisons, decomposition analyses, counterfactual simulations, and diagnostic checks to rigorously assess the extent of inequalities in the labor market. The research investigates how family background influences the sorting of individuals to employers and workplaces, accounting for education and occupation, and explores variations in career progression within and between employers. It comprehensively catalogues and assesses mechanisms shaping workplace inequality, contributing to the development of social closure theory. Additionally, the project evaluates intervention strategies, encompassing both employer practices and government actions, to promote fair opportunity in the labor market.

dbartram.bsky.social
David Bartram @dbartram.bsky.social · 20d
Having taught courses/modules on immigration for many years, I feel useful.

"Research comparing UK & US finds people with fewer qualifications more likely to support rightwing movements"

(yes, the impact is broader, not rooted in the study of migration per se)

www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
Educational background key indicator of immigration views in UK, study finds
Research comparing UK and US finds people with fewer qualifications more likely to support rightwing movements
www.theguardian.com